Client Feedback
“I had a great experience working with FastPreci, my account manager was very responsive and involved throughout the whole process making the project fast and easy.I recommend FastPreci and look forward to our next project.”
— Mr. Tony Assness
Project Background
Project Application Scenarios and Objectives:
These pieces are designed for high-end art exhibitions, stage installations, or limited-edition art retail. They are more than everyday items; they are artistic creations with a strong visual impact.
Mr. Tony Assness is a famous visual creative director in Australia. He works on large-scale live events, stage design, fashion design, and installation art. Many world-class brands and cultural institutions have shown their support for Mr. Tony Assness’s creative works, including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, National Geographic, Red Bull, Vogue Magazine, and Fox Studios Australia.
Tony Assness’s representative works include:
75th Anniversary of Sydney Harbour Bridge
Tony was in charge of the visual creativity and planning for this big public event, which was an official project of the Australian government. The event got a lot of attention from the media and is one of his most famous works.
Sydney Launch of Moulin Rouge (Sydney premiere of the film Moulin Rouge)
Tony designed the amazing stage setup and visual experience for Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge Sydney premiere, showing his talent for combining film with live events.
Brisbane Festival – City of Lights
Tony is the Creative Director of the Brisbane Festival. He has led the “City of Lights” public art installation for years. It is large, interactive, and audiences love it. He has also recently designed large-scale installations such as the Brisbane Airport Light Garden.
Sydney Dance Company Dance Works ‘360°’ and ‘2 One Another’ (Costume, Stage, and Video Content Design)
Under the direction of Rafael Bonachela, Tony was responsible for designing the stage, costumes, and large-scale video content for these two dance works, demonstrating his ability to integrate art and engineering across disciplines
Party Design Consultant for the film ‘The Great Gatsby’
Tony gave advice on how to design two important scenes in Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin’s movie. He also helped with the visual design and showed how he has worked on international projects.
……
Project Introduction
| Category | Details |
| Industry | Creative Design & Visual Arts |
| Materials | Aluminum 6061 |
| Surface Finish | As Machined Ra 3.2 |
| Process | CNC Turning |
| Lead Time | 12 Days |
| Result | Delivered on time with flawless craftsmanship and full drawing support, the final piece brought the artist’s vision to life—and exceeded expectations. |
Highlights
- Efficiency: Material usage is optimized through segmented processing, reducing costs by ~80%.
- Creative Collaboration: Converted the artist’s 3D concept into fully dimensioned manufacturing drawings.
Challenges
The challenges of machining extra-long, large-diameter parts
The core component of this art installation measures 1005 mm in length and 210 mm in diameter. This is much bigger than the processing range of conventional turned parts. Such large dimensions make processing difficult. Extremely long workpieces vibrate and bend when rotating at high speeds. Large diameters require equipment that is more rigid and stable. Maintaining the same shape and exact measurements across the entire one-meter-long workpiece requires special clamping solutions and extremely precise machining control. These factors make making this piece much harder than making regular parts.
Draw professional drawings according to customer requirements
In this project, the client provided the creative design, and FastPreci created all the engineering drawings, including 3D models, based on the client’s ideas. To turn a creative design idea into detailed engineering drawings, you need to know exactly how curved the surfaces are, how they connect, and the standards for precision. There wasn’t much technical documentation for making the product, so the project had to find a balance between the original design and the engineering specifications. One of the most important challenges of the project was figuring out how to accurately understand the artist’s design and turn it into data that could be used for precision machining.
Solutions
To overcome the two main challenges of the project, FastPreci developed specific solutions that combined engineering innovation with artistic creativity.
Segmented Machining + Precision Assembly
We figured out how hard it would be to make this part using machines and how much it would cost. We decided to use a special process that involved cutting the part into different pieces and putting it together. The part was cut near the base to allow for precise machining control of each section. Threads were added at the cut points to improve post-assembly tightness and maintain the part’s concentricity.
To make sure the surfaces look natural and flow smoothly, we did a process called “secondary precision turning” after putting everything together. This made the transitions look smooth and made sure there were no visible joints.
We used a special process called “segmented machining and precision assembly” to cut down on how much raw material we needed. This process didn’t change the design of the product or how well it worked. The original design required a single large bar stock, but after segmentation, we could select the appropriate diameter for the coarse and fine bar stocks separately, which avoided significant material waste. This not only reduced the amount of raw materials needed, but also made processing more efficient, lowering overall processing costs by about 80%.
From Concept to Manufacturing: Development of Complete Drawings
We talked a lot with the client about the drawing. We confirmed important details like the part length, diameter, and curved surface parameters. According to the manufacturing plan, senior mechanical design engineers finished the 2D and 3D manufacturing drawings. These drawings meet the standards for making the product, and they show exactly what the artist wanted. This makes it easy to make the product exactly how it was designed.
FastPreci used these solutions to turn complex creative ideas into exact physical works, combining art and engineering.
Machining Process
The project will start when we receive the customer-approved engineering drawings. The whole process is done in six steps: taking apart the part → cutting the material → planning the process → machining → inspection → packaging and shipping.
Process Steps and Technical Points
Part Disassembly and Material Cutting: The part is designed to be disassembled into two sections. This allows different sizes of bar stock to be used during the machining process.
Process Planning: Engineers created a detailed plan for the machine that was specifically designed for the extra-long workpiece. They focused on making the best use of clamping methods and machining sequences.
Turning: CNC turning was done using a three-jaw chuck with a tailstock clamping method. During machining, precise adjustments to cutting and feed parameters effectively reduced vibration issues caused by the part’s length, ensuring a good surface finish and that the dimensions didn’t change.
Precision Inspection: After machining, inspections were done to make sure the dimensions met the standards set by ISO 2768-M. These inspections used tools like height gauges, projectors, and calipers to check the dimensions.
Packaging and Shipping: After we inspect and confirm the final product, we package it safely to make sure it doesn’t get damaged during shipping.
Material Usage and Optimization
The project used a special process where different parts of the machine were used. It used two different sizes of bar stock: 215 mm by 165 mm and 50 mm by 950 mm. Segmented machining uses a lot less material than integral machining, which uses one big bar. It reduces material waste and improves how materials are used. It also makes processing easier, saves labor hours, and lowers processing costs. This results in a significant reduction in overall costs.
Surface Treatment
The part doesn’t need any extra surface treatment because the machined metal surface already meets the required surface finish for artistic display.
Engineering Highlights
By using a process that includes machining and precise assembly, we can make sure that the design is accurate and the structure is strong. This process also solves problems with surface quality that are caused by vibrations during long-part machining.
The strategy for making the material better has greatly lowered the manufacturing costs for the customer and improved how well the production is done.
The whole machining process shows how FastPreci is better than other companies at making very long parts that are very precise, and how they can save money for their customers.
Results & Outcomes
Finished Product Details
The final processed art components are precisely concentric, seamlessly connected, and have a high surface finish. Their dimensions are strictly controlled within the customer’s specified range.
Project Value Proposition
Helping customers shorten product development cycles: We help our customers by providing engineering drawings and rapid manufacturing. This helps us work faster and better with our customers.
Enhancing performance and presentation effects: High-precision parts and smooth interfaces help keep art installations looking and working well.
Reducing manufacturing costs: We improve processing efficiency and avoid the additional costs of large-scale equipment by using segmented processing and threaded assembly methods.
Supporting small-batch rapid production: This process can be used again, which makes it easy to make similar parts in small amounts in the future.
Project Gallery
Future
Tony Assness, an Australian visual creative director, is going to unveil new art installations that will once again push the limits of creativity. This project shows that his vision was successful and that working together is important.
FastPreci and Tony Assness have worked together to create something special. They’ve inspired each other, and together they’ve done great things. This shows that when engineering and art meet, amazing things can happen.
