105 FAQ on Custom Award Medal Making

With these 105 professional questions and answers about custom medal production from Badge Artisans Co., Ltd, you will gain a comprehensive and detailed understanding of all aspects of custom medal making!

If you would like to watch videos regarding the custom medal manufacturing process, please visit our “Custom Medal Manufacturing Process” page.

Design Section

Focuses on software, vector graphics, line width specifications, and initial product dimensions.

AI (Adobe Illustrator) and CDR (CorelDRAW).

Design elements are the concepts customers want to express on the product. 2D blueprints are designed based on the customer’s needs and provided logos/names/elements for production.

Soft Enamel (Baking Paint): 0.2mm–0.4mm; Imitation Enamel: 0.45mm–0.5mm.

They are collectively called Vector Graphics. The advantage is that they can be scaled infinitely without becoming blurry or showing pixels.

Pantone Matching System (PMS).

An 88-ton die-casting machine is typically used. The choice of tonnage depends on the product size; larger products require larger machines. If the tonnage is too small for a large product, it will result in incomplete molding.

Molding

Covers mold materials, components, and precision machining like EDM and engraving.

It increases the hardness and wear resistance of the mold.

Milling machines, lathes, drilling machines, tapping machines, and EDM machines.

Mold steel

It consists of 6 parts: mold base, mold core, support pillars, sliders, ejector pins, and the sprue (water inlet).

A mold engraving machine. Principle: Mold drawings and parameters are imported into the machine’s computer to automatically engrave the mold.

Commonly JDPaint (Beijing Jingdiao); some customers use Rhino.

To push the product out and separate it from the mold.

Zinc alloy (common models: 3#, 5#, 7#). Characteristics: Excellent casting performance for complex and precise shapes, smooth surface, suitable for surface treatments (plating, electrophoresis, painting), good wear resistance, and a low melting point 385℃ for easy molding.

Die Casting

Involves the physical casting process, machinery tonnage, and troubleshooting casting defects.

It heats and liquefies the zinc alloy, which is then injected into a mold through a nozzle to form the shape.

Principle: Discharging electricity onto the mold via electrodes to create dense tiny pits through high-temperature erosion. Effect: Products made from these molds have a matte/frosted surface

17.A release agent is used to allow the blank to detach quickly from the mold.

Heating the new mold ensures it reaches the required operating temperature to guarantee the liquid zinc alloy fully fills the mold cavity.

This is because the inlet was made too large during mold making; the width of the mold sprue must be reduced.

Insufficient or unevenly distributed ejector pins leading to uneven stress, or the tilting of the push rod fixing plate during operation.

Mold surface is not smooth enough; 2. Insufficient machine pressure; 3. Excessive speed preventing the material from fully filling the mold.

Poor venting in the mold; exhaust holes need adjustment.

Insufficient pressure from the die-casting machine.

Sprues and burrs are unwanted excess from the production process and must be removed.

Based on product shape and size. For round medals, four evenly spaced sprues are usually used to ensure the liquid alloy fully fills the cavity.

Excessive release agent spray sticking to details, preventing the zinc alloy from filling those areas.

Polishing

The stage where rough edges are smoothed and surfaces are prepared for coating.

Wet polishing machine.

Nylon wheels, hemp wheels, grinding wheels, and scouring pads.

Polishing wax.

To smooth the rough surfaces and edges of the product.

Edges –>Surfaces –> Corner details.

Riveting

Techniques for joining different components or adding attachments like pins.

Bench drilling machine.

To join the main body and accessories together.

Spur needles and safety pins.

Badges and medals with hinges.

Surface Treatment

Chemical and mechanical processes to give the medal its final metallic or colored finish.

Using electrolysis to deposit a thin layer of another metal or alloy onto the metal surface.

Under voltage, charged coating ions in the tank move to the cathode, react with alkaline substances on the surface to form insoluble matter, and deposit on the product.

Using air pressure to atomize liquid paint into a mist that covers the surface uniformly.

Improper cleaning before plating, or bubbles forming after baking the post-plating oil.

Ultrasonic cleaner. Principle: It heats the cleaning agent to a boil and uses ultrasonic vibrations to clean products in the solution.

Five types: Hook, Pocket, Clip, Tie, and Spring racks.

To provide a base color and increase the thickness of the plating.

To enhance the gloss/luster of the product.

To create a protective layer on the surface to improve corrosion resistance.

A tunnel oven. The process takes 40 minutes from entry to exit at approximately 100 ℃

Gold and copper plating require oil sealing to prevent oxidation.

Insufficient agitation of the solution, causing bubbles to stick to the surface; 2. Excessive organic impurities increasing viscosity and causing streaks.

1.Excessive current;
2. High product temperature;
3. Imbalanced additive ratios.

1.Poor pre-treatment (uncleaned oil residue);
2. Inadequate base layer (e.g., insufficient time for alkaline copper plating).

It is a chemical treatment that creates an oxide film on the metal surface to isolate it from air and prevent rust.

Epoxy resin paint.

Pros: Low cost, excellent protection, uniform coloring on complex shapes. Cons: Poor wear resistance.

Pros: Rich colors, enhances corrosion resistance, increases hardness, prevents wear. Cons: High cost.

Pros: Fast application, good flatness. Cons: Uneven coating on complex shapes, lack of metallic luster.

Paint spray guns and water curtain cabinets. Spray gun: Uses compressed air to atomize paint into fine droplets. Water curtain cabinet: Captures excess paint in a water pool or curtain; filters odors and dust through water curtains and fans to purify the environment and enhance workpiece finish.

Epoxy resin paint

Plating uses electrolysis for a metal film; 2. Electrophoresis uses voltage for ion deposition; 3. Spraying uses high-pressure air to mist paint onto the surface.

The product surface was not cleaned thoroughly before painting.

Overly thick coating during the double-sided spraying process, causing the paint to sag due to gravity.

Moisture in the compressed air or the use of incorrect/excessive thinner.

Non-colored products like “white steel” and black nickel.

60 minutes at 100 ℃

High-grade acid-resistant electroplating varnish.

Ultrasonic, sulfuric acid, activation, and clean water rinsing.

Typically 500 seconds. It increases for larger products or specific thickness requirements.

1.Poor surface treatment (defective plating or phosphating);
2. Secondary contamination after pre-treatment.

Antique gold, pewter, bronze, copper, and matte black.

Color Filling

The manual or automated process of adding colored resins and paints into the recessed areas.

Glass hand-push syringes.

Pantone color charts.

Epoxy resin paint and Thinner (T-Naw water) used to adjust viscosity.

Color paste and hardener.

Color paste, hardener, and thinner

Fully automatic dispensing machine.

To remove excess paint covering the lines of text and patterns.

During the wiping stage of the baking paint process.

Two steps: Low temperature for semi-curing (allowing wiping/layering) and High temperature for full curing. Low: 60-70℃ for 60–90 min; High: 100℃ for 60 min.

Baking paint is recessed/textured;
Imitation enamel is smooth and ceramic-like;
Glass paint is hard and filled into cut-out areas.

It provides protection, increases gloss, and enhances decoration.

Poor cleanliness in the spray room, allowing dust to settle on the paint.

Uncleaned products or trapped air in the paint/tools.

Die-casting –> Sprue removal –> Deburring –> Painting –> AP coating –> Grinding –> Polishing –> Plating –> QC –> Packing. (Same as enamel, but different finish).

Flat Baking uses paint+AP for a glass-like finish; Imitation Enamel uses enamel paint for a ceramic-like finish.

Added to the baking paint base during wiping. It can be a powder sprinkled on or a liquid injected with a syringe.

1.Excessive speed;
2. Clogged/dirty internal pipes;
3. Dirty nozzles.

High-temperature tape must be applied to the back to prevent leaking during baking.

Machine: Fast, for high volume, requires setup. Manual: For low volume or complex multi-color designs.

Uses 360° HD cameras for automatic product recognition and precise on-demand spraying.

PET polyester film. Characteristics: Bright and eye-catching flash effect.

Printing

Adding complex graphics, photos, or gradients onto the medal surface.

UV flatbed printer. Patterns are transmitted to the machine and printed; UV lamps on the print head instantly dry the ink.

Pad printer. Patterns are made into an intaglio plate and transferred via a silicone head.

Screen printer. Uses a mesh where ink passes through image areas but not non-image areas.

1.No material limits;
2. Photo-quality color;
3. Instant drying;
4. Supports raised materials;
5. Precise positioning.

These same advantages make blank insert medals a practical option when you want photo-quality centre graphics on a stock metal base.

Pros: Low cost, works on uneven surfaces/small items, simple. Cons: Not for large areas, quality limited by ink/pad/plate.

Pros: Versatile, fine details, vivid colors. Cons: High cost, no gradients.

Laser Engraving

Using high-energy beams for precision marking of variable data.

Laser marking machine. High-energy beams evaporate the surface to engrave text/graphics.

Products with variable text like serial numbers.

Assembly

The final physical construction, including magnets and lanyard attachments.

Swivel hooks, lobster clasps, and split rings.

Rectangular and round (Round diameters: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20mm).

Lanyards, swivel hooks, lobster clasps, and ball chains.

Ultrasonic welding and sewing (various folds)

Heat transfer webbing, nylon, silk, suede, wax cord, and ball chains.

Length 860–900mm; Width 20-30mm; Children 800x20mm.

Packing

The final protection and presentation stage before shipping.

PP, OPP, Zip-lock, and Velvet bags.

Paper cards, boxes, velvet boxes, acrylic boxes, and blister packs.

If you still have any questions about medal customization, please feel free to email us. We would be happy to communicate with you further.

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Alieen Jia

Alieen

Business Manager, 5 years of industry experience, gentle, patient, and enthusiastic.

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