Large Product Replicas
We build Custom 3D Large Product Replicas
Table of Contents
Large Product Replicas + Technology
Have you ever stopped to look at an eye-catching window display at the mall or a cool trade show display? They’re bright, colorful, big, and can be found just about everywhere you go. Large product replicas are perfect for retail displays, interactive museums, trade shows, selfie backgrounds, advertising billboards, 3D art, museum displays, theme parks, conventions, and more. These giant replicas make a statement, showcasing your brand in new and creative ways, facilitates learning opportunities, and bring brands and consumers together in a way no other form of advertising can. They could even boost social media stats as people share the ever-popular ‘selfie’ with their friends and family.
Whether it’s a 7-foot-tall pen, a super-sized bag of popcorn, or a gigantic keyboard, the use of large product replicas will add the ‘WOW’ factor you need to get your brand recognized. Even the use of large foam sculptures can act as ‘selfie’ magnets to take your social media presence to the next level. Giant replicas get consumers of all ages involved in the experience and interested in what your brand has to offer. Large product replicas are sturdy, durable and can be any size from any product type. YOUR product replica is built to YOUR specifications. Nothing is too big. We can even build replicas that are sturdy enough to endure a hurricane. The sky is the limit!
Features & Benefits of Large Product Replicas
- Sizes – No project is too large. If you want a 6′, 10′ or 20′ tall large product replica – it is very possible to do. When thinking of that giant attraction, large product replicas make it all happen.
- Fonts – If vinyl wraps are being used, any style/size of font can be applied to the large product replicas.
- Materials – Common materials are foam (very light in weight), but plastic, wood, metal, and combinations are also available.
- Professional Creators – We have a team of designers, artists, model-makers, painters, air-brushers, sculptors, carpenters, and welders to fabricate those large product replicas with imagination, immersion, and experiential aspects.
- Finishes – There are many different finishes such as unpainted in natural white or painted in a standard or custom color with matte or semi-gloss finishes. Lamination is also available. Even automotive paint finishes can be applied for extremely glossy finishes. Airbrushing of special designs can also be ordered.
- Strength – Very often large product replicas are just meant to be temporary and self-standing. Other times, they may require structural components to withstand weather and people leaning against them while taking selfies.
- Project Design – If you can design it, we can create a physical model of it. If you can’t design it, we have a team of design professionals who can. We can work with preparing 3D models from scans, sketches, photos, and even napkin drawings.
- Capacity – Did we mention, we have 60,000 square feet of production facilities in Utah, including the largest capacity of full-color 3D printing in the world.
- Technologies – At WhiteClouds, we use many different technologies including Foam Fabrication, Hot Wiring, CNC Cutting, Laser Cutting, Welding, Woodworking, Fiberglass, and 6 different 3D Printing technologies.
- Combination – At times, it makes sense to combine large product replicas and messaging with special themed displays or trade show displays. We have the team that can include special effects like custom electronics, lighting, and sound.
Technology and Materials for Large Product Replicas
- We use foam fabrication technologies such as CNC Cutting, Hot Wires, Laser Cutting, Hot Knifing, and Sculpting.
- With 3D printing technology, you aren’t limited to straight lines and boxes. A 3D printer can easily create detailed, complex shapes. We use six different 3D printing technologies using different materials including UV-cured resin. The type of physical end-product determines which material will produce the best results. We can help you choose the material that is best for your project. Resolution on our printers is finer than a human hair. Our color 3D printers can print in full-color (over 750,000 variations of color) for awe-inspiring reality.
- Depending on the project, we may use composite structures to fabricate your model. This technology uses a combination of materials including metal, sheet metal, wood, foam, fiberglass, and steel framework for added strength and durability.
- Our in-house spray booth gives us flexibility in different types and grades of paint and finishing capabilities.
- Depending on requirements for durability, weather-proofing, temperature, mobility, strength, and flexibility, different finishes for our large product replicas can be used. These finishes may be combinations of painting, air-brushing, flat-to-glossy finishes, natural environment finishes, soft-shell and hard-shell coatings, sealers, and glassing. These can be from latex, acrylic, urethane, polyurea, epsilon, polyurethane, and many others.
Pricing of Custom Large Product Replicas
To determine the cost of each project, we factor in the volume and type of materials, production labor, installation time, and materials. We also calculate the time it takes to create the 3D design and other specific elements unique to the project. The best way to determine cost is to email us, call us at 385-206-8700, or fill out the form below and let us bid on your project.
Get a Free 3D Price Estimate for Custom Product Replicas
Custom Fabrication Workflow
Common Questions & Answers
- What is the largest product replica model you can make?
There is no limit to the size of product replica model. Transportability will be your only concern on an extremely large product replica model. - Can you use my custom artwork?
Yes. Please send us your file in a vector AI, EPS, or PDF format. - What features can a large product replica model have?
Large product replicas can be finished with paint or special strength coatings and even airbrushed. They can also be covered with any special look you might want from organic coverings to special materials. For example, adding electronics to a giant keyboard to make it fully functional or adding lights to create the bling on a giant shoe. - What file type is required if I need to incorporate special fabrication into the project?
We work with all architectural CAD programs and modeling programs. Some of the most popular ones we use are AutoCAD, Revit, Chief Architect, ArchiCAD, Maya, 3DS Max Design, ZBrush, and Sketchup. If you design in 3D, we will start with your 3D files. If you have 2D blueprints, artist’s sketches (or even napkin drawings), we can build a model from these as well. - What kind of proofing process do you go through prior to the creation of my large product replica?
- Once the design is created, we send the client a digital proof so we can discuss the project and make preliminary changes to the design.
- Structural elements are discussed to ensure the large product replica has the internal and external components needed for strength and durability while on display.
- Small scale models or macquettes are sometimes made to show the client what the initial design will look like in 3D form. Questions at this stage might include: Do the colors match your PMS/Pantone colors? Is the model proportionate? At this point, you confirm the design and we begin building your model.
- Continuous communication is key so if you’ve got any questions, we can connect through Facetime or video conferencing to discuss the progress of your project. Some clients even fly in to look at the project first hand during the build stage.
- How long will it take to build my large product replica model?
This is totally dependent on the size of the project. Typical projects can be completed in four to six weeks while larger projects may take as long as six months. We understand that sometimes deadlines are tight and we may be able to accommodate rush orders in shorter amounts of time. - How are large product replicas built structurally?
If your model is for outdoor display, it will need to withstand conditions like high winds, climate changes, and children playing on them. When necessary, we build a metal framework into the product replica so it will be strong and durable. - What technology do you use for large product replicas?
It can be a number of different technologies, individually or combined. These range from 3D Foam, 3D Printing, CNC Cutting, laser cutting, laser etching, casting, molding, sculpting, painting, airbrushing, laminating, fiberglass, vinyl printing, and woodworking – all meant to produce highly-quality models that fit your exact needs. - What is the material used?
We match the correct material and fabrication process to your requirements in terms of presentation, size, and transportability. We fabricate in our model shop using different types of foam, wood, metal, resins, fiberglass, and acrylics. We can also 3D print in UV-cured resin, plastic, rubber-like acrylic, and nylon. Our large product replicas are typically made with EPS foam, but we’ll match the material to the product for the best outcome. Need a special facing? The sky is the limit! - How is the completed large product replica shipped?
Once your model is complete, we wrap it in foam and ship it in one or more custom-built crates via motor cargo. The crate can also be used to store your model or for transport between trade shows. Models generally arrive within 2 – 7 business days and to accomodate extremely large projects, we ship via oversize carriers.
Do you have a question we didn’t answer? Don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-385-206-8700 or [email protected].
Worldwide Delivery
WhiteClouds has delivered models around the world.
Creation Process for Large Product Replicas
Our internal steps for creating large product replicas are:
- After securing the contract to fabricate the product replica, we begin the process with a customer kick-off meeting to review all of the general specifications and to dive deeper into defining and refining the specifications, timelines, and setting customer expectations.
- Our next step is an internal production planning meeting. Quite often we will be fabricating something that has never been done. Our team gets together and brainstorms on different ways of building the product replica. Multiple fabrication methods are always discussed, taking into account a number of factors such as strength, aesthetics, finished look, use-ability and reuse-ability, installation, and shipping.
- We will be working from digital files – we like to receive these CAD files (drawing file) from our customer. If no file is available, we have an internal team of 3D designers that can create the file based on requirements from the customer. Depending on size, we may create two sets of designs, one is a visual design depicting the outside view of the product replica. The second design is a structural design to incorporate internal structures for the product replica.
- If the product we are fabricating is complex or has non-common requirements, we may build a maquette (a French term for “model”) to better visualize the final product. Sometimes we will build a prototype or multiple prototypes to test out functionality or challenging fabrication aspects of the product.
- The next step is the actual production of the product replica. We may be fabricating using a single or combination of these materials and technologies: 3D printed plastic, welded metal, carved EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam, composites and fiberglass, and wood. Larger projects typically require an internal metal frame covered with materials that will give the desired aesthetics.
- After the structures are built, the prep work is next. This is the messiest part of the project – sanding, buffing, grinding, etc. Priming of the surface comes next to make sure we have a great foundation for painting. The paintwork may be as simple as one solid color or it can be in combination with multiple colors, special airbrushing, or even combining with vinyl covers depicting customer designs, fonts, graphics, etc. Depending on usage, interior or exterior environments, we may need to spray on a protective plastic coating for added durability and weather resistance.
- Large product replicas are prepared for shipping by either being wrapped/packaged in foam or special shipping containers. Customized crates can be built if the product replica is going to be used in multiple events.
History of Large Product Replicas
Large product replicas have been around for decades. One fascinating fact about some of these large product replicas is that they actually work. There are giant keyboards equipped with up-to-date technology that produce results on the computer screen. The world’s largest working camera was built in 1895 by forward-thinking innovators of the Victorian Era. There are rare musical instruments that seem a bit out of the ordinary due to their size but produce beautiful music. Most product replicas are made purely for show and make great attention-grabbers.
Large product replicas are used by many companies to promote their brands on television, billboards, sidewalk and window displays, and some even use them as 3D art. Companies like TWA and Mr. Coffee started using large product replicas in the early 1960s in magazine ads. Fast forward to today and you’ll see I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter using a huge toaster in their television commercials to print just about anything you want on a piece of bread.
