We’ve made some really cool ice sculptures here at Emergency Ice, but what ad agency TBWA\HAKUHODO has created for their whisky client is in a glass of its own.
Winner of six awards at the 2015 Asia Pacific Ad Festival, the Tokyo-based agency used a computer numerical controlled router and Autodesk 123D to carve these designs out of ice blocks. The machine was kept at just under 20 degrees Fahrenheit while carving to keep the ice in its frozen state.
View the whole ad campaign, including video and images, at http://3drocks.jp/.
Want Some Personalized Cubes?
If you’re thinking you may want these for your next party, think again. While sculptors are looking for ways to shorten the process, carving these figures out of a small block of ice is very time-consuming. One to five hours is a lot of time to spend on something that will inevitably melt. Where bigger sculptures melt much more slowly when stored under the right conditions, these ice cubes have a much shorter shelf life.
Additionally, the end result would be very expensive since each of them takes so long and the machine has to remain under freezing conditions so that the work doesn’t melt. Mass production usually brings the cost down, since the product is being purchased in bulk. These cubes were painstakingly sculpted one at a time for the purpose of an ad campaign. It’s obviously possible, but not efficient or very cost-effective at this point in time.
CNC Milling
Milling is a machine process that uses a cylindrical cutting tool to drill and cut away at material. Unlike traditional drills and cutters though, a computer numerical controlled milling (CNC) machine is free to move along the X, Y, and Z axes, allowing its user to create different shapes and curves all on one machine.
Pairing this process with a powerful tool like Autodesk 123D allows one’s imagination and creativity to run wild, as the CNC machine is able to read a rendered image as a series of ones and zeroes to mimic 3D printing and intricately sculpt the image into reality. 
Have an ice sculpture at your next gathering! Call Emergency Ice to make an appointment.
Not only does Emergency Ice provide ice delivery throughout Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas, but we also provide a variety of ice products including ice sculptures. We have a local artist that can sculpt a magnificent frozen piece of art that we will deliver to your party or special event; we are your Dallas ice company, so we can also provide all the other ice products you need. Just give us a call so we can help you throw the party of the year!