If you have ever ordered custom medals for an event, you have probably wondered what actually happens between sending your design and receiving a box of finished medals. It’s not magic — it’s a 12-step industrial process that we have been running every day since 2010. Here is exactly how your medals get made, with the real parameters and quality checks that happen at each stage.

Design to Mold: Turning Your Logo Into Tool Steel

Every medal starts as a digital file. Our designers take your logo, event name, or sketch and build a production-ready vector file in Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. But the real engineering happens next.

The design is converted into a 3D model and machined into mold steel using CNC equipment. A complete mold consists of six components: mold frame, mold core, support pillars, sliders, ejector pins, and water inlets. For round medals, four evenly-spaced water inlets ensure the molten metal fills the cavity uniformly.

Spark erosion — where an electrode discharges against the mold surface — creates the matte texture you see on many medal backgrounds. Heat treatment then hardens the mold so it can withstand thousands of shots without wearing down.

The mold is the single most expensive part of your order. Once it’s made, the per-piece cost drops dramatically. That’s why MOQ exists — spreading the mold cost across 100 pieces instead of 10.

Die-Casting: Where the Medal Takes Shape

This is the heart of the factory. Our 88-ton die-casting machines melt zinc alloy ingots to 385°C (725°F) and inject the liquid metal into the mold under extreme pressure. Zinc alloy — specifically Zamak 3, 5, or 7 — is the material we use for over 90% of custom medals. Here is why.

Zinc alloy has a density of 6.7 g/cm³. At 385°C, it flows like water, filling every microscopic detail of the mold cavity. This is what makes 3D relief possible — runners mid-stride, building skylines, intricate logos. Stamped metals (brass, iron) cannot achieve this level of detail.

The die-casting cycle takes 15-30 seconds per shot. When the mold opens, you see the raw medal — complete with its shape, 3D relief, and the water inlets that will be trimmed away in the next step.

Deburring, Polishing, and Surface Preparation

Fresh from the mold, the medal has rough edges and attachment points from the water inlets. Workers trim these away, then the medals enter our wet-type polishing machines.

Polishing happens in two passes — edges first, then the face. The surface needs to be perfectly smooth because any imperfection will show through the electroplating. Think of it like sanding wood before painting — the final finish is only as good as the preparation.

For medals that need attachment hardware (spur pins, safety pins, or jump rings for ribbons), this is when riveting happens. The hardware is mechanically fastened to the medal body before surface treatment.

Electroplating: The Finish That Defines the Medal

Electroplating is where your medal gets its color. The polished medals go through a chemical cleaning line — dewaxing, ultrasonic cleaning — then into the plating tanks.

The process uses two copper layers as a base. Alkaline copper plating runs for about 500 seconds to create the foundation. Then acid copper plating continues for 20-60 minutes to build up the glossy surface. After that comes the color layer — gold, nickel (silver), copper, rose gold, chrome, or black nickel.

We offer 20+ finish variations. Mirror finishes (shiny gold, bright nickel), matte finishes (subdued, elegant), and antique finishes (antique gold, antique silver, antique copper) — each achieved by different combinations of plating and post-treatment. Antique finishes get an extra brushing step that creates contrast between the raised metal and the recessed background.

Want two-tone? Gold body with nickel highlights is our most requested combination. The medal goes through the gold bath first, then selected areas are masked off before the nickel bath. It takes longer but the result is striking.

Enamel Filling: Adding Color

With the plating done, the medal moves to color filling. This is where those recessed areas in your design get filled with vibrant enamel.

Soft enamel is the standard. Paint is dispensed into each recessed area, then the medal goes through a curing oven. Low-temperature bake at 60-70°C for 60-90 minutes (semi-cure), then high-temperature at 100°C for 60 minutes (full cure). The result: paint that sits slightly below the metal lines, giving the medal a textured, dimensional feel. Minimum fill width is 0.3mm.

Hard enamel (imitation hard enamel) uses a thicker paste. It’s filled, baked, then the entire surface is polished flat so the color sits flush with the metal lines. The result is smooth and glass-like — jewelry quality. Minimum fill width is 0.5mm, and it costs more because of the extra polishing step.

Colors are matched to Pantone standards. Our paint mixing room stocks 10 base colors that can be combined to match virtually any shade. Need your event’s specific blue? We match it.

Special effects are available too. Glitter powder sprinkled on semi-dried enamel creates sparkle. Glow-in-the-dark powder added after curing gives a luminous effect. Translucent enamel over a textured metal base creates depth — popular for water-themed designs.

Printing, Laser Engraving, and Final Details

Some designs need more than enamel. UV printing applies full-color graphics directly onto the medal surface — works on flat areas and 3D surfaces up to 7mm of height difference. Offset printing delivers the highest quality for flat surfaces but requires a plate fee. Silkscreen printing is precise but limited to spot colors.

Laser engraving handles variable data — sequential bib numbers, participant names, finish times. It’s the last decoration step and works on virtually any plated surface.

Assembly, QC, and Packaging

Custom ribbons are attached using ultrasonic welding (clean, strong bond) or sewn joints. Standard adult ribbon size is 860-900mm × 20-30mm. Children’s ribbons are 800mm × 20mm with safety breakaway features.

Our three-stage quality control inspects every batch: incoming materials, in-process production, and final pre-shipment. We check for 11 common defects — cracks from uneven ejector pin distribution, water marks from insufficient mold polish or casting pressure, air holes from poor venting, plating bubbles from inadequate cleaning, and enamel impurities from spray booth cleanliness issues.

After QC, each medal is individually packaged per your requirements. PP bags for budget events, velvet pouches for premium awards, custom printed boxes for retail presentation.

From Our Factory to Your Event

The entire process — design to shipping — takes 3-4 weeks for a typical order. Design happens in 24 hours. Samples take 7-10 days. Bulk production takes 7-15 days. Rush orders are possible if our production schedule allows.

When you hold a finished medal, you are holding something that went through 12 pairs of hands, multiple chemical baths, temperatures ranging from 60°C to 385°C, and three separate quality inspections. That’s what 15 years of focused manufacturing experience looks like.

FAQ

How long does custom medal production take? Design: 24 hours. Samples: 7-10 days. Bulk production: 7-15 days after sample approval. A typical order completes in 3-4 weeks total.

What material is best for custom medals? Zinc alloy is used for 90%+ of custom medals. It captures the best 3D detail, takes plating beautifully, and costs less than brass. Brass is preferred for military challenge coins where extra weight signals premium quality.

What is the difference between soft enamel and hard enamel? Soft enamel paint sits slightly below the metal lines — textured feel, more affordable. Hard enamel is polished flush with the metal — smooth and glossy, costs more. Both are durable.

Can I see a sample before bulk production? Yes, and we strongly recommend it. Sample production takes 7-10 days. You can inspect the material, colors, and finish before committing to the full order.

What is the minimum order quantity? 100 pieces per design. This is driven by the fixed cost of mold making — spreading that cost across fewer than 100 pieces makes the per-unit price impractical.