Tooling for trade show, display and demonstration models with CNC-milled molds for your exhibition booth

The video shows, by example, how a real trade show exhibit is created from a digital design. Milling paths are generated from the CAD design, the raw material becomes the 3D contour, and through sanding, painting and assembly an attractive form is produced that can be used as an eye-catcher at the trade show.

For Z-LASER, engineering firm Glaser developed and manufactured an exhibit that makes industrial 3D laser projection visible on a CNC-milled wing negative mold.

The trade show model demonstrates, using an example from aircraft construction, how laser lines are projected onto the spatial surface of a wing. The laser marks the outer contour, flaps and ailerons. For manufacturing the wing, positions for manually placed GFRP elements are indicated, for example. Visitors immediately see how digital contours support production on a real mold. The exhibit was used in Paris at JEC World, a trade fair for composite and fiber applications.

Before manufacturing, the trade show exhibit was fully modeled in CAD. The task was to design a realistic negative mold of the wing in 3D that functions as a demonstration model for laser projection and at the same time works as an attractively designed trade show exhibit.

The mesh of the 3D model shows the freeform surface just before CNC machining. A spatial negative mold is created from several profile contours, which is then translated into milling paths. In this CAM planning it is determined how roughing and finishing will be done, which paths the ball nose cutter will follow over the surface and how the 3D contour is finally cleanly worked out of the MDF.

The wing mold was milled from a glued MDF block on a gantry mill. The raw block was approximately 130 cm long, 60 cm wide and 12 cm high. On the CNC mill's vacuum table the 3D contour was first roughly roughed out and then precisely finished. This produced a clean basis for subsequent rework.

At this stage of production the negative mold is already halfway finished. At the deepest point the milled wing form reaches about 10 centimeters into the material. The lower stepped areas are still in the roughing state while surfaces above are already finely milled. A surface quality of about 0.25 mm makes subsequent sanding and painting easier.

After CNC milling the MDF mold is further worked by hand. Visible layer lines of the glued boards are sanded, transitions smoothed and the freeform surface prepared for painting. This combination of CNC production and careful finishing is typical for tooling, where technical accuracy and visual impact are important.

The milled MDF negative mold was then placed into the housing. From below you can see the stepped milled areas created by the roughing of the back. The raw underside will later be hidden inside the box, while the painted 3D form remains visible on top.

The housing of the trade show exhibit was constructed from plywood panels, glued and clamped with bar clamps and ratchet straps. It neatly encloses the milled form and conceals the technically necessary, raw-worked areas on the underside. This turns the MDF mold into a presentation-ready exhibit with a deep-black frame.

The side panels were designed to remain stable while saving weight. Several plywood sheets were glued together. Material was removed from the interior while the load-bearing edges retained the supporting structure. CNC-milled contours create a precisely fitting housing that holds the form securely with minimal weight.

For the light negative form a matte paint in RAL 7035 Light Grey was chosen. The shade makes shadows on the 3D contour visible so the wing shape appears plastic. At the same time the light surface provides very good contrast for the green laser projection. Thus contours, flaps and ailerons remain clearly visible on the trade show booth.

The outer housing was finished in RAL 9005 Deep Black with a matte thick-film paint. The black frame makes the light CNC-milled form stand out visually. The box remains visually restrained while laser lines and the 3D contour form the focus of the trade show exhibit.

The comparison of CAD model and finished exhibit shows how the digital design was transferred into real mold making. On the left is the 3D construction of the wing negative mold, on the right the painted result from the same perspective.

The finished form was set up for presentation as a trade show exhibit. The black plywood housing, the light 3D contour, the matte painted surfaces and the prepared reference points for the laser projection form a calm overall picture. On the dark background it is clearly visible how strongly the focus lies on the light negative form.

For use at the trade show the form can lie flat on its rubber feet horizontally or be set up on the stainless-steel leg at a 30-degree angle. The foot is removable for transport and is secured with hand wheels. The finished exhibit measures with housing approximately 1.34 meters length, 65 centimeters width and 21 centimeters height. This allows the form to be transported compactly and quickly placed in the desired presentation position on site.

A QR code is engraved on the black-coated aluminum plate, linking to this project page. Trade show visitors can access background information on the manufacturing and mold construction of the exhibit. The second shot shows one of the laser reflectors, through which the projector detects the position of the real mold and can precisely align its lines on the surface.

The exhibit shown is an example of how mold making in a trade show context can be used. Instead of just showing the product, an application is simulated that visitors can immediately understand.

Following this principle, other technical molds and models can also be developed, such as injection molds, tooling molds, milled molds or models for mechanical engineering, vehicle construction, plant engineering as well as for aerospace. Traditional mold making can also be transferred to trade show and product presentation. Whether as a wooden mold, plastic mold, PU model, aluminum mold or combined custom fabrication: the technical possibilities of CNC manufacturing offer a lot of creative freedom.

Ingenieurbüro Glaser thanks Z-LASER GmbH for the trustworthy and constructive collaboration on this trade show exhibit. From a technical idea, a precisely manufactured demonstration model was created that clearly explains laser projection on a three-dimensional mold and makes the application tangible on the trade show stand.