Array™ Acrylic Embedments

Cast acrylic embedments expertly molded, shaped and polished of the finest crystal-clear resins to accentuate any item you wish to preserve for a lifetime. With 61 standard shapes and multiple thickness options, we're your one stop shop for the finest custom Acrylic Resin Embedding and Deal Toy design...

What is an Array™ Acrylic Embedment?

An Array™ Acrylic Embedment stands out as a premier custom acrylic award made in the USA. Years of experience, the finest acrylic compounds and the most skilled craftsmen in the industry at US Acrylics set the standard for high quality crystal-clear acrylic showpieces. Array means “an impressive display or range of a particular type of thing” and at USAcrylicAwards.com, we stand behind the word that describes our acrylic embedments. We know the arrangement of each embedded item is critical to the final outcome. Our years of experience give us the confidence that your embedded items will be arranged perfectly and float gracefully inside a crystal-clear piece of acrylic.

An Array™ Acrylic Embedment Award is a one-piece solid cast crystal clear acrylic block with an object floating effortlessly inside. An acrylic embedment is designed specifically to showcase your treasures in a classy, elegant and secure manner. Viewable from all angles, your embedded item will be protected for a lifetime of viewing enjoyment.

Potential uses for an acrylic embedment would be a custom acrylic award, a sales tool, a donor incentive or potentially as a deal toy in the financial industry. Many sales firms have US Acrylic Awards cast their widgets inside acrylic to display at tradeshows or for protection when salespeople are traveling. Thousands of corporations over the years have used acrylic embedments to recognize the hard work of a team and reward them by casting a custom coin or sample of the project component. What better way to say thank you than to give your donors a cast acrylic embedment with a dollar bill and thank you message for their valuable contribution. Big financial transactions deserve big rewards and though the compensation may be great — having a deal toy to commemorate the occasion has lifetime value and significance.

So, your browsing our site and you see we have over 60 shapes and multiple thicknesses — how do you choose the right one? First off, we are here to help guide you and assist with making the best possible decision for your embedment. We offer hundreds of years of experience in acrylic castings and we know what works, what looks great and what size and shape will make the most sense. Please don’t hesitate to call, we love challenges and we love to help!

Why do acrylic embedments cost more than a traditional acrylic award?  Every step of an acrylic embedment is done by hand — from choosing the right mold to hand mixing the polymer and monomers required to create the crystal-clear protection surrounding your treasure. Unlike traditional acrylic awards fabricated with lasers and traditional power tools an embedment is touched hundreds of times in production. From initial design to final polishing and packaging, acrylic embedments are a work of art that only the finest craftsmen are capable of creating.

How’s an acrylic embedment made?

The acrylic embedding process starts by mixing liquid monomer that is crystal clear and looks like water, with a powdered polymer that looks a lot like white baking flour. Mixing ratios very from 70/30 to 30/70 based on the item to be cast. Only experience allows for the correct ratio to create a bubble free clarity that showcases your item. Once mixed, the monomer and polymer take on the appearance of cake batter at which time the compound can be poured into the mold. Made of metal or cardboard, the molds are typically about 25% larger than the final product to allow for cutting, grinding, sanding and final polishing. The molds are filled partially, and the compound is left to sit for a few hours while it becomes firm. Once firm the cast item is placed into the mold and positioned to perfection. Then throughout the day layer after layer is added until the embedment thickness is achieved.

Looking in the mold now would give you the impression that the final product will not be a beautiful piece of art, because the acrylic is milky white with many bubbles. The final process to complete the chemical reaction that removes bubbles and turns the firm mixture crystal clear involves pressure, nitrogen, temperature and a special oven called an autoclave. The temperature setting in the autoclave is dependent on the item being cast, the pressure is set at 140 psi of nitrogen and the embedments are cooked for 8-10 hours. Magic happens in the autoclave that those of us in the acrylic’s world call polymerization. Polymerization is where the monomer and polymer formulate a chemical crystalline chain of molecules accomplishing three important things; turning the material crystal clear, hardening and shrinking after generating its own heat to approximately 300º Fahrenheit. With so many factors going into the perfect cast, we require a sample pour on large orders prior to mass production.

Finishing is an art in and of itself. After removing from the autoclave, the 20% shrinkage is obvious and allows for the easy removal from the mold. After removal from the mold, the real work begins — plaining, sawing, sanding, diamond honing the bottoms and finally polishing to perfection. From this stage, we are capable of laser engraving or printing the customizations if required.

Acrylic Embedment General Information

USAcrylicAwards.com is not responsible for customer supplied items that do not embed satisfactory. Our skilled team will make every attempt to create beautiful Allure™ Acrylic Embedments — but some items are inherently at risk. The embedment process involves a combination of heat, pressure and solvency. These factors can affect many items — particularly plastics (can cause warpage or bubbling), rubber (bleeds), organic materials (can cloud or discolor), painted items (can peel, wrinkle or bleed) and pieces of metal (with exposure to cold can split or crack the Lucite®). Factory testing will be performed prior to full production for customer approval.

As you can see, crafting Custom Acrylic Embedments is a skill developed over years of trial and error. Our craftsmen look forward to bringing your ideas to completion.