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When is an ice cube not an ice cube?

By Frank Tobe | April 3, 2015

Japanese advertising agency wins award for Suntory Whisky ad campaign using CNC-milled ice cubes and a 3D printing app from Autodesk.

In 2014, Tokyo-based advertising agency TBWA\HAKUHODO created an ad for Suntory Whisky which included the most gorgeous ice cubes you’ll ever see. The ad won 6 awards at this year’s Asia Pacific Ad Festival (AdFest) in Thailand.

The ice cubes were created from a block of ice using a CNC router to create ice sculptures. Basically this is an inverse 3D printing technique. The CNC router required chilling to -7 degrees Celsius to prevent the ice from melting. The creation of these ice sculptures is more like 3D milling than 3D printing. Rather than building up an object additively, the 3D mill shaves the ice away to create the desired shape. Like a 3D printer, the 3D mill is connected to a computer and uses a 3D-printing app from Autodesk, Autodesk 123D.

Is nothing sacred!

About The Author

Frank Tobe

Frank Tobe is the founder of The Robot Report and co-founder of ROBO Global which has developed a tracking index for the robotics industry, the ROBO Global™ Robotics & Automation Index. The index of ~90 companies in 13 sub-sectors tracks and captures the entire economic value of this global opportunity in robotics, automation and enabling technologies.