Outstanding micromachining for an exceptional Bonzini table football table
In early 2016, to inaugurate their MH LAB 78, the famous Moët § Hennessy wine and spirits house placed an order with their supplier Dymant (one of Delta Neo’s clients specialising in exceptional items and accessories) for a very high-end and unique table football table with all 22 players brought to life as Ruinart bottles made from polished metal. All this had to be accomplished in a relatively short time, since the table would have to be in place and ready for use throughout July.
At first glance, this project seemed simple enough, especially since, apart from the imposed profile, Delta Neo was entirely free to propose solutions in line with the configuration of the table football table envisioned by Moët § Hennessy as well as current standards for the game.
Very quickly, however, Delta Neo’s engineering department realised that multiple constraints had to be tackled together and that the task was actually much trickier than originally thought.
Each ‘Ruinart player-bottle’, like their namesake glass bottles, would need to have a substantial conical body with rounded shoulders, topped by a slimmer, elongated neck, which in turn would be capped by a traditional champagne cork shape. As in any table football game, each player must be solidly fixed at shoulder level to a steel bar and weighted from the top down to stand vertically, because the base of the bottle, which is of course heavier, is what would kick the cork ball just like the feet of the traditional figures. Additionally, the bar with its players attached would have to be light enough to be easily controlled.
The challenge was on, and Delta Neo’s technicians were happy to dive in.
Delta Neo decided to create this item out of several parts and using different materials to satisfy the natural laws of equilibrium. The plans for each component were designed in-house. Using their 5-axis CNC machine, Delta Neo’s engraving department took a multi-stage approach to 3D production: the bottle’s body was hollowed out over its entire height, it was drilled horizontally through the shoulder to allow the mounting bar to pass through and internal threading was created at both ends. One set of threading would serve to attach the bottle’s steel neck to the top, the other was for an aluminium plug at the bottom made in the regulatory shape of the base. Both of these parts were respectively produced according to the same technical process as the body.
In order to address the problem of balancing the ‘players’ (386 g each) on their bar, a steel counterweight was produced to be screwed on inside the body, at the base of the neck, and small bar clamp pieces were designed to hold them as imperceptibly as possible on both sides.
Last but not least, a luxurious finish was created with the help of our long-standing external partners. Each bottle body was anodised and the illusion of two opposing teams was conveyed by applying a GOLD surface treatment to 11 bottlenecks and SILVER to the remaining 11.
A few weeks later, the players were delivered to Dymant. Highly satisfied with the result, our client then handed them over to Bonzini, where they would be mounted on the table football table. The result is elegant and luxurious, its technical difficulty concealed for the benefit enjoyable play.
A stunning feat for a beautiful set that lives up to everyone’s expectations. Some great table football matches await!
Photos source: © Bonzini-Ruinart Collaboration – Photo Credits Fred Dumur 2017