Challenge coins are mainly commemorative gifts used to commemorate important events or events. We can add logos and text on the front or back of the coin to design unique commemorative coins. The materials of challenge coins are mainly zinc alloy, brass, and iron, so although the challenge coin looks small, you can feel its weight because it is made of metal.
1. What is the Use of Challenge Coins?
In many cases, we can use custom challenge coins. In terms of education, for every major event from kindergarten to university, or when students are about to graduate, we can print what we want to say to the students or the school logo on the customized challenge coins, which is a unique gift. In the field of sports, after each game, we can issue challenge coins to the participants to commemorate the success of this event.
In the army, soldiers who have completed a special military mission can use challenge coins to commemorate this special event, or soldiers can give challenge coins to show encouragement and praise during the training process. Some national dignitaries use challenge coins to commemorate their contributions to the country, and stars use challenge coins to commemorate their outstanding performances.
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2. What are the Materials for Making Challenge Coins?
A challenge coin is typically made of brass, zinc alloy, or iron. There is no doubt that brass is a better quality material and feels heavier, but the price will be much higher. There is wide use of zinc alloys in the production of commemorative coins, as they are durable and do not corrode.
The price is also very reasonable, and it is the choice of many customers. Iron materials are the cheapest, but their quality is relatively poor and they will rust quickly, so few customers choose to use iron materials to make commemorative coins. What is the price of challenge coins and custom challenge coins?
3. Who will Customize the Challenge Coin?
- Challenge coins are used for education from kindergarten to university.
- Training institutions, musical instruments/art/foreign language/sports, every event or competition will use challenges
- Sports companies often hold some sports events, and every successful event will always use challenge coins
- In the military, challenge coins are used to complete military missions or when a soldier is about to leave the army.
- When a company develops a new product, and anniversaries use challenges
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4. How to Customize the Challenge Coin?
Here are the simple procedures for challenge coin customization:
1) Provide Design Drawing
In case there is no design drawing, please provide a draft of the customized challenge coin, and then let us know the size, number, material, and plating color for the coin. With this information, we will be able to provide you with a price and shipping cost.
If the customer confirms that our price is acceptable, then we will make a draft of the challenge coin, and the draft will include the size of the custom challenge coin and the technical requirements. If the glaze is required, the artwork will also show the Pantone color number.
2) Provide Receiving Information
After confirming the custom challenge coin production artwork, the customer needs to provide receiving information, such as company name (it doesn’t matter if there is no company name), delivery address, recipient, and phone number. Then we will issue an invoice to the customer to confirm the order information, confirm OK and We arrange production after payment.
Some customers are worried that the coin will not be as good. We understand your concerns, if the time is right, we can make a trial production sample, the sample time is 6-7 days, and we can take photos to confirm the effect before full production. If you want us to send real samples, samples will incur shipping charges.
3) Arrange Mass Production
After confirming that the sample is OK, we will arrange mass production of coins. After the currency is ready, we will send it to the customer’s designated address by international express.
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5. The Process of Customizing Challenge Coins
There are 8 steps to custom a challenge coins:
1) Artwork
Increasingly, computer technology has replaced manual drawing with computer drawing.
2) Mold Making
Import the designed drawings into the engraving software for 3D modeling or editing. After that, we engrave the mold with a machine. Depending on the thickness of the lines in the drawing, the carving knife’s thickness should vary. Compared with the original picture of Custom challenge coins, we can check whether the mold is correct and whether the design lines on the mold are continuous.
3) Grooving
Digging on custom challenge coin molds allows raw materials to flow into custom challenge coin molds. The number and size of notches depend on the shape of the medal. In this way, the smoothness of the product is improved, and it is very helpful to control the scrap rate.
4) Die Polishing
Molds for customized challenge coins will be left with marks from carving knives as well as unnecessary sandblasting during engraving. First, we polish the molding step by step using oil stone numbers 220#, 350#, 450#, and 600#, and then trim the corners and polish the letters with fiber. A polish is also applied to the edges.
5) Sample
The molding machine should be suitable for the product. Too big products and small machines will lead to incomplete product lines and layouts. Put the mold on the machine, and adjust the position of the front mold and the back mold to be consistent.
It is also necessary to adjust the pressure of the machine to make a complete product. We will check samples of custom challenge coins first before mass production. If everything is normal, we will let the machine work efficiently and automatically.
6) Product Polishing
Polish the edges and surfaces on both sides of the custom challenge coin to make it smooth.
7) Plating
Clean the surface of the custom challenge coin first after polishing. Next, plate the background a copper color. Then we can plate any color according to order requirements. Such as bright gold/silver/copper, antique gold/silver/copper, matte gold/silver/copper, limited gold, spray black//blue/white, etc. Finally, the product is coated with oil and baked in the oven for 2 hours to prevent the oxidation of the electroplating layer.
8) Plating Quality Control
Eliminate defective customized challenge coins with air bubbles and watermarks on the surface. And take off the one with poor color.
9) Coloring
We fill the enamel colors based on Pantone Solid Coated. Choose the appropriate cylinder fill color according to the size of the input area. Great care is required to avoid spillage or discoloration. Afterward, we clean the surface of the custom challenge coin as there will be some unwanted color spilled onto the surface.
10) Quality Control after Filling Color
Our QC line, after painting and before packing, our QC staff needs to check the quality of the custom challenge coins one by one, make sure there are no words or parts missing, the color is correct, or no color is bleeding.
11) Packaging
After QC processing, all workers need to wear gloves to prevent the goods from being marked by fingers. Our polybags are of high quality, and the cartons meet overseas shipping standards.
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7. What is the Price of Challenge Coins and Custom Challenge Coins?
Challenge coins are customized, Customers send us their designs or logos and tell us the coin size, plating color, workmanship, and quantity. Then we can offer the exact price.