"48 hours, you have just 48 hours to create a display stand that will hold the 2006 Winter Olympic Torch."
Another challenge was thus thrown down and Evans had to quickly assemble the resources needed to resolve this latest request. The Winter Olympic torch needed to be displayed for all to see, but it also had to be removable for people to lift it up and hold it before replacing it on the stand.
The curved shape of the torch meant that we needed a sympathetic design that echoed the shape. Our best thoughts led us to use a modern thin gauge sheet called DiBond. Made up as a sandwich construction using aluminium and polyethylene, the material is ideal for fabricating shapes that require curves and bends.
A design was quickly produced and then a plastic prototype constructed to check the viability. Once this was agreed upon, we began work on the real thing. Using in-house routing technology the stand quickly came to life and it wasn't long before the basic flat shape was on the table waiting to be formed. Straps and ratchets were carefully wrapped around it to help from the multi-curved shape, which, once formed, would sit squarely on the bench ready to receive the torch itself.
A cleverly concealed mounting pin helped to hold the torch securely on the stand and a natural peak on the top of the stand allowed the nose of the torch to rest snugly, preventing the possibility of it rolling off the stand. All that was required now was to create a graphic and were almost done.
Digital print kicked in to create a full colour, semi-rigid vinyl graphic, which was carefully applied to the concave shape. The end result looked brilliant and worked superbly. Our 48 hour mission had been successfully completed, and choosing to use DiBond had proved to be a real winner in this instance! | 
