Tooling behind the Corona facade
Peerless Pattern Works developed the final 3D CAD models and made tooling for the Corona panels at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The museum’s bronze-colored, cast-aluminum screens form its distinctive openwork exterior.
- Project duration
- 3 years
- Different casting segments
- 400
From sketches to final 3D CAD
The project team came to us with sketches and basic designs. We developed those starting concepts into the final 3D CAD models, working through the geometry and details needed to turn the design into manufacturable castings and practical foundry tooling.
Developing the pattern equipment
The work covered 400 different casting segments and their associated pattern equipment. We completed all CAD work and produced the detailed pattern-piece drawings required to define the individual components and guide their manufacture.
Making the design work within budget
We helped the project team make the initial design manufacturable within the project budget. Our casting and tooling knowledge informed the manufacturing decisions, connecting the design intent with the practical requirements of making the pattern equipment.
Machining and quality control before paint
Peerless completed all machining and quality-control inspection for the pattern equipment before paint. From start to finish, the project took three years, bringing together design development, detailed drawings, machining, and inspection. The photographs below show the resulting patternwork from the Peerless project archive.
Documented by the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian’s collection record describes how the Corona panels were made and credits Peerless Pattern Works in Portland, Oregon, with making the tooling.
View the Corona panel on the Smithsonian website (external site)
