Chisholm Trail Crafts Case Study

Case Studies

CHISHOLM TRAIL CRAFTS

The Customer

Chisholm Trail Crafts, a glass manufacturer in Texas, saw demand soar when they offered engraving on their incredible bespoke glasses. Before long, Thomas realised he needed an automated solution – the Meta-XY XL UV – where he can engrave up to 66 glasses with one button.

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Texas, USA: Thomas Hristov, founder of Chisholm Trail Crafts, takes glass making to a whole new level – glasses custom-made for drinking different spirits.

But it was when he started offering custom engravings – branding his glasses with iconic logos from brands like Patrón and Fortaleza – that demand soared.

“Having the ability to customise our glasses brought us an almost twenty-fold increase in sales.”

But with soaring demand came a problem – he had no way of producing the engravings to the quality he expected and keeping up with the incredible surge in orders.

The Lotus Meta-XY XL solved both these problems

By using a gantry laser that could index and engrave completely automatically, Thomas was able to load 66 glasses at a time and engrave them all with a push of a single button.

In fact, using our bespoke MultiMark software, he could even tell the machine which logos to mark and how many to mark just by putting the information into a simple spreadsheet.

All the data was pulled through automatically, and once he hit go, 66 glasses would be permanently engraved without him lifting a finger.

“I used to load the glasses one a time…imagine that for 10-12 hours. That’s why I knew I needed a laser with an XY gantry.”

Thomas actually had another problem. The whole premise of the business was based on custom-shaped glasses designed for specific spirits.

But this meant glasses with irregular curves that a rotary simply could not engrave.

“I’d always had the vision to be able to engrave the glasses, but there wasn’t really the technology that could use 3D models.”

Well, until now. Once again, the Meta-XY XL stepped in, thanks to the specialised 3D scanhead we provide as standard in all Meta-C and Meta-XY systems.

Using a 3D file of his glass, the laser will adjust its focal height perfectly along the surface, meaning a flawless mark across any shape, even when marking dozens at a time.

Right from the beginning, Lotus identified Thomas’ paint points and engineered the perfect solution.

“You knocked it out of the ballpark. You showed me a tour of how you build the machines…and you guys have a phenomenal system.”

If Thomas’ story sounds like yours, it’s definitely time to give us a call. We specialise in offering bespoke solutions to maximise productivity and profitability, and our dedicated sales and support team are always happy to help.

You can find out more about Chisholm Trail Crafts by visiting https://www.chisholmtrailcrafts.com/

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Chisholm Trail Crafts' Meta-XY XL UV
The Meta-XY XL UV engraving glasses
Chisholm Trail Craft Glass Manufacturing
Chisholm Trail Crafts' glasses being manufactured

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+2000

Systems Installed

26

Years Manufacturing 

100%

UK Made