Mayku

Have you heard about the amazing FormBox made by Mayku? It’s a machine which allows you to take your own 3D design and make a mould within seconds, allowing you to then create your masterpiece from a range of materials, including, of course, Jesmonite!

Mayku is a London based firm and it’s FormBox is growing in popularity all the time. It now boasts more than 7,500 customers in 74 countries and is used by people across all industries from chocolatiers to NASA engineers.

Easy to use

The FormBox is a simple idea and easy to use. The user creates a template, puts the 3D shape into the FormBox, covers it with a sheet and the machine creates the mold almost instantly.

Jayne Robinson, Mayku Marketing Manager, said: “We basically discovered Jesmonite because a lot of our customers were using it. A lot of people were casting in resin or concrete, but more and more were discovering Jesmonite and it became increasingly popular with, for example, the Terrazzo trend, which created almost a cult following for Jesmonite products.

“So, as more customers were using Jesmonite we wanted to communicate more specific messaging for that. People were looking for advice and we needed to know how to talk to customers about it. Jesmonite users really love the FormBox and more people are discovering Jesmonite as they use it through the FormBox.

Research conducted by Mayku recently found that 22% of Britons have been motivated to create their own business in the creative industry during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jayne added: “It’s interesting to see how many people are getting involved in starting arts and crafts as a business or as a hobby.

“One of the things we’ve noticed is that a lot of our customers who make Jesmonite end products are also selling DIY kits and one of the reasons they use the FormBox for producing the kits is it’s a much more affordable and easier way to make lots of moulds.

“The FormBox is our main focus at the moment. It’s been extremely successful, and we are bringing out a larger machine next year. You can make anything out of the machine which is what makes it so interesting for so many people, including chocolatiers, special effects and make-up people, those who make props for films and even people who are designing things for NASA. It has real universal appeal.

New alternative

Jayne said there are not many alternatives to a silicone mould at the moment, so they wanted to create something that’s faster, less messy and cost effective.

“If you were going to make a silicone mould it might take 24 hours but with the FormBox you can make a mould in five minutes,” she said.

“A massive saving in time and cost. It’s easy to use and is actually being used in education by kids as young as eight!

“Most Jesmonite users are using the FormBox for making homeware or jewellery, but it can be used for pretty much anything and people are always coming up with new ideas.”

Mayku Website