Finish Types and Options for Industrial Products

Let CalCo Finish Your Product

Sometimes pumps, valves, engines, bearings or other industrial equipment don’t start off as beautiful show pieces. With CalCo’s help that can all change. Imagine your product as a colorful, shining display pulling in potential buyers and selling itself. That is what a good display or cutaway can do. Your product looks exciting, new and its true function can be seen and admired.

Let CalCo take your product from plain to dazzling with the following options:

Our Standard Show Finish is durable, very attractive high gloss finish.  All parts are disassembled and prepped for finish and our standard paint finish is administered over an etching primer.  Cost-effective plating options are available for metal fasteners and key components .  Many additional options are available including clear coat finish as well as minor grinding and smoothing of casting seams and imperfections.

Our Euro-Deluxe Finish is used primarily for trade shows, product introductions and corporate lobby installations. All surfaces are ground and smoothed to remove imperfections from casting or welding. These surfaces are then prepped repetitively with several stages of filler and hand sanding. Finally, the display is finished with multiple automotive paint steps and a clear coat finish. Metal fasteners are carefully polished by hand then chrome plated and polished again to a mirror finish.

Training Finish surfaces are prepped and painted but not treated to remove casting imperfections. The finish is attractive yet durable and is easy to maintain. For displays that are needed for working models, we may recommend electro less nickel-plating to enhance component movement.

In addition to having the surfaces of your product ground and painted CalCo can take the hardware on your product and make it shine too with a number of plating options:

Anodizing is an attractive way to prepare aluminum and is available in a variety of colors.

Electro-less Nickel is durable, minimal-build plating that covers evenly with very good lubricity and hardness.

Metal plating – Copper, nickel, gold and industrial hard plating are also available.

Chrome plating is available in bright, polished or satin finishes and can be applied to any metal.

Black Oxide for steel or iron parts is used when a blue/black matte finish is desired.

Once your product looks great it can be mounted on a standard aluminum base or a custom base can be created.  We make custom shipping containers to protect your product in transit too.

Contact CalCo at 847/639-3858 or click here if you would like to discuss your product and learn how CalCo can help show your product in it’s best light.

What is so Amazing about an Engine Cutaway?

Much of the beauty of an engine is in the details. In order to see all of these details, such as the pistons, crank shaft and valve train components as well as how they function together, a cutaway is an ideal solution.

With a cutaway you can not only see how the individual parts function but you can see how they relate to each other.  From the exterior many engines may seem similar; but once the interior is exposed with a cutaway, you can see the unique attributes of the individual engine inside and its configuration.

These are the important elements that can mean all the difference in power, performance and efficiency.  Using a cutaway will clearly show where the advantages and benefits are and how a particular model can outperform the competition by showing the internal configuration and how the parts interrelate.

Even some of the external components, such as the fuel pump or alternator, can contain hidden features that benefit from a cutaway as well.

“Hands on education has always been, and will always be the best way to inform and educate an audience on products and mechanical relationships.”

View the gallery of engine cutaways below and you can see that CalCo knows engines and how to make them a work of art.

For more cutaway photos please visit www.CalCoCutaways.com and look in the Cutaways Gallery.  If you would like information on having your engine or any other product cutaway, please contact CalCo at 847/639-3858 or click here for contact information.

Damaged Freight? CalCo Has You Covered.

Does this picture look familiar?

Products get damaged during shipping all too often. Fortunately, at CalCo we can make your damaged product look as good as new. There is nothing more frustrating then getting ready to go to a show and finding that your display piece has been scratched, dented or severely damaged while it was being shipped.

If you need to have your product repaired , repainted or rechromed give CalCo a call at 847-639-3858 or click here and have it made to look like new again.

What is a Cutaway?

CalCo has been designing and producing high quality cutaways since 1953.  To make a cutaway we take your product and physically cut it open to show the inner parts that make your product unique.  Cutaways are invaluable tools because they are interactive.  They allow your customer to see, feel and in many cases move your product to see the most important features hidden inside.

Cutaways can be used for a wide variety of products including the following:

• Valves
• Pumps
• Engines
• Transmissions
• Actuators
• Tools
• Machines
• Hydraulics
• Pneumatics
• Regulators
• Torches
• Appliances
• Electrical and Electronic Equipment

We have created cutaways from many materials including plastic controllers, speakers and toilets.    We have the capability to cut any material and in any thickness, from the toughest grade of stainless steel to ceramics.

Cutaways have become quite popular at tradeshows but they are also used for lobby installations, investor relations meetings, sales calls, advertising and brochures, training and awards.

If you are interested in having a cutaway made using your product give us a call today at 847/639-3858 or click here for a free quote.

A finished regulator cutaway

CalCo reworks displays to look as good as NEW

If you have a display or cutaway that is beginning to show its age we are happy to rework it. After being shipped from show to show and being handled and touched by countless people every display can begin to show some wear. Whether it needs a new paint job or you want to add a cutaway section you can send it to us and feel confident that we will do our best to make it look as good as new even if we didn’t do the original work. Save some money on shipping and do it when you are at a show near Chicago!

If we can do this…….

Before                                                                                After

then we can do almost anything!

Contact us at news@calcocutaways.com, call 847/639-3858 or click here.

Cut face paint, where the Outer meets the Inner

When opting for a cutaway, the point is to show off the internal components and passageways that are typically hidden from view.

Alongside this process is that peculiar area that gets exposed which is actually the area inside the metal that gets exposed.

In this area CalCo applies their signature cut face paint for a number of reasons:

1. To let the audience know that the display is actually a cutaway
2. To cover up any minor casting imperfections that may appear
3. Help prevent this newly exposed metal from showing signs of corrosion over time

CalCo knows the difference between professional looking displays and basic showiness. You can be rest assured that CalCo cutaways will draw people in to talk about your great products and the benefits that the cutaways are showing.

Click here for contact information for CalCo or call 847-639-3858.

Try on some Gold Plating for that Stand-out Project

When trying to add that extra touch of extraordinary to your products or components, why not Go for the Gold!

CalCo has a special process that turns ordinary parts (of almost any material) and transforms them into crown jewels, for a lot less than you would think.

The above photo shows how this process looks on both polished and unpolished surfaces, and doesn’t that make quite an unexpected impression?

Whether you are looking to visually represent ‘the best’ or create a special display for unique individuals, gold is unmatched in appearance and symbolism of value.

Click here to contact CalCo or call 847-639-3858.

Turn Recycled Products into Brand New Training Equipment

Why use brand new equipment to create product displays when used and even broken equipment can be transformed into spectacular training and even show displays?

CalCo uses every trick in the book to effectively downplay and minimize any imperfections and create a stunning cutaway or display that works especially well as a training aid. Oftentimes CalCo can even source a used engine or pump for you when one is presently unavailable.

This rework process works just as well with your older show products that may have been damaged or changed configuration over time. Click here to see some additional Before and After examples of how CalCo can help transform your products.

Click here to contact CalCo or call 847/639-3858.