“Laissez les bon temps rouler” at WEFTEC 2014

Laissez les bon temps rouler means “Let the Good times Roll!” which is what happened at the WEFTEC conference in New Orleans this year.  The show was a great success!  There were 20,385 visitors and 1,027 companies exhibiting.  According to the website  “WEFTEC®, the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference, is the biggest meeting of its kind in North America and offers thousands of water quality professionals from around the world the best water quality education and training available today.”  We always enjoy seeing the new technology and seeing the displays, especially the ones we created.

CalCo was at the show to visit our friends and to see our displays in action.  A few of them are shown below:

We are looking forward to WEFTEC 2015 being in our own backyard here in Chicago. We hope to see you there!

Visit our website at www.CalCoCutaways.com to see other types of displays or call us at 847-639-3858.

You Can’t Mix Up a CalCo Cutaway

There are many reasons why CalCo has been a leader in the cutaway business for decades and why so many clients keep coming back.  The most important  reasons are our knowledge, skill, and attention to detail which make a CalCo cutaway stand out above and beyond expectations.  Another reason is our ability to listen and work with clients to achieve the optimal and desired finished product.  Working with our clients to achieve the desired results is a cornerstone of our business and one of the main reasons that our clients return.  We use our extensive mechanical knowledge to show your product to its full advantage while telling the story that your marketing department wants to highlight.

We were recently asked to create a cutaway of a mixer, seen below, that would be displayed at one of the biggest fluid handling trade shows in the country.  It was on display at the WEFTEC show in Los Angeles.

The company conveyed to us how they wanted the mixer to look, including cut area and color scheme matching, we replicated those instructions and included this rail and T block support system which resembles the system used in the field. The company got exactly what they were looking for and we got another satisfied customer.

At CalCo exceeding expectations is what we strive to do for all of our customers.  We want to give you the best display possible so that you and your product look good.  If you need help with a display please contact CalCo at 847/639-3858 or click here for more contact information.  Find us on Facebook too.

CalCo’s New Brochure is Now Available

Fresh for 2010 Calco has developed a new brochure showing all of the services offered and some examples of the quality craftmanship that is synonymous with the CalCo name.  CalCo has been offering quality tradeshow displays and cutaways for over 50 years, especially to industrial product manufacturers.   Now see some of the other services available such as 3-D models or prototypes, working models, special lighting, custom bases, corporate gifts, POP displays and other tradeshow or marketing products.  You can count on CalCo as a turn-key solution for your sales and marketing needs.

The front and back cover of the new brochure are shown below, and the full PDF can be downloaded here. (right click and choose “Save As”)

To get a look inside our new brochure please send your information (name, company and address) to brochures@calcocutaways.com.  You will receive one in the mail right away so CalCo can help you start the year right with some new ideas to show your product in its best light because “Your Product is Our Profession”

For more ideas visit our website at www.calcocutaways.com ,  click here for contact information or call 847/639-3858.

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.

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.

Why are Speaker Cutaways such a Massive Challenge?

Telex speaker cutaway

Telex makes a superior speaker and use cutaways like this to show their audience the unseen details inside their speakers that make them an industry leader.

What you don’t see here is the challenge presented when attempting to cut something as hard as a ceramic speaker magnet immediately adjacent to something as fragile as a paper cone, which would normally disintegrate from the heat and water needed for cutting through ceramic. So how was this done?

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CalCo Cutaways, Generations of Dependable Innovation

Around the time New York City was introducing their brand new, 3-color traffic lights, James Calhoun was founding a new business named CalCo, which would produce cutaways for product manufacturers in order to help them show off the many advantages to using their products.

Little did he know that his small business would grow into the most accomplished and experienced cutaway company in America, possibly even the world.

Even Jim himself couldn’t have foreseen the wide variety of offerings his company would eventually have to present to its customers, such as laser cut lighted display pedestals, 3D animation, custom training equipment, POP displays and much, much more.

In fact, CalCo’s unrelenting attention to detail and quality as well as their ability to create customized solutions on the spot is about all that hasn’t changed since 1953.

CalCo’s excellent reputation and insight into the needs of their clients will go a long way towards making the next half century of business just as revolutionary as the first.

To contact CalCo click here or call 847/639-3858.  Your Product is Our Profession.

Professional Product Photography makes Perfect Sense

Once your projects are completed at CalCo, they are at their very best, which is a great time to capture your product images for marketing products.

Therefore it makes sense to have your shoot completed right at CalCo by a professional product photographer and expert studio equipment. The savings will surprise you given the level expertise that is delivered.

Drop these images right into presentations, brochures or catalog production before the product is even back in your hands. Choose from standard lighting and backdrop, (shown here), to many optional settings, including on-location if needed.

Many angles and lighting options are delivered on the final CD copy, along with file handling and printed proof sheets for quick reference.

This is such a great service that many even send in items that don’t need any display work, just for the high level of service and value CalCo offers.

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

To upgrade from a CalCo Shipping Container you would need to order a Safe

In today’s perilous world of shipping and receiving, it is without a doubt that you have stories of shipments gone awry or trade show services as far from “service” as it gets.

In this environment CalCo has responded by providing one of the best regarded and highly successful custom shipping containers available.

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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.