So far we have explored frame construction and parts creation at Co-Motion. This go around we take a look at how Co-Motion pretties up their product. The paint work that comes out of this shop is some of the best I have ever seen. The painters lay down quality paint from PPG Global and House of Kolor in one of two down draft paint booths. Maskings and decals are printed on an in house on a Roland vinyl printer. Stainless steel parts are polished in their new polishing machine using a three step process. All of this adds up to a high quality, eye catching finish.
Make the jump for a look at the machines that make this possible.
The sandblast station is used for parts prep before painting. Here they remove any oil, dirt, and corrosion from the parts. The blasting also ruffs up the surface, allowing for better adhesion of the paint.
Fixtures for both tandems and singles are used when painting the frames. As you may have guessed by now, these were made in house.
Bottle cage bolts and a variety of other plugs are used to keep the paint out of areas it shouldn’t be in.
Once the frame and/or parts are prepared for paint, the next step happens here in the mixing room.
Also found in the mixing room is this barrel. Co-Motion separates and recycles all left over paint.
The two down draft paint booths at Co-Motion allow for multiple frames to be painted at the same time without worry of overspray contaminating any of the other work. This is a large reason as to how they can offer a very wide range of colors, including custom mixed color options. For more info on their paint options take a look here.
The Co-Motion logo done via reverse masking. This process is made easier thanks to their vinyl printer.
Adam (one of two painters at Co-Motion) is removing the masking to revel the logo on a bike that is heading to NAHBS.
The Roland vinyl printer used to create the maskings for custom paint work and decals.
Painted frames waiting to be boxed up and shipped out.
This polishing tumbler is one of the newest editions to the shop. Here, the stainless steel dropouts, S & S couplers, and max adjust stoker stems get shinned up. The process makes use of three compounds.
The canister used in the polisher.
In the first step, the most course compound is used. This run helps smooth the edged and remove machining marks.
The next run through this material further removes the machining marks.
In the final step, this finer compound adds the shine, turning out a very pretty polished part. This certainly beats polishing the parts by hand.
For a look at some of the finished paint schemes, check out the gallery over at Co-Motions site.
