Vehicle Graphics Project of the Day: An Excursion With Altitude

The Montana Air National Guard wanted to convey the brave spirit of its force and recruit future pilots and mechanics with images of the blue beyond. So, it hired Cat Graphics Inc. (Great Falls, MT), a full-service shop that had fabricated Dibond-applied inkjet prints, neon signs and window graphics for the Guard, to craft the image. Designer Armando De Vila developed the concept with Adobe Photoshop before fine-tuning the graphics with Corel Corp. CorelDraw 10.

To prep the surface, installers Tony Trombetta and Mel Hurt gave the Ford Excursion a soft-bristle bath and blow dry before wiping it down with alcohol. Using the shop’s Roland DGA Corporation VersaCamm SP-540V printer/plotter, the shop produced the graphics with Oracal USA 3951RA with Rapid Air® air-egress film. Instead of using a film laminate, they sprayed the vehicle with an automotive clearcoat. Installation entailed nylon and felt squeegees, as well as a heat gun.

“Some of the complex curves were a little challenging and required some patience, but it went smoothly for the most part,” Hurt said.

They Own the Road

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