Paint Primer: Behind-the-Scenes of Bombardier’s Private Livery Facility
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APEX Insight: As Bombardier prepares to fulfill Delta Air Lines’ order of up to 125 C Series jets, we focus on the most surface-level, yet indispensable, stage of aircraft manufacturing. The livery is emblematic of an airline’s brand identity and one of the most recognizable features for passengers. APEX Media recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of Bombardier’s private paint facility for a look at how liveries are efficiently applied with electrostatic paint.
The unveiling of a new livery is an occasion often marked with crowds, cheers and champagne, a celebration of a fresh brand vision after many secretive months of designing, refining and paint application. Liveries have become one of the most obsessed over topics in the airline and travel industries, and easily one of the most recognizable features of a particular airline.
To better understand the process of livery design and application, APEX Media visited the Bombardier Business Aircraft paint facility in Dorval, Québec. In its five paint bays – one of which is newly opened with state-of-the-art equipment – Bombardier prepares deliveries for clients by having its expert team of painters carefully prepare, treat and paint business jets.
PRIME TIME
After the aircraft is masked, cleaned several times and treated with a corrosion protector, it’s time for the first step in the actual painting process: the primer. Once the aircraft is moved into the paint bay, it goes through another solvent cleaning step, and is then blow-dried and finally swept over with a tac rag (a material similar to a sticky cheesecloth) to completely remove any residue of dust that may still be there. “Dust is the enemy of paint,” says Marc Rodrigue, methods agent at Bombardier’s Business Aircraft paint shop.
Epoxy primer is then applied for adhesion and to protect against corrosion, followed by two to four coats of primer and then filler to fill in rivets, seams and other creases on the raw aircraft surface. After a period of high-temperature baking to expedite the drying process, the entire aircraft is sent back to the prep bay and sanded by hand by a team of up to 15 to achieve the smoothest finish possible. Thickness must be strenuously controlled during the primer step, since every layer adds weight to the aircraft.
“On a private jet, we’re basically painting it two times to make what we call the ‘high-gloss’ finish,”says Rodrigue. “We want to get rid of the rivets, the seal of the sealant. When you see the final product, it’s just slick. We have a lot to do to reach that point. On a regular commercial aircraft … it has what we call a ‘regular’ finish: You can see all the rivets.”
QUALITY CONTROL
Each day when the staff comes into the paint facility, they check the production board for an update on what needs to be done on the aircraft that day. Every aircraft has its own schedule, and every aspect of work is broken down into distinct projects with comprehensive production plans.
“Every step is quality-controlled,” explains Rodrigue. If the standards for primer filler thickness, paint layers, gloss or any other aspect of work are not met, the job has to be restarted. The work is reviewed by hand and closely inspected to ensure everything is as near-perfect as possible.
ELECTRIC FEEL
The newest method for paint application adds an electrostatic charge to the paint, resulting in a surge of both productivity and efficiency. The aircraft is electrically grounded (with a negative charge), so the positively charged paint is literally attracted to the surface of the airplane. The old spray guns resulted in wastage levels of around 65 percent due to overspray; now wastage is contained at about 35 percent.
When the painting is complete, drying is expedited through large vents in the ceiling. The air is extracted through the floor, creating a downdraft funnel, and the paint is “baked” at 110-120°F overnight. Certain portions of the aircraft can even be targeted by the advanced computer program that controls the fans, so you can, for example, dry only the wings if that’s all you’ve painted.
CAPTAIN’S LOG
Rodrigue, who was once a painter himself before advancing to supervising the paint shop, is passionate about his work. He proudly tells us about his daily logbook, which he’s been maintaining since 2004. Within those pages, Rodrigue outlines every job and aircraft that comes through his facility.
Touring the warehouse facility, which contains numerous aircraft, we see brightly colored liveries, ones in classic white with stripes (these simple, streamlined designs are so popular that Bombardier has a prepared paint kit) and even an awe-inspiring design with paint that changes color as you move – all beautifully finished with that high-gloss polish. While there can be a great deal more flexibility in terms of livery design for private-jet clients, one tenet remains consistent for both business and commercial liveries: The paint is meant to impress, and whether you’re greeting business colleagues or public passengers, an expertly applied livery puts the best face of the aircraft, and brand, forward.