Military Printing & Painting Capabilities — Motson Graphics
Created at :
Aug 26, 2025
Mission-Ready Marking, Every Time
When equipment goes to work in the world’s toughest environments, the markings and coatings on that equipment have to perform just as hard. Motson Graphics delivers mission-ready printing and painting solutions for defense and adjacent industries—engineered for durability, legibility, and compliance from prototype through full-rate production.
Recommended Services for Motson Graphics:
Precision Industrial Printing
- Screen printing (flat & formed parts): High-opacity legends, scales, and interface graphics on metals, plastics, composites, glass, and coated surfaces. Tight registration for multi-color builds.
- Pad printing (3D & complex geometry): Crisp characters and pictograms on curved housings, bezels, knobs, and irregular components.
- Digital UV printing: Short-run, variable data, and micro-serialization with abrasion-resistant inks; ideal for rapid iterations and on-demand spares.
- Laser marking & etching: Permanent, high-contrast identification on anodized aluminum, stainless, and coated parts; raster or vector.
- Stenciling & paint fill: High-build, field-style legends, unit identifiers, and safety markings using solvent-borne, waterborne, or 2-part systems.
- Decals & overlays: High-temp, chemical-resistant labels, control panel overlays, and high-bond adhesive-backed graphics tailored to substrate and CARC compatibility.
Military-Grade Painting & Coatings
- Pretreatment & surface prep: Media blasting, sanding, mask/plug/fixturing, and substrate-specific cleaning to maximize adhesion.
- Primers & topcoats: Epoxy primers and polyurethane topcoats matched to common defense color standards and gloss levels; optional low-IR signature formulations when specified.
- CARC-compatible workflows: Processes aligned with chemical agent resistant coating requirements, including color matching to common Federal/AMS color references and controlled film builds for assembly interfaces.
- Selective & multi-layer masking: Repeatable edge quality for multi-color panels, inspection windows, EMI gasketing lands, and conductive interface rings.
- Cure & inspection: Documented bake cycles, wet/dry film gauge, cross-hatch adhesion, and visual acceptance with traceable lot controls.
Result: Durable, legible markings and finishes that withstand abrasion, solvents/cleaners, UV exposure, temperature cycling, and operational handling.
Compliance-Driven by Design
Motson Graphics structures jobs around the requirements that matter most in defense and aerospace environments.
- Identification & traceability: Support for unique item identifiers (IUID/UID), linear and 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR), serial/logistics data, and human-readable redundancies.
- Specification familiarity: Experience working to customer drawings that reference common military and aerospace finish, marking, and environmental standards. We routinely align ink/coating selection, cure, and verification steps to those callouts.
- Documentation: Travelers, lot/batch records, certificates of conformance, material safety data, first article documentation when required, and controlled sample plaques/chips for long-program continuity.
- ESD/EHS conscientious: Low-VOC/waterborne alternatives where permitted, fume extraction, and waste handling consistent with environmental expectations on defense programs.
Note: We execute to the specifications and approvals defined on your print package. If your program requires specific certifications or registrations, we integrate to those flows and maintain records accordingly.
Materials & Substrates
- Metals: Aluminum (bare, anodized, chem-film), stainless steel, low-alloy steels, magnesium (with proper pretreatment), titanium.
- Polymers & composites: ABS, polycarbonate, acrylic, nylon, PEEK, PPS, phenolics, glass-filled resins, fiber-reinforced laminates, carbon fiber skins.
- Coated surfaces: Epoxy primers, polyurethane topcoats, CARC systems, and powder coats (where marking overcoat is specified).
Process Control & Quality
- Color management: Color targets matched against standard chips or customer-supplied masters; documented delta-E checks available on request.
- Registration & position: Fixtures and digital fiducials for tight tolerance legends; capability studies available for critical features.
- Durability validation: Solvent rubs, abrasion scuffs, tape pulls, edge-lift checks, thermal dwell, and moisture exposure to program-defined acceptance criteria.
- Repeatability: Serialized screen sets, digital art control, and revision-tracked fixtures maintain consistency across years of reorders.
Industries We Serve
Defense & Military Platforms
- Ground systems: Tactical and logistics vehicles, trailers, power units, armor kits, turret interfaces, control panels, and on-vehicle electronics.
- Aerospace & avionics: Cockpit/control panels, LRUs, racks, trays, harness labels, ground support equipment (GSE), and flight-line tools.
- Naval & maritime: Shipboard panels, consoles, communications housings, watertight enclosure markings, and corrosion-resistant placards.
- Munitions & ordnance support: Containers, training aids, test stands, and handling fixtures (non-energetic components only).
- C4ISR & communications: Radios, SATCOM modules, server chassis, field terminals, and ruggedized compute.
Adjacent Regulated & Harsh-Use Sectors
- Industrial & heavy equipment: Control panels, safety placards, sensor enclosures, hydraulic power units, and instrumentation.
- Energy & utilities: Substation gear, pipeline instrumentation, and outdoor-rated enclosures.
- Transportation & rail: Cab interiors, signal housings, and operator interfaces.
- Medical & lab equipment (ruggedized): Device panels and durable overlays for frequent clean-down protocols.
- Training & simulation: Cockpit replicas, mock-ups, and high-touch interfaces requiring long-wear graphics.
Typical Applications
- Control panel legends, switch bezels, and backplates
- Serial plates, rating labels, and IUID/UID code plates
- Scale dials, sight windows, and graduated markings
- Chassis markings for rack units and line-replaceable modules
- Safety warnings, cautionary labels, and pictograms
- Exterior unit identifiers, stencils, and asset control marks
- Over-print on coated components for final assembly indicators
Program Integration & Support
- DFM for print & paint: Early engagement to tune callouts (ink system, line weight, font, clearances) for manufacturability and durability.
- Rapid prototyping: Quick-turn sample plaques, color drawdowns, and pilot builds to de-risk production.
- Digital thread ready: CAD/PDF/GERBER art intake, controlled revisioning, and secure file handling; variable data merges for serialization.
- Scalable production: From one-off replacements to thousands of parts per release; kanban and min/max agreements available for high-mix fleets.
- Supply chain coordination: Work with your machine shops, coaters, and assemblers; direct-to-dock drop-ins or kitted delivery by work order.
Why Motson Graphics
- Domain fluency: We understand the “why” behind defense markings—readability under stress, consistency across fleets, and endurance in field conditions.
- Process rigor: Documented, repeatable workflows with inspection gates that match how primes and Tier-1s run their lines.
- Responsiveness: Clear lead-time communication, expedited options, and proactive risk calls when artwork or specs conflict.
- Partnership mindset: The earlier we’re looped in, the better we can protect your timeline, budget, and compliance posture.
Getting Started
- Share your package: Drawing(s), BOM, finish/paint callouts, color targets, and any special inspection notes.
- Define acceptance: Required specifications, test methods, sampling plans, and documentation needs.
- Approve production standard: We’ll submit plaques or a pilot unit for sign-off before full release.
- Launch & sustain: We lock fixtures, art, and parameters to support predictable reorders for the life of your program.