I’ve googled this question to little answers. But what process are models painted by manufacturers? Do they just have people do the painting by hand or is there actual machinery used to handle the painting?
In: 1
Painting by hand is a possibility. Labor is cheap in poor countries.
They can also paint parts before assembly. Or dip the model into paint for foundation color, and then add details.
There is also hydro-dipping for objects that are mostly smooth.
if object is mostly flat, you can build an ink printer to work on it.
There are various different techniques. A lot of rough features like the base coat can be applied using spray painting or brushing. Just have the models go through a paint area and get covered in paint. This can be done before the parts are assembled so the parts are different colors, but you can also get some different colors on the same part although it will be quite rough.
For better details the most common way is to use stickers. There are machines which can apply stickers to an object in roughly the right place. It is also possible to stamp the paint on the model. This is done with special stamps custom made for the model which fits the contours.
A lot of painted toy cars are painted one color or are stamped after painting on jigs. A lot of the secondary colors are on the chassis and interior that are separate pieces. Windows and wheels have different options depending on how much detail that they want to include.
Latest Answers