A Zund PN M1200 cutting machine, owned and operated by staff in the graphics department at British Airways (BA), has played a key role in the creation of a special fleet of “Dove” aircraft. The Dove aircraft livery is part of the BA Great Britons programme, celebrating the best of British talent in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The specially designed Dove livery covers the entire aircraft and the Zund PN M1200 machine was used to cut the stencils required for the spray painted project.
Ensuring that the unique design could be successfully applied to the BA fleet of aircraft was a complex task and was assigned to Phil Purbrick, graphics engineer at BA. He has worked with Zund machines for 18 years and his skill with the Zund PN M1200 and knowledge of the BA fleet ensured that the design could be successfully converted onto the stencils required for the spray painted project.
“The BA Dove aircraft is definitely one of the most intricate projects that I have been involved with. Knowing that I could rely on the Zund PN M1200 to perform was really important. It’s never let me down in all these years,” comments Phil.
British Airways replaced its original Zund plotter with the Zund PN M1200 three years ago. It had retained its previous model, a Zund P1200, for 15 years. As Dennis Griffiths, BA’s Fleet Logistics Co-ordinator, explains, “Investing in a Zund cutter makes sound business sense as you get an excellent high quality piece of engineering kit and guaranteed service and support from the team at Zund UK.”
The BA Graphics Department is involved in lots of different projects for departments across British Airways, including both aircraft livery and in-house branding and marketing projects. The BA Graphics team will be working on another London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic project. The details are presently being kept secret but BA’s Zund PN M1200 will be playing a key part.
For more information on Zund's range of cutting machines, please visit www.zunduk.com
