Coating and plating guides
Written for engineers and buyers who have parts to finish and want to know what to write on the drawing.
- Specs
Nov 7, 2026RoHS and REACH Compliance for Plated and Coated Parts: What to Ask For and What the Tests Show
RoHS plating compliance explained: limits per layer, which finishes put Cr(VI), lead or cadmium on a part, REACH Article 33, and what a shop should hand you.
- Specs
Nov 6, 2026What the PFAS Restrictions Mean for PTFE-Coated Parts and Your RFQ
PTFE is a PFAS. Where the EU restriction stands, which rules already apply in the US, and how to word drawings and RFQs for PTFE-coated metal parts today.
- Specs
Nov 5, 2026EN 1811 Nickel Release: What the Limits Mean for Plated Parts That Touch Skin
EN 1811 nickel release limits explained: 0.5 and 0.2 micrograms per cm2 per week, the two-year coating rule, EN 12472 wear tests and how to write it on an RFQ.
- Finishes
Nov 4, 2026Zinc Flake Coatings for Fasteners: When to Specify Them and What to Check
Zinc flake coating explained for fasteners: no hydrogen embrittlement, typical thickness, salt spray targets, torque-tension control and when to choose it.
- Finishes
Nov 3, 2026Wear Surfaces: Choosing Between Hard Anodize, Nitriding and Hard Chrome
Wear resistant coating options compared: hard anodize, nitriding and hard chrome by base metal, case depth, hardness, distortion, hydrogen risk and typical use.
- Specs
Nov 2, 2026Anodizing Vendor Selection: Which Shop Runs Type II or Type III for Your Parts
Anodizing vendor selection for Type II or Type III: what to confirm with the shop on thickness, growth, sealing, color and cost before you send the RFQ.
- Finishes
Nov 1, 2026Trivalent Passivates on Zinc: Clear, Yellow and Black Compared
Trivalent passivate zinc finishes compared: clear, yellow and black films, typical corrosion performance, sealers, heat limits, cobalt and what to specify.
- Finishes
Oct 31, 2026Silver, Gold and Tin Plating for Electrical Contacts: Thickness, Wear and Failure Modes
Silver plating contacts compared with gold and tin: typical thickness, nickel underplate, wear, tarnish, whiskers, contact force and what to state on an RFQ.
- Specs
Oct 30, 2026What Salt Spray Hours Really Mean for Coated Parts
What salt spray hours mean on a drawing: why 500 or 720 hours are not years outdoors, white rust vs red rust and how to write a callout a shop can test.
- Specs
Oct 29, 2026Rack vs Barrel Plating: Which Process Your Parts Need and Why It Changes the Price
Rack vs barrel plating compared: part size, lot size, thickness spread, contact marks, damage risk and cost. How to choose and what to write on an RFQ.
- Specs
Oct 28, 2026Powder Coating Pretreatment, Cure and Adhesion Testing: What Decides Whether It Lasts
Powder coating pretreatment steps, typical cure schedules and adhesion tests such as cross-hatch, impact and MEK rub, plus what to state on a drawing or RFQ.
- Specs
Oct 27, 2026Thread Fits After Plating: How to Set Allowances for Coated Threads
Plating thread allowance explained: how coating thickness grows pitch diameter, 2A vs 3A and 6g vs 6h limits, nuts and tapped holes, drawing callouts.
- Finishes
Oct 26, 2026Outdoor Powder Coating for Enclosures and Brackets: Systems That Last
Outdoor powder coating for enclosures and brackets: polyester, polyurethane and epoxy compared, pretreatment, primers, edge failure, UV tests and RFQ tips.
- Finishes
Oct 25, 2026Finishes for Medical Device Parts: From Passivation to Anodize and PVD
Medical device coating options for stainless, titanium and aluminum parts: passivation, electropolish, titanium anodize, PVD, sterilization limits and RFQ tips.
- Specs
Oct 24, 2026Masking for Plating and Anodizing: Plugs, Tape and Lacquer Compared
Masking for plating and anodizing explained: plugs, caps, tape, lacquer and wax compared, typical edge tolerance, cost drivers and how to mark a drawing.
- Finishes
Oct 23, 2026Hot-Dip Galvanizing vs Zinc Electroplating: Thickness, Life and Where Each Fits
Hot dip galvanizing vs zinc plating compared: thickness, outdoor life, appearance, thread fit, distortion, size limits and which to specify for steel parts.
- Finishes
Oct 22, 2026Coatings for Food Equipment Parts: What Food Contact Allows and What It Does Not
Food grade coating for equipment parts: contact vs non-contact zones, passivated stainless, PTFE, anodize, powder coat, what to avoid and what to request.
- Specs
Oct 21, 2026Electroless Nickel Phosphorus Content: Choosing Low, Mid or High Phosphorus
Electroless nickel phosphorus content explained: low, mid and high phosphorus compared for hardness, corrosion, magnetism and wear, plus heat treat tips.
- Specs
Oct 20, 2026Coating Thickness Measurement: XRF, Eddy Current and Magnetic Methods
Coating thickness measurement methods compared: XRF, eddy current, magnetic, coulometric and cross section. Which gauge fits which coating and base metal.
- Specs
Oct 19, 2026Chromate Conversion Coating: MIL-DTL-5541 Type I vs Type II on Aluminum
Chromate conversion coating on aluminum explained: MIL-DTL-5541 Type I vs Type II, Class 1A vs Class 3, electrical contact, paint base and RFQ wording.
- Finishes
Oct 18, 2026Cadmium Replacement Coatings for Aerospace Parts: Zinc-Nickel, IVD Aluminum and Others
Cadmium replacement coating options for aerospace parts compared: zinc-nickel, IVD aluminum, tin-zinc and zinc flake. Properties, trade-offs and approval steps.
- Finishes
Oct 18, 2026CVD vs PVD Coating: Temperature, Thickness, Stress and Edges
CVD vs PVD coating compared: process temperature, thickness, conformal coverage, residual stress, edges, substrates and which suits inserts, drills or dies.
- Finishes
Oct 18, 2026Decorative PVD Colors on Stainless Steel and Brass
PVD colors on stainless steel explained: which chemistry gives gold, rose, black or gunmetal, how to set a ΔE tolerance and what brass or zinc parts need first.
- Specs
Oct 18, 2026DLC Coating Types: From a-C:H and WC/C to ta-C
DLC coating types per VDI 2840: a-C, ta-C, a-C:H, a-C:H:Me and Si-doped a-C:H compared by hydrogen, sp3 bonding, hardness, friction, heat limit and typical use.
- Specs
Oct 18, 2026How to Specify PVD Coating on a Drawing and RFQ
PVD coating specification guide: function, coating and thickness, coat and no-coat zones, fixturing, edge prep, Ra, temperature limit, tests and a sample note.
- Specs
Oct 18, 2026How PVD Coating Adhesion, Thickness and Hardness Are Tested
PVD coating adhesion test methods explained: Rockwell C to VDI 3198, scratch test, ball crater thickness, nanoindentation hardness and what the cert must show.
- Specs
Oct 18, 2026PVD Coating Temperature vs the Tempering Temperature of Your Part
PVD coating temperature compared with tempering and aging limits for D2, H13, M2, 440C, 17-4PH and aluminum, plus the materials a PVD chamber cannot take.
- Finishes
Oct 18, 2026Types of PVD Coating by Hardness, Temperature and Use
Types of PVD coating compared: TiN, TiCN, TiAlN, AlTiN, AlCrN, CrN, ZrN and TiSiN by hardness, oxidation limit, friction, color and the jobs each one suits.
- Finishes
Oct 18, 2026PVD Deposition Methods: Cathodic Arc vs Sputtering vs HiPIMS
Cathodic arc vs magnetron sputtering vs HiPIMS: ionization, droplets, rate, temperature and surface finish, plus rotation, bias and etching in the PVD chamber.
- Finishes
Oct 18, 2026PVD vs Electroplating, Hard Chrome and Electroless Nickel
PVD vs electroplating compared on thickness, hardness, corrosion, coverage, hydrogen embrittlement and Cr(VI) rules, plus when to stack PVD on a plated base.
- Finishes
Oct 17, 2026Automotive Fastener Coatings: Corrosion Hours, Friction and Torque Behavior
Automotive fastener coating options compared: zinc, zinc-nickel and zinc flake, typical corrosion targets, friction windows, torque-tension and hydrogen risk.
- Finishes
Oct 16, 2026Anodizing 6061, 7075 and Cast Aluminum: How Alloy Changes Color and Finish
Anodizing aluminum alloys compared: how 6061, 6063, 7075, 2024 and cast alloys differ in color, thickness, hardcoat quality and defects, plus RFQ tips.
- Cost
Oct 15, 2026In-House Finishing vs Outsourcing: What Actually Changes
The real cost and control tradeoffs between running plating or coating in-house and outsourcing to a finishing shop, beyond the equipment purchase price.
- Finishes
Oct 14, 2026Black Oxide vs Zinc Plating: Which One Belongs on Your Drawing
Black oxide and zinc plating both finish steel but solve different problems. Corrosion, dimensional change, cost and hydrogen embrittlement risk compared.
- Finishes
Oct 13, 2026PVD Coatings Explained: TiN, CrN and DLC for Hardened Parts
How PVD coatings work, what TiN, CrN and DLC each do best, thickness and hardness ranges, and what to check before specifying PVD on hardened steel.
- Finishes
Oct 12, 2026Passivation vs Electropolish: Two Different Jobs on Stainless Steel
Passivation and electropolish both finish stainless steel but solve different problems. What each process does, when to specify one, the other, or both.
- Choosing a Supplier
Oct 11, 2026Questions to Ask a Plating or Coating Shop Before You Send Parts
The questions that separate a shop that runs your spec from one that is learning on your parts: process frequency, certs, tank size, bake and paperwork.
- Specs
Oct 8, 2026Hydrogen Embrittlement and the Relief Bake: What to Put on the Drawing
Why hardened steel cracks after plating, what the hydrogen relief bake actually does, and how to specify it so a shop bakes on time and records it.
- Specs
Oct 4, 2026Metal Finishing Specs Explained: ASTM, MIL-SPEC and AMS Cross Reference
A plain-language cross reference for the plating and coating specs buyers see most: ASTM, MIL-PRF, MIL-DTL and AMS numbers, what each covers and where they overlap.
- Specs
Oct 1, 2026The EU Chromium(VI) Restriction and Your Plated Parts: What to Change Now
The EU plans to restrict chromium(VI) under REACH. Where the process stands, which finishes it touches and what to change on drawings and RFQs this year.
- Cost
Sep 29, 2026What Drives the Cost of Plating and Coating a Part
Why plating and coating quotes differ: rack and barrel loads, lot charges, masking, bake, spec paperwork and thickness. What you can change on the drawing.
- Specs
Sep 25, 2026What to Put on a Coating RFQ: Spec, Thickness, Masking and Racking
What a plating or coating RFQ needs so shops can price it first time: base material, spec and class, thickness, masking, racking points, lot size and tests.
- Choosing a Supplier
Sep 23, 2026How to Choose a Metal Coating Supplier: What to Check Before You Send Parts
How to pick a plating, anodizing or powder coating shop: process, spec approval, tank size, test reports and the questions to ask before the first lot ships.
- Finishes
Sep 22, 2026Zinc, Zinc-Nickel, Electroless Nickel, Anodize or Powder Coat: Matching the Finish to the Part
Zinc, zinc-nickel, electroless nickel, anodize and powder coat compared by base material, corrosion, wear, thickness and cost, with the spec to write for each.