AST Blog

Why Electroless Nickel Plating is Essential in Defense Manufacturing

A Coating That Goes Beyond Protection The defense and aerospace industries require components made with high precision to tight tolerances. Every component must perform flawlessly, often under extreme conditions. That’s why electroless nickel plating is frequently the coating of choice for mission-critical parts. Often referred to as an “engineering coating,” electroless nickel offers both corrosion protection and precision to plus or minus 0.0001” of thickness. ___________________________________________________________________ Why Defense Engineers Choose Electroless Nickel 1. Uniform Thickness on Complex GeometriesUnlike electrolytic plating, which relies on electrical current, electroless nickel is deposited through a chemical process. This means quality plating can be applied to internal cavities, deep bores, and intricate geometries. Clearly, this meets the needs of critical components in weapons systems and flight hardware. 2. Hardness and Wear ResistanceFormulations that vary the amount of phosphorus in the electroless nickel deposit can increase hardness and improve corrosion resistance. Higher deposit hardness can improve Read more…

By edusupport@educyber.com, ago

Understanding the Cost of Metal Coatings: A Practical Guide

When selecting a metal coating for your application, cost is always an important factor. While it might be tempting to choose the least expensive option, it’s critical to understand the trade-offs in durability, performance, and long-term value. Here, we explore how the cost of different coating types compares, particularly focusing on our PEN-TUF® process—electroless nickel with PTFE. Relative Coating Costs There are many effective solutions for environments that require corrosion protection and where the parts are not subject to abrasion. They are relatively low in cost but are often quite effective. Examples include: As performance requirements increase, so does the need for a higher quality coating. For maximum corrosion protection and superior electrical conductivity, precious metal plating is often the best option: Of course, precious metal plating can be costly, especially since gold is currently trading at over $3,000 per troy ounce. PEN-TUF® Pen-Tuf Pentuf® is an electroless nickel plating Read more…

By edusupport@educyber.com, ago

Electroless Nickel Plating. A Versatile Plating Application

Precision and Dimensional Control Electroless nickel is often referred to as an engineering coating due to its exceptional precision. It allows for tight control over thickness, making it suitable for high-tolerance applications. Typical coating thicknesses range from 0.001” to 0.002”, with tolerances as close as ±0.0001”. This precision makes electroless nickel ideal for: Pen-Tuf® & BNEN Electroless Nickel Ultimate Solutions for Wear & Friction What is Pen-Tuf®? Electroless Nickel Plating with PTFE Pen-Tuf® is Electroless nickel plating with PTFE. It combines the hardness of nickel with the low friction properties of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This unique combination results in a coating that provides both wear resistance and solid lubricity, making it ideal for a wide range of applications where metal-to-metal contact occurs.  What is BNEN? Electroless Nickel Plating with Boron-nitride Similar to Pen-Tuf®, BNEN provides solid lubricity with a low coefficient of friction. It is very hard, around HRC 65, and Read more…

By edusupport@educyber.com, ago

Metal Plating and Coating Solutions for Every Industry

Selecting the Right Metal Plating for Your Application When it comes to metal plating and coatings, selecting the right process depends on several factors, including the base metal, environmental exposure, wear resistance, conductivity, and cost. Whether you need corrosion resistance, increased hardness, or improved conductivity, we offer a range of solutions tailored to your needs. Understanding Your Base Metal Before choosing a plating process, we start with the substrate. The type of metal being plated plays a critical role in determining the best coating. Common base metals include: Application Considerations The intended use of your part dictates the type of plating required. Some typical industry applications include: Choosing the Right Coating Plating serves various purposes, from corrosion resistance to electrical conductivity and abrasion resistance. Below are some of the most common coating options: Corrosion Resistance Virtually all metals need protection against oxidation. Common plating options include: Electrical Conductivity For applications Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago
gold plating service

Gold Plating

Gold Electroplating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal. Gold plating finds its uses in jewelry, semiconductor industry. It often requires that the substrate be cleaned and etched before it can be electroplated with gold. Gold plating solution is made by dissolving an appropriate amount of gold salt into water or other solvent. The solution may contain additives such as cyanide ion (CN) to prevent oxidation of the gold during the plating process. Gold Plating Solutions Gold plating solutions are usually classified according to their composition: Cyanide-free solutions: These solutions do not use cyanide ions to stabilize the gold deposits. They typically have higher concentrations of gold than cyanide-containing solutions. However, they tend to be more expensive because of the cost of the gold salts used. Cyanide-based solutions: These electroplating gold solution contain cyanide ions to stabilize gold deposits. In addition, Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Plating on Titanium

Plating on titanium parts adds value & functionality for many parts, especially aerospace parts and components. Titanium is an extremely hard metal that can be used in a wide variety of applications. It has excellent corrosion resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio, low density, good thermal conductivity, and high electrical conductivity. Titanium is also highly resistant to abrasion and chemical attack. Titanium is available in three alloys: Ti6Al4V (titanium alloy 6), Ti64 (a special grade of titanium alloy 64) and Ti46Al6V8. The first two are most commonly used, but the third one is more expensive. The process of electroplating or galvanizing titanium involves immersing the part into a bath containing the electrolyte solution. A current is passed through the part, which causes the surface of the part to become coated with a thin layer of metal. This coating may be nickel, zinc, cadmium, tin, chromium, iron, copper, silver or gold. The thickness Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Electroless Nickel Plating On Magnesium

Electroless nickel plating on magnesium is the preferred engineering coating solution for applications requiring high levels of corrosion and wear resistance, deposit uniformity and hardness, solid lubricity, and solderability. Electroless nickel plating is an autocatalytic chemical process used to deposit a uniform layer of nickel-phosphorous alloy onto a part without the necessity of applying electrical current.   Since the plating process requires no electrical current, the coating produced is a very uniform structure that can be applied over various metals and substrates. Magnesium Plating Uses Magnesium is widely used in aerospace, medical, and military applications as well as automotive, and commercial projects.  Its use has been expanding due to its high strength-to-weight ratio.  Regardless of is application, magnesium needs protective coatings to prevent corrosion.  Advanced Surface Technologies is one of a handful of companies that has developed the expertise to properly apply electroless nickel on a variety of magnesium alloys like AZ91, AZ31, and Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Chromate Conversion Coating for Aluminum

Chromate conversion coatings are the most widely used coating for corrosion protection of Aluminum Coatings and Corrosion Protection Chromate conversion coatings are used to passivate metals using an immersion bath process. The chromate conversion coating is a thin film that is applied by immersing the metal in a solution containing hexavalent chromium ions, which react with aluminum oxide on the surface of the metal to form a protective layer. This reaction forms a very stable complex with the chromium ion. The coating can be applied as either a single-stage or two-stage process. In the first stage, the metal is immersed in a dilute acid solution containing hexavalent chrome (Cr(VI)) ions, which reacts with the aluminum oxide to produce CrO3−2Al2O3. During this step, some of the hexavalent chromium is reduced to trivalent chromium (Cr(III)). After rinsing, the coated metal is then dipped into a second solution containing hexavalent and/or trivalent chromium Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Bright Tin Plating

What is bright tin plating? Bright tin plating is a type of electroplated coating that uses tin as its main component. This kind of coating has become very popular because of its high corrosion resistance and excellent wear resistance. Bright tin plating is widely applied in various industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical equipment and electronics. Bright tin plating is also known as bright zinc plating or bright nickel plating. The bright tin electroplating process involves using a special solution containing tin ions. After being immersed into the solution, the substrate is then subjected to a current flow. The current causes the tin ions to deposit onto the surface of the substrate. What is the tin electroplating process? The tin plating process is used for coating metals such as aluminum, copper, brass and steel. This process is also known as electroplating. A tin bath is filled with molten tin and Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

What is Gold Plating?

Gold plating is the process of adding a layer of gold to a metal. This is accomplished both chemically and electrically. By applying a direct electric current to another layer of metal, and applying the gold coating, it creates a chemical bond between the two metals, fusing them together. The layer of a gold coating is very thin, usually in the range of 0.0002 inches. Adding a layer of gold plating to metal has many uses, among them are protection from rust, corrosion or damage. Industrial gold plating companies do large volumes of parts and orders. They do not do gold plating for decorative uses or for single items. Frequently there will be several layers of different metal plating, all used for specific purposes. The Gold Plating Process The first step in gold plating is preparing the surface of the metal. The surface must be very clean in order to Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless Nickel Plating – Advanced Surface Technologies Being a leader in Electroless Nickel plating AST has 8 Electroless Nickel process lines that are substrate specific. Our experienced staff can construct custom solutions for your distinct finishing needs. Your Metal Finishing Solution Plating Services Electroless Nickel Plating Electroless Nickel Plating with PTFE Boron Nitride Electroless Nickel Gold Plating Electrolytic Nickel Plating Silver Plating Tin Plating Magnesium Plating Passivation Chromate Conversion Coating Electroless Nickel Plating Industrial Electroless Nickel Plating (MIL-C-26074, AMS 2404, ASTM B-733 standards): Advanced Surface Technologies specializes in high quality Electroless Nickel Plating. Electroless Nickel is a high quality engineering coating fo: The advantage that Electroless Nickel has over almost all other plated coatings is the uniformity of the nickel deposit thickness. Without the high and low current density found in electrolytic plating processes, Electroless nickel can deposit into recesses without burning or having excessive thickness on the outer edges of a Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Ensuring a Chilling Block Keeps Its Cool

AST is a high quality metal finishing company that specializes in electroless nickel plating, gold plating, silver plating, plating on magnesium, tin plating, electrolytic nickel plating, passivation and chemical conversion coatings. A large percentage of AST’s customers are OEM’s and high end machine shops that have stringent quality requirements. One of our clients, one of the largest aluminum recyclers in the country, required a caster that holds 35 heavy chilling blocks weighing 800 pounds each and made with a two-inch copper bottom. Since the copper parts are the only parts that cool the aluminum, they needed a nickel coating to keep the aluminum from fusing with it. Starting from ground zero, we engineered a line with the capacity to coat just the copper bottom while handling the block’s weight. We created a dedicated line with 12 750-gallon tanks equipped with special trays, a unique fixture and a 5-ton crane to Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Hinging Success on a New Plating Process

AST is a high quality metal finishing company that specializes in electroless nickel plating, gold plating, silver plating, plating on magnesium, tin plating, electrolytic nickel plating, passivation and chemical conversion coatings. A large percentage of AST’s customers are OEM’s and high end machine shops that have stringent quality requirements. Time isn’t always on our customer’s side. When their customer approaches them with a large scale product that’s quickly going to market, they do whatever they can to accommodate. They seek a partner they can trust, who can match their fast delivery without sacrificing quality or value. Enter Advanced Surface Technologies. Our customer came looking for a cost-effective solution for plating a small hinge that was critical to a new product. Time was short and quantities needed were high. The hinge itself was pretty small, and required electroless nickel with PTFE to provide lubrication and prevent corrosion. The obstacle was getting Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

Helping Our Customers Exhale

AST is a high quality metal finishing company that specializes in electroless nickel plating, gold plating, silver plating, plating on magnesium, tin plating, electrolytic nickel plating, passivation and chemical conversion coatings. A large percentage of AST’s customers are OEMs and high end machine shops that have stringent quality requirements. One of our clients was a medical device manufacturer that made pulmonary compression vests for people suffering from Chronic lung disease. They were having a difficult time with an uncoated cast magnesium part that experience consistent wear. It would also cause wear on the pieces around it. Their solution was lightweight and durable, but the uncoated surfaced lacked the proper lubricity. When they came to us, they believed they would have to switch the part to aluminum, but with our experience with magnesium plating, we were able to utilize Electroless Nickel Boron Nitride coating in order to provide the durability and Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago

A Refreshing Outcome for a Food Machinery Manufacturer

AST is a high quality metal finishing company that specializes in electroless nickel plating, gold plating, silver plating, plating on magnesium, tin plating, electrolytic nickel plating, passivation and chemical conversion coatings. A large percentage of AST’s customers are OEMs and high end machine shops that have stringent quality requirements. One of our clients, a food machinery manufacturer came to us experiencing a 30% product fallout during the plating cycle on their fabricated parts due to the complexity of plating multiple metals at one time. The fix called for us to vastly change our prep process, not only our undercoats but also how we treat the copper. We implemented a much more robust cleaning practice and applied other metal undercoats before applying the actual plating. By doing so, we could not only protect the fabricated copper parts from corrosion, but also meet rigorous FDA standards for any machine parts that come Read more…

By Advanced Surface Technologies, ago