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# Advanced Surface Technologies: Your Metal Finishing Solution

## Sitemaps
[XML Sitemap](https://www.astfinishing.com/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Posts
- [Nadcap™ Processes & Specifications](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/advanced-surface-technologies-receives-nadcap-accreditations/): July 15, 2026
- [Sulfamate Nickel Plating: What It Is and When You Need It](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/sulfamate-nickel-plating/): Need to plate larger or more complex parts? AST's 400-gallon sulfamate nickel plating tank accommodates components up to 36 inches in length, providing the capacity and process control needed for demanding production and prototype projects. Whether you need thick deposits, low internal stress, or compliance with aerospace and military specifications, our team can help determine the right plating solution for your application.
- [Passivation vs Conversion Coatings: Which Offers Better Corrosion Resistance?](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/maximizing-corrosion-resistance-passivation-and-conversion-coatings-explained/): If you work with metal parts in any capacity — writing specs, quoting jobs, sourcing finished components — understanding passivation vs conversion coatings is actually worth your time. Not because the chemistry is fascinating, although some people really like it, but because these two processes get confused and the consequences tend to show up at the worst possible moment.
- [How Superior Plating Restores Worn & Damaged Parts?](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/how-superior-plating-restores-parts/): If you're an OEM, you know the drill. You design a perfect component, it looks great on the CAD screen, but three months into field testing, it's galling, seizing, or just wearing down into expensive dust.
- [Metal Finishing in Aerospace](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/metal-finishing-in-aerospace/): In aerospace manufacturing, metal finishing is rarely the first thing discussed. It usually comes up later, often after a problem is identified. Corrosion. Binding during assembly. Parts that pass inspection but don’t perform as expected.
- [The Science of Corrosion Resistance: How Electroless Nickel Protects Metal Components](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/the-science-of-corrosion-resistance-how-electroless-nickel-protects-metal-components/): Corrosion has this annoying habit of showing up when you’re not really paying attention. You think a part looks fine, and then a few months later you notice a bit of roughness or a tiny pit that definitely wasn’t there before. You’ve seen that happen on components that were supposed to “last forever,” and it’s frustrating. That’s one of the reasons high-phosphorous electroless nickel (EN) has become a “go-to” solution for designers working with close-tolerance metal parts for tough environments.
- [Expert Magnesium Plating: Lightweight & Corrosion Resistant](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/the-power-and-precision-of-magnesium-plating/): Since 2001, AST has specialized in magnesium plating. Our first attempts were rocky, but over 20 years later, we’ve refined the process into a dependable, repeatable operation with a dedicated line built just for magnesium.
- [AST has Capacity for High Volume Electroless Nickel Plating on Magnesium Alloys](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/ast-has-capacity-for-high-volume-electroless-nickel-plating-on-magnesium-alloys/): When it comes to production plating, tank capacity is more than a convenience, it’s a competitive advantage. With tanks ranging from 50 to 1,000 gallons, AST can handle large parts, prototype plating, or bulk processing with outstanding efficiency.
- [Why Electroless Nickel Plating is Essential in Defense Manufacturing](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/why-electroless-nickel-plating-is-essential-in-defense-manufacturing/): 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.
- [Understanding the Cost of Metal Coatings: A Practical Guide](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/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.
- [Electroless Nickel Plating: Versatile Applications](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/electroless-nickel-plating-a-versatile-plating-application/): 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. 
- [Metal Plating & Coating Solutions for Every Industry](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/metal-plating-and-coating-solutions-for-every-industry/): 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.
- [Gold Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/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.
- [Plating on Titanium](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/plating-on-titanium/): Plating on titanium parts adds value & functionality for many parts, especially aerospace parts and components.
- [Electroless Nickel Plating On Magnesium](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/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.
- [Chromate Conversion Coating for Aluminum](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/chromate-conversion-coating-for-aluminum/): Chromate conversion coatings are the most widely used coating for corrosion protection of Aluminum
- [Bright Tin Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/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.
- [What is Gold Plating?](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/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.
- [Electroless Nickel Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/electroless-nickel-plating/): Advanced Surface Technologies has been a leader in Electroless Nickel Plating since 1980. We operate 8 dedicated Electroless Nickel process lines, each tailored to specific substrates, allowing us to deliver high-quality, custom finishing solutions for even the most demanding applications.
- [Ensuring a Chilling Block Keeps Its Cool](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/ensuring-a-chilling-block-keeps-its-cool/): 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 hoist and lower the blocks. Seasoned platers go through two weeks of specialized training to learn how to prep and run the line. Our capacity to address our customer’s needs has allowed them to expand their operation and relocate to a larger facility. The number of chilling blocks we’re now plating has tripled since we first started. Our client may have come to us for our experience in electroless nickel plating but what has kept them here for more than 30 years is our ability to solve their problem and to deliver quality plating every time.
- [Hinging Success on a New Plating Process](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/hinging-success-on-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.
- [Helping Our Customers Exhale](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/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.
- [A Refreshing Outcome for a Food Machinery Manufacturer](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/refreshing-outcome-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.
- [What is Electroless Nickel with Boron Nitride Plating?](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/boron-nitride-electroless-nickel-plating/): Boron Nitride Electroless Nickel (BNEN) plating is one of the most technologically advanced composite plating processes in the industry. Compared to the multitude of choices for metal finishing services  available, what are the advantages of Boron Nitride Electroless Nickel Plating? What applications and industries benefit from this new technology?
- [What is Electroless Nickel Plating?](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/what-is-electroless-nickel-plating/): Several types of electroless plating exist, with electroless nickel plating being the most common by far. Electroless plating is different than electroplating because it is not necessary to pas an electric current through the solution to form a deposit. Electroless nickel plating is a process or technique where a layer of nickel-phosphorous (usually around 12-10%) or nickel-boron alloy is deposited onto a solid workpiece by a controlled chemical reduction. The workpiece is usually made of metal or plastic. The technique used is an auto-catalytic chemical technique which basically means that in the chemical reaction at least of the reactants is a product.
- [Passivation Services by AST](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/passivation-services-by-ast-finishing/): Stainless Steel Passivation
- [Electroless Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/blogelectroless-plating/): There are many types of plating including electroless plating. Electroless plating is also known as chemical or auto-catalytic plating. Electroless plating is a technique of plating metal by chemical rather than electrical means. Electroless plating is beneficial because it allows the coating of metals and plastics by a process of controlled autocatalytic, or self-continuing, reduction. It is a non-galvanic plating method involving simultaneous reactions which occur without the use of external electrical power. When hydrogen is released by a separate electroless solution-derived compound called the reducing agent (usually sodium hypophosphite or formaldehyde) it causes a chemical reaction to occur. It oxidizes, producing a negative charge on the surface of the part.
- [Advanced Surface Technologies](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/ast-finishing/): Advanced Surface Technologies, Inc., or AST, along with its precursor firms Swiss Lenox and Front Range Plating, have done their best in order to offer clients excellent metal finishing services since 1967. AST is a famous, first-class metal finishing business that does a marvelous job when it comes to gold plating, plating on magnesium, electrolytic nickel plating, electroless nickel plating, passivation, silver plating, tin plating, as well as chemical conversion coatings. Clients have always been satisfied with the services provided by the company, and now AST enjoys a lot of success. What’s more, they can meet all sorts of requirements related to metal finishing, and this makes them one of the most popular firms in this industry. Besides, you should know that a wide array of customers that choose the services offered by AST are in fact OEM’s and sophisticated machine stores that feature severe quality conditions.
- [Gold Plating Services from AST](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/gold-plating-services-from-ast-finishing/): Gold plating refers to applying a thin layer of gold on the surface of an object made of another metal. The metals that are most frequently gold plated are copper and silver. This process can be done by either chemical or electrochemical plating. Even though gold is a very expensive metal, gold-plating may prove to be much cheaper than you would have expected. This is due to the fact that the layer of gold is usually very thin, so there is not that much material used.
- [Advanced Surface Technologies – Why choose us?](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/ast-finishng-why-choose-us/): Advanced Surface Technologies Inc, known as AST are specialists, providing metal finishing services, particularly of Electroless Nickel Plating and Gold Plating. Serving Colorado and across the nation, for the past forty- six years, it was formerly Front Range Plating and Swiss Lenox since it the business was started, in 1967.
- [BNEN Plating Services by AST: Hard, Lubricious Coating](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/boron-nitride-electroless-nickel-from-ast-finishing/): Boron Nitride Electroless Nickel
- [Electroless Nickel Plating from AST](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/electroless-nickel-plating-from-ast-finishing/): What is Electroless Nickel Plating?

## Pages
- [Thank You](https://www.astfinishing.com/thank-you/): Thank You for Your Request! We’ve received your inquiry and our team will be in touch shortly.
- [Terms and Conditions](https://www.astfinishing.com/terms-and-conditions/): These terms and conditions shall apply to any order or agreement for the processing of any materials or merchandise.
- [Case Study: AST Springs Into Action to Bring Client’s Part to Market Quickly](https://www.astfinishing.com/metal-plating-case-studies/bnen-coating/): Benefit: The part functions beautifully within the magazine, allowing our client to mass-produce and sell over a hundred thousand clips to date, improving the performance of weapons, while extending their usable lifespan. The coating has been so successful that they are considering switching other products to the BNEN coating.
- [Electroless Nickel with PTFE Case Study](https://www.astfinishing.com/metal-plating-case-studies/electroless-nickel-with-ptfe-case-study/): Download this case study
- [Electroless Nickel Plating Case Study](https://www.astfinishing.com/metal-plating-case-studies/electroless-nickel-plating-case-study/): Download this case study
- [Electroless Nickel Boron Nitride Coating Case Study](https://www.astfinishing.com/metal-plating-case-studies/electroless-nickel-boron-nitride-coating/): By the time our client contacted us, they had been resigned to the belief that they would  have to switch the problematic part to aluminum. We knew there was a better solution. With our vast experience in magnesium coating, we worked to find a material that delivered high lubricity to fix the problem. We started with Electroless Nickel PTFE and after rounds of testing we realized it left a powder residue as it broke down. When our hardworking team decided to test our exclusive Electroless Nickel Boron Nitride coating, we got the results our customer needed to keep the project alive. Our coating provided durability, lubricity and a major sigh of relief.
- [Copper Plating Case Study](https://www.astfinishing.com/metal-plating-case-studies/copper-plating-case-study/): By approaching the problem in a unique manner as we have shown in this copper plating case study, we solved a manufacturing crisis that lowered the 30% fallout rate to an astonishing .5%, resulting in exciting growth for our customer. It’s no wonder they view us as a partner, treating us as part of their internal team.
- [How We Work](https://www.astfinishing.com/how-we-work-metal-plating-process/): Advanced Surface Technologies can help you get the right plating solution for your product if you come to us early. We can customize our metal plating process to your needs. Not long ago we got a new client who came to us late in the process and wanted our assistance getting a certain plating to adhere better. Once we understood their goals, we ended up coming up with a whole new plating for them that was a better fit for their product and actually cost them less.  Click to read more about it >>
- [Who We Work With](https://www.astfinishing.com/who-we-work-with/): SURVEYED AND APPROVED PROCESSOR FOR: L3-HARRIS LOCKHEED MARTIN UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE CUSTOMER APPROVAL LIST 3D SYSTEMS A & L MACHINING AMPHENOL FIBER SYSTEMS INTRNL. ARC WORLDWIDE GROUP APPLIED ENGINEERING BARBER NICHOLS ENGINEERING CUTTER INNOVATIONS DYNAMIC DESIGN & MFG. ELECTROMECHANICAL PRODUCTS EPILOG LASER GOLDEN ALUMINUM MICROCHIP LAKE REGION MEDICAL LOCKHEED MARTIN METRO MACHINE INC. MOLDED MAGNESIUM NUCLEAR FILTER TECH. PACIFIC AEROSPACE&ELECTRONICS PHILLIPS MEDISIZE REYCO RMB PRODUCTS RAGSDALE INDUSTRIES SIERRA NEVADA CORP. S & S TOOL & MCH. CO SUNSTRAND SUPERIOR METAL PRODUCTS TRELLEBORG SEALING SOLUTIONS UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE UTITEC INC. VANGUARD WOODWARD GOVERNOR Memberships Colorado Association of Metal Finishers Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association National Association of Manufacturers Arvada Chamber of Commerce Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry National Federation of Independent Business
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.astfinishing.com/advanced-surface-technologies-privacy-policy/): Advanced Surface Technologies, Inc. respects your privacy and the purpose for which our site visitors provide us information. We do not share, sell, or rent any of the information collected to any third parties and do not intend to do so in the future.
- [Electroless Nickel Plating and Metal Finishing](https://www.astfinishing.com/): 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. Contact us today to discuss your project.
- [Process & Specification List](https://www.astfinishing.com/metal-plating-specification/): Here is our Metal Plating Process and Metal Plating Specification list.
- [Request a Quote](https://www.astfinishing.com/request-a-quote/): Accepted file types: png, jpg, gif, pdf, Max. file size: 30 MB.
- [Contact Us](https://www.astfinishing.com/contact-us/): For more information about Advanced Surface Technologies and the services we provide please contact:
- [About Advanced Surface Technologies, Inc.](https://www.astfinishing.com/about-us/): Advanced Surface Technologies, Inc. (AST) and its predecessor companies Front Range Plating and Swiss Lenox, have been providing metal finishing services to the Front Range of Colorado and to customers throughout the country since 1967. 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.
- [AST Blog](https://www.astfinishing.com/ast-blog/)
- [Metal Plating Case Studies](https://www.astfinishing.com/metal-plating-case-studies/): Please click on the images to read on
- [Quality Assurance](https://www.astfinishing.com/quality-assurance/): Advanced Surface Technologies, Inc. can meet most requirements for Electroless Nickel (including plating on magnesium), E-Nickel with PTFE, Gold Plating, Silver Plating, Tin Plating, Electrolytic Nickel Plating, Chromate Conversion Coatings on Magnesium or Aluminum, Passivation and REM® Tumble Burnishing. Our 58,000 square foot facility is designed to accommodate finishing requirements from small, metalized ceramic chips used in the computer industry, to large mining and oil exploration industry parts weighing several thousand pounds. In every instance AST is ready to perform with the highest level of quality and with responsive turnaround times. We provide surface finishing services to a broad range of industries including aerospace, electronics, computer, automotive, medical and recreational products.

## Plating Services
- [Electroless Nickel Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/electroless-nickel-plating/): MIL-C-26074 AMS 2404 ASTM B-733 standards RoHS Compliant Mid Phosphorus High Phosphorus AMS (MIL)-C-26074 ASTM B 733 More Info
- [Electroless Nickel Plating with PTFE](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/electroless-nickel-with-ptfe/): RoHS Compliant Lubricity Anti Galling More Info
- [Boron Nitride Electroless Nickel](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/boron-nitride-electroless-nickel/): Lubricity Hardness More Info
- [Gold Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/gold-plating/): RoHS Compliant Soft Pure Gold Hard Gold MIL-G-45204 ASTM B 488 AMS 2422 More Info
- [Electrolytic Nickel Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/electrolytic-nickel-plating/): RoHS Compliant Sulfamate Nickel Bright Nickel QQ-N-290 AMS 2403 ASTM B 689 More Info
- [Silver Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/silver-plating/): RoHS Compliant Bright Silver Matte Silver QQ-S-365 ASTM B 700 More Info
- [Tin Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/tin-plating/): RoHS Compliant Bright Acid Tin MIL-T-10727 ASTM B 545 More Info
- [Magnesium Plating](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/magnesium-plating/): Chromate AMS 2475 RoHS Compliant Electroless Nickel More Info
- [Passivation](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/passivation/): Nitric Citric AMS-QQ-P-35 AMS 2700 ASTM A 967 More Info
- [Chromate Conversion Coating](https://www.astfinishing.com/plating-service/chromate-conversion-coating/): Trivalent (RoHS) Hexavalent MIL-DTL-5541 (MIL-C-5541) ASTM B 449 AMS 2473 AMS2474 More Info

## Featured Services
- [Featured Service - Yes](https://www.astfinishing.com/blog/featured-service/featured-service-yes/)