Every micron,
documented.
Zinc, electroless nickel, hard chrome, cadmium, copper, tin-lead. QPL-approved. Nadcap-accredited. ITAR-registered. Coating thickness verified to ±0.0001″ on every rack.
Min Thickness
0.0001″
Max Part Size
96″ × 48″
Specs Qualified
40+ MIL/AMS
Turnaround
3–5 Days
Qualified Specs
MIL / AMS / ASTM
Salt Spray Hours
Max E. Nickel
Zero H.E. Failures
Production Record
On-Time Delivery
2025 YTD
Std Turnaround
Most Processes
01 // Coating Systems
Six Processes.
Zero Guesswork.
Cross-section micrographs show actual deposit thickness. Every process runs to a documented specification — no interpretation required.
Zinc Plating
ASTM B633 / MIL-STD-171
Cross-Section View
Thickness
0.0002″ – 0.001″
Hardness
70–100 HV
Salt Spray
96–200 hrs
Fasteners, brackets, hardware. Economical corrosion barrier for steel in mild environments.
Electroless Nickel
AMS 2404 / MIL-C-26074
Cross-Section View
Thickness
0.0005″ – 0.002″
Hardness
500–600 HV (as-dep)
Salt Spray
500–1,000 hrs
Uniform coverage on complex geometries. Corrosion + wear resistance. Aerospace, oil & gas, electronics.
Hard Chrome
AMS 2406 / MIL-STD-1501
Cross-Section View
Thickness
0.001″ – 0.030″
Hardness
850–1,000 HV
Salt Spray
200–500 hrs
Turbine shafts, hydraulic rods, landing gear. Maximum wear resistance and dimensional restoration.
Cadmium Plating
AMS 2400 / QQ-P-416
Cross-Section View
Thickness
0.0002″ – 0.0005″
Hardness
20–30 HV
Salt Spray
500–1,000 hrs
Aerospace fasteners, avionics enclosures. Sacrificial protection, galvanic compatibility with aluminum.
Copper Plating
ASTM B734 / MIL-C-14550
Cross-Section View
Thickness
0.001″ – 0.010″
Hardness
80–120 HV
Salt Spray
48–96 hrs
EV bus bars, PCB through-holes, EMI shielding. High-conductivity underlayer and final deposit.
Tin-Lead / Tin
ASTM B545 / MIL-T-10727
Cross-Section View
Thickness
0.0003″ – 0.001″
Hardness
5–15 HV
Salt Spray
48–96 hrs
Connector pins, switch contacts, RF components. Solderability preservation and whisker mitigation.
Alkaline Clean
AMS 1536 / ASTM F945
Tank
Ultrasonic Soak Tank
Chemistry
Sodium hydroxide + surfactant, 140°F
Temperature
140°F (60°C)
Cycle Time
5–15 min
Remove oils, machining fluids, and oxides from base metal surface.
Parts enter the first station degreased to bare metal. Ultrasonic agitation at 40kHz breaks the boundary layer. Cleanliness verified by water-break-free test before any chemistry touches the surface.
AMS 1536 / ASTM F945
Acid Activation
AMS 2404 Pre-treatment
Tank
Electrolytic Activation Bath
Chemistry
Hydrochloric acid / sulfuric acid blend, ambient
Temperature
72°F (22°C)
Cycle Time
30–90 sec
Etch surface oxide layer. Expose fresh metal for adhesion.
A controlled acid dip strips the passive oxide film. The part exits with a microscopically clean surface ready to accept the first atomic layer of deposit. Dwell time is spec-controlled to ±5 seconds.
AMS 2404 Pre-treatment
Electroplating
Per AMS / MIL spec for process
Tank
Rectifier-Controlled Plating Cell
Chemistry
Process-specific bath (nickel sulfamate, chrome anhydride, zinc sulfate, etc.)
Temperature
130–160°F
Cycle Time
20–120 min
Deposit coating to specified thickness at controlled current density.
DC rectifiers hold current density to ±0.1 A/ft². Plating time is calculated from Faraday's law against required thickness. Real-time bath analysis every 4 hours. Thickness measured by XRF on coupon and part.
Per AMS / MIL spec for process
Rinse Cascade
ISO 12944 / ASTM D1193
Tank
3-Stage Counter-Flow Rinse
Chemistry
Deionized water, conductivity <10 µS/cm
Temperature
68°F (20°C)
Cycle Time
2–5 min
Remove drag-out chemistry. Prevent cross-contamination between process steps.
Counter-flow DI rinse reduces chemical carry-over to <0.1 ppm. Conductivity monitored inline. Zero process chemistry enters the next tank. Rinse water is treated and recycled — zero discharge to drain.
ISO 12944 / ASTM D1193
H.E. Relief Bake
AMS 2759/9 / ASTM F519 / ASTM B849
Tank
Precision Convection Oven
Chemistry
Dry heat cycle, calibrated to ±5°F
Temperature
375°F (190°C)
Cycle Time
3–23 hrs per spec
Drive atomic hydrogen from high-strength steel. Prevent hydrogen embrittlement failure.
High-strength steel (>180 ksi) requires bake within 4 hours of plating. Time-temperature cycle documented per AMS 2759/9. Notched bar specimens from each load tested to ASTM F519. Zero embrittlement failures in 8 years of production.
AMS 2759/9 / ASTM F519 / ASTM B849
03 // Comparison Matrix
Choose Your
Coating System.
Toggle parameters to compare all six processes across the metrics that matter to your application. Data sourced from production bath analysis and third-party test reports.
Hours to first corrosion in 5% NaCl fog chamber
Cadmium
E. Nickel
Zinc
Hard Cr
Copper
Tin
* Data represents typical production values. Actual performance varies with substrate, post-treatment, and service environment. Contact engineering for application-specific analysis.
04 // Vendor Qualification
Two Paths to
Qualification.
Nadcap
Chemical Processing
ITAR
Registered Facility
AS9100D
Quality Management
QPL
Approved Supplier