Beyond Reliable Barrel Plating Services

About Our Barrel Plating Capabilities

Barrel plating is an electroplating method used to coat large volumes of small, durable parts simultaneously. Considered one of the most economical ways to plate parts, barrel plating is an essential technique within industrial processing.

Our team is ready to provide you with high-quality services that align with your project needs. Typical parts that benefit from the barrel plating process include:

• Stamped connection pins and terminals
• Bulk contacts
• Small electrical tabs
• Machine screws, nuts, and washers
• Spring contacts (when geometry is simple and durable)

Advantages of Barrel Plating with General Metal Finishing

Just some of the key benefits of barrel plating through our professional services include the following:

• Highly cost-efficient – We offer the lowest cost per piece for high-volume production
• Complex offerings – Our processes are excellent for small, simple geometries, such as pins, bushings, washers, and stamped contacts
• Consistent average thickness – This includes measurements across large lots, which offers good process repeatability for commodity hardware
• Reduced fixturing requirements – These decreased requirements mean that no custom racks are required

Potential Limitations in the Barrel Plating Process

When it comes to finding the right plating services to meet your needs, it’s important to acknowledge the potential limitations of barrel plating, which can include:

• Part-to-part contact – This type of contact can cause nicks, edge thinning, or contact marks
• Higher risk for tangling – Small or irregularly shaped components are more prone to interlocking
• Not ideal for fragile components – Fine leads, thin tabs, or precision-machined features are more likely to bend when barrel plating
• Solution entrapment risk – During the barrel plating process, blind holes or tight geometries may retain chemistry

If any of these limitations would pose problems for your existing project, please reach out to our team to learn about alternative process options, such as rack plating or vibratory plating, that may be better suited for your needs.

Benefits of Working with General Metal Finishing

With our team of certified platers and engineers, we’re able to provide you with the exact specifications you’re looking for in your project. Some of the benefits of partnering with us include:

• Quality equipment and techniques – We use advanced equipment and techniques, including eight X-ray fluorescence units, a salt spray chamber, solderability testing, ICP analysis, and a microhardness tester.
• Certified processes – Our processes are backed by various certifications and standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 13485, NADCAP, and more.
• Industry expertise – We provide specialized services tailored to the unique requirements of many industries, including aerospace and defense, electronics, general industrial, and the medical field.