Coatings
In addition to electroplating, Gleco offers several types of coatings. These include:
- Chemical Conversion
- Yellow Chromate Coating
- Clear Chem Film Coating
- Bright Dip Coating
Chemical Conversion Coating (Aluminum)
For companies needing cost-effective corrosion protection for parts that will eventually be powder-coated or painted, Gleco offers RoHS-compliant MIL-DTL-5541 chemical conversion coating. Also known as Chem Film treatments, this process uses chemical reactions to provide a superficial layer to aluminum and aluminum alloys to prevent aluminum oxidization.
Unlike other coatings, chemical conversion can be applied pre-process, post-process, or as a finishing process itself, depending on the application and environment.
Yellow Chromate Coating (applied to Zinc)
For parts and products that require an aesthetic coating with exceptional wear resistance in high-salt environments, Gleco offers yellow chromate coating. This yellow/bronze iridescent coating introduces a yellow finish to applied electroplated metals. While available in two formulations, trivalent yellow and hexavalent yellow, we only offer trivalent yellow chromate coating. This coating provides ultraviolet (UV) resistance and up to 150 hours of salt spray corrosion resistance.
Clear Chem Film Coating
For companies with parts that require additional corrosion protection for their aluminum and metal parts and products, Gleco Plating offers MIL-DTL-5541 Clear Chem Film coating. While there are two different clear chem film coating processes (Type 1, which uses a Hexavalent chemical, and Type 2, which uses a Trivalent chemical), we specialize in MIL-DTL-5541 Type 2 because it’s less toxic. This hex-free coating is applied to metals by dipping, brushing, or spraying them with the chemical. Because the trivalent layer is very thin, it doesn’t change the part’s dimensions.
Bright Dip Coating
For brass, bronze, or copper parts requiring a high-luster finish, Gleco offers MIL-A-8625 Type II bright dip chemical brightening coatings. This process removes surface scale and oxidation and produces an extremely high-luster aesthetic using an acid-based chromate conversion coating. The degree of finish brightness depends on the base metal, with harder tempers appearing brighter. In addition to the glossy appearance, bright dipping extends the lifespan of the material it coats. The bright dip process is generally followed by chem-film or anodization.
If you need to protect a metal part or product from corrosion and rust, contact Gleco Plating today to discuss our various coating options.