Metal Finishing and Plating

Rayco of Schenectady provides industrial metal finishing and plating services for the parts that we make with our multi-axis CNC machining equipment and abrasive water jet cutter. As a full-service metal fabricator, Rayco’s finishing and protective plating service can improve wear resistance, corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity, surface quality, and service life.

For each of our finishing processes, we comply with environmental regulations as part of our commitment to sustainability. We also have a full-onsite testing laboratory that includes an analytical machine for measuring metallic concentrations in liquids and an X-ray fluorescence machine for measuring metallic thickness and composition. For generic tests, we also have wet chemistry equipment for bit titrations.

Metal Surface Finishes

Rayco surface finishes the following metal materials:

Our metal finishes chart describes the surface quality we can achieve, so contact us to learn more.

Metal Surface Finishing Techniques

Rayco offers a choice of metal surface processes:

Metal plating
Metal sandblasting
Glass Bead blasting
Blanchard grinding
Metal Polishing
Powder Coating
Quick turn anodizing

With our full on-site laboratory, we can accomplish any metal finishing project quickly using environmentally compliant methods.

Metal Plating

Rayco’s metal plating services provide added value to our water jet cutting and CNC machining services. Because we’re a GE-qualified plater for critical to quality (CTQ) parts, we have a thickness-based certification for each metal plating process. Our commitment to plating quality means that your plated parts, including large parts made of plated steel, are free of blemishes and pass an infusion test.

Metal Sandblasting

Metal sandblasting, or abrasive sandblasting, propels very small abrasive particles at a high velocity toward a workpiece surface. In addition to surface cleaning, sandblasting is used to prepare metal surfaces for painting or other metal finishing techniques (such as plating). With steel parts, sandblasted metal is free from residues such as mill scale, oil, and rust.

Glass Bead Blasting

Glass bead blasting is gentler than metal sandblasting and uses tiny glass beads to strip or clean metal. Typically, bead-blasting glass is made from a type of lead-free, soda-lime glass that is chemically inert. A bead-blasted finish removes only a small amount of material, which is important for tight-tolerance parts. Compared to steel beads, glass beads create a more uniform bead blast finish.

Blanchard Grinding

Blanchard grinding is an efficient way to surface-finish flat materials. The rotary motion of a magnetic chuck allows the workpiece to move in a full circle so that there aren’t any end pieces. Because this type of surface grinding can remove large amounts of material in a small amount of time, it’s often used for heavy-duty applications. Rayco offers Blanchard surface grinding up to 42”.

Anodizing

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that provides the surface of a metal part with a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant finish. Aluminum isn’t the only metal that can be anodized, and titanium can be anodized to AMS 2487 and 2488 for aerospace parts. Because of the environmental impact, Rayco uses outsourced anodizing services. Therefore, lead times may be affected.

Metal Polishing

Metal polishing is a finishing technique that uses an abrasive material and, typically, a work wheel smooth part surfaces. Polished metal surfaces are shinier and more reflective, which enhances their appearance. Polishing metal also removes visible defects. Metal polish systems can vary by application or by material, such as aluminum or steel.

Powder Coating Services

Powder coating is a dry finishing process that uses an electric charge to fuse a polymeric powder to the surface of the metal. Metal powder coating from Rayco is durable enough to protect industrial machinery and can reduce the risk of diminished coating quality in power generation equipment. Powder-coated metals include aluminum and various type of steel.