Heat treatment and surface finishing
Passivation, electropolishing or plating: which surface treatment should I specify?
Answer
Passivation vs Electropolishing vs Plating: Choosing Surface Treatment How to choose between passivation, electropolishing, zinc or nickel plating, phosphating and powder coating for stamped and drawn parts. Surface treatment is where a good stamped part is most often turned into a rejected one. It is also the step most frequently outsourced without the buyer knowing — which is exactly why it should be specified, controlled and declared. Passivation, electropolishing or plating — which should you specify?
Sources
- Passivation vs Electropolishing vs Plating: How To ChoosePassivation vs Electropolishing vs Plating: Choosing Surface Treatment How to choose between passivation, electropolishing, zinc or nickel plating, phosphating and powder coating for stamped and drawn parts. Surface treatment is where a good stamped part is most often turned into a rejected one. It ...
- Passivation vs Electropolishing vs Plating: How To ChooseHome › Blog › Surface Treatment Surface Treatment · Corrosion · Specification Passivation vs Electropolishing vs Plating: Choosing Surface Treatment Published September 16, 2026 · Balford Technical Team Surface treatment is where a good stamped part is most often turned into a rejec...
- Zhuji Huaxin Electroplating | Zinc Plating Partner | BalfordIs zinc plating outsourced? + Yes, and it is declared as such — together with heat treatment, passivation, electropolishing, phosphating, electrophoretic coating, liquid painting and slow-wire EDM. RELATED SUPPLIERS Related Suppliers Other partners in the same category. ZINC NICKEL PLATING Sha...
- Deep Drawn Metal Stamping Manufacturer | BalfordWhich secondary operations can follow deep drawing? + Drawn parts are commonly finished with CNC turning or milling, wire EDM, deburring and controlled cleaning. Heat treatment such as quenching, tempering, annealing and demagnetising, and surface finishing such as electropolishing, passivation and ...
- Metal Drawing Manufacturer: Processes And How To SpecifyA: Dimensions created by the draw itself depend on material, thickness, draw ratio and springback, so they are held to a general tolerance block. Dimensions created afterwards by machining can be much tighter, and 0.01 mm is achievable on selected critical machined features where the process, geomet...
- Metal Drawing Manufacturer: Processes And How To SpecifyWhat tolerances can be held on a drawn metal part? Dimensions created by the draw itself depend on material, thickness, draw ratio and springback, so they are held to a general tolerance block. Dimensions created afterwards by machining can be much tighter, and 0.01 mm is achievable on selected crit...
What an engineer still needs from you
- material and material condition (grade, temper)
- material thickness, plus the key diameter, height and wall thickness
- tolerances, burr direction and the visual acceptance standard
- annual volume - it decides whether tooling is single-hit, progressive or transfer
- surface finish, and any secondary machining, annealing or plating
Need a DFM feasibility assessment for your project?
Send the engineering drawing (STEP or PDF) with the material grade, thickness and annual volume. Balford engineers then check it against the process window - draw ratio, wall thickness, tolerances, blank and tooling route - and come back with what is feasible and what is not. An answer on this page cannot replace that review.
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This page is an engineering answer, not a quotation and not a dimensional acceptance. It is generated from Balford's published material and held to the verified company fact sheet.