Special finishes in Tijuana: anodizing, plating and hardening
A machined part is rarely ready when it comes off the machine. It still needs hardness, corrosion protection or the finish the application demands. We take care of that last stage.
Anodizing and coatings in Tijuana: one supplier to the end
The usual scenario goes like this: the shop delivers the part bare, the customer takes it to the anodizer, the anodizer runs late, the part comes back oversize and nobody owns the problem. That cycle breaks when a single supplier answers for the finished part.
We coordinate the treatment, control the schedule and verify final size after the process. If the coating grows the diameter by three hundredths, we account for it at machining rather than afterwards.
Heat treatment
Hardening and tempering for tool steel, nitriding for a hard case with a tough core, and stress relief for welded or heavily roughed parts that will be finish-machined afterwards.
On precision parts the sequence matters: rough, treat, stabilize, finish grind. Doing it backwards is the most common reason a part leaves the shop good and drifts out of tolerance in the warehouse.
Coatings and surface finish
Clear, color and Type III hard anodizing for aluminum. Nickel and zinc plating for corrosion protection on steel. Chrome for wear surfaces. Black oxide for tooling. Sandblasting for a uniform matte finish and as preparation before paint.
Each one has a purpose and a cost. In the quote we tell you which suits your application and which is unnecessary, because the wrong coating is money that buys nothing.
The right order of operations
The most expensive mistake on a finished part is doing things in the wrong order. Drilling after anodizing leaves the hole unprotected. Grinding after zinc plating strips the coating exactly where it was needed. Hardening after machining to final size moves the part and forces grinding anyway.
When we quote, we define the whole sequence — roughing, heat treatment, surface finish and final operations — in the order that preserves tolerance and protection. If your print demands a critical dimension after coating, we mask it or leave it for last. All of it is spelled out in the proposal, so nothing surprises you when the part arrives.
Shop capabilities
Typical special finishes applications in Tijuana
- Anodized production line fixtures
- Hardened punches and die plates
- Chrome-plated wear shafts
- Zinc-plated outdoor structures
- Black-oxided tooling
- Nitrided high-impact components
Materials we machine
- 6061 and 7075 aluminum for anodizing
- Tool steels for hardening
- Carbon steel for zinc and nickel
- Stainless for passivation
Frequently asked questions about special finishes in Tijuana
Yes, which is exactly why the shop that machined it should coordinate it. Clear anodize grows roughly half the coating thickness per side; Type III hard anodize grows considerably more. We compensate at machining on the features that need it.
Machining, grinding, sandblasting and preparation are ours. Electrochemical and furnace processes are run by specialist suppliers we have worked with for years, under our coordination and with our dimensional verification on return.
Three to seven days depending on the process. It is already inside the committed date on the quote: when we give a date, it is for the finished part, not the bare one.
Have a print ready to quote?
Send us the drawing in PDF, STEP, IGES or DXF. You get a technical proposal and pricing in under 24 business hours — and a free sample part when the project calls for it.