Protolabs Introduces Accelerated Anodizing and Chromate Plating

Protolabs has again expanded its CNC machining capabilities to allow for accelerated anodizing and chromate plating on aluminum components. From time of quote to manufacturing to shipping, customers can now get custom machined parts with plating in as fast as 4 days, the company reports.

“While traditional finishing processes like anodizing have been around for a while, never have manufacturers been able to consistently produce parts as fast at scale as we have at Protolabs,” says Greg Thompson, global product director of CNC machining at Protolabs. “An engineer can have fully anodized or plated parts on their desk within a few days of placing an order.”

Anodizing and plating help prevent corrosion, strengthen parts and improve cosmetic appearance. All plating options for machining are now live and available to customers when they upload a 3D CAD model.

Eligible materials include aluminum 6061/6082 and 7075. For anodizing, three specific types are offered: Type II (Class 1, Class 2) and hard-coat Type III (Class 1); for chromate plating, Type II is available.

The addition of quick-turn plating builds on the digital manufacturer’s current options for CNC machining, which include advanced anodizing and chromate plating capabilities with flexible lead times. Customers with AS9100 and ITAR needs can access Protolabs’ precision machining capabilities and those with more complex, high-requirement parts can tap into the company’s digital network of manufacturers at Hubs.

“We’ve promised our customers more capabilities across all our service lines this year, and our machining service is leading the way. Through our unique manufacturing model that pairs a network of global manufacturers with our digital factories, we can comprehensively serve the prototyping and production needs of our customers,” explains president and CEO of Protolabs, Rob Bodor.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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