The Benefits of Investigating Surface Treatments Earlier In the Design Process

Too often the coating of parts is an afterthought for design engineers. Rather than being a part of the discussion in the early stages of design, designers try to solve problems with coatings at the point of manufacturing – or even after manufacturing. While each type of surface treatment (anodizing, electroplating, thermal spray etc.) provides its own unique set of properties and benefits, each of these processes also has limitations that should be addressed early on in the design process to ensure optimal performance.