THE CHALLENGE

A manufacturer of parts for the aerospace industry, Precision Southwest Manufacturing (PSM) needed to find a plater that could hard coat its large-diameter molds effectively.

The issue was process. Other platers relied on tank anodes during hard coating, which requires dipping parts in chrome several times over in order to ensure proper coverage.

“There would be multiple layers of chrome and lines in the plating,” said Lisa Andrade, Office, and Finance Manager at PSM. The process was also inefficient—resulting in the part spending more time at the plater and less in production.

Then PSM found Bales. Bales approaches hard coating differently and also offers an array of services other than coating, all under one roof. 

THE SOLUTION

When Andrade first called, she emphasized they wanted to get the molds plated in one shot. They didn’t want to see two different layers of chrome.

Bales assured Andrade that they would do the job right. We use conforming anodes, which enable us to cover all areas at once, without needing to mask and reapply anywhere that didn’t get covered the first time.

Since then, Bales has coated 21 molds for PSM—ranging in diameter from 5 to 35 inches. “Due to how well the large diameter molds turned out, we sent them the smaller molds as well,” Andrade said.

Some parts were new, others needed to be stripped of their old coating. In certain cases, parts needed to be finished or even repaired. Fortunately, stripping, finishing and welding to repair molds are all services we offer on site, saving the customer time and money.

“They always let us know if there were issues once they received our parts,” said Andrade. “They’re great about communication. Rather than send it back, Bales troubleshoots with you.”

THE RESULT

Today, all of the molds are running well for PSM, and Andrade knows who she’ll call the next time they need maintenance.

“I will absolutely use Bales again,” she said. “They delivered as promised, had quick turnaround, and everyone I’ve worked with there has been very nice.