Your Trusted Black Oxide Plating Shop in Kenosha, WI
Situated along the western shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosha boasts a diverse industrial base that spans automotive manufacturing, metal fabrication, electronics assembly, and aerospace components production. Its strategic location between Milwaukee and Chicago makes it an important hub for suppliers and manufacturers serving a wide range of markets. At L & L Metal Finishing, we are proud to play a key role in supporting Kenosha’s manufacturers with reliable metal finishing solutions that meet exacting standards, protect parts from harsh environmental factors, and extend product lifespan.
Whether you require black oxide coating for automotive fasteners, electroless nickel plating for aerospace components, or high-volume barrel plating for electronics, we offer a full complement of metal finishing services that can be customized to your project scope and timeline. Our commitment to quality, local service, and industry certifications ensures your parts perform consistently, reducing downtime and increasing customer satisfaction.
Black Oxide Plating Services Designed for Kenosha Manufacturers
Black oxide plating is one of our core specialties at L & L Metal Finishing. This process involves a chemical conversion coating that creates a uniform black finish on ferrous metals such as steel and iron. Unlike traditional plating methods that deposit additional layers of metal, black oxide plating chemically converts the steel surface into magnetite (Fe3O4), which provides both functional and aesthetic benefits.
- Dimensional Stability: One of the greatest advantages of our hot black oxide process is that it causes no dimensional change to the part. This is crucial for components requiring tight tolerances, which is often the case in Kenosha’s automotive and aerospace industries.
- Durable Finish That Lasts: Black oxide coating is a conversion finish, so it won’t peel, chip, or flake like paint or powder coatings. This ensures long-lasting protection and appearance even through assembly, handling, and use.
- Corrosion Resistance: Though the black oxide layer itself is very thin and porous, when combined with post-treatment oils or rust inhibitors, it significantly enhances corrosion protection — vital for parts exposed to Kenosha’s humid summers, lake-effect weather, and winter road salts.
- Preservation of Surface Characteristics: Our black oxide process maintains the original hardness, polish, and texture of the metal surface. Whether your parts are polished or hardened, the coating retains those properties.
- High Heat Tolerance: The finish withstands continuous temperatures up to 900°F (482°C), making it suitable for automotive exhaust systems, industrial tooling, and aerospace components.
Flexible Production for Varied Needs
L & L Metal Finishing is equipped to handle projects of any size — from single prototype parts to high-volume production runs. We strictly adhere to the MIL-C-13924 military specification, ensuring each batch meets stringent quality and performance criteria. This flexibility is a significant advantage for Kenosha manufacturers, allowing you to scale your production without changing suppliers or compromising on quality.
In Kenosha’s automotive sector, for example, our black oxide plating is widely used for fasteners, brackets, and engine parts that must maintain precise dimensions while resisting corrosion and wear. Our services are equally essential for aerospace manufacturers producing critical components that require both durability and strict tolerance adherence.
Citric Acid Passivating of Stainless Steel
Passivation is critical for enhancing the natural corrosion resistance of stainless steel parts by removing contaminants and free iron from the surface. At L & L Metal Finishing, we specialize in citric acid passivation, an environmentally friendly and safer alternative to traditional nitric acid methods.
- Compliance With Industry Standards: Our passivation meets ASTM A-967 and AMS 2700B, ensuring aerospace, medical, and food processing quality.
- Superior Chromium Oxide Formation: Citric acid passivation enhances the chromium oxide layer on stainless steel surfaces, significantly improving corrosion resistance.
- Safer, Greener Process: Citric acid is less hazardous to employees and the environment, aligning with Kenosha’s focus on sustainability and workplace safety.
- Ideal for High-Tech Applications: This process is preferred for stainless steel components in semiconductor manufacturing, medical devices, and food equipment, where contamination control is critical.
Kenosha manufacturers increasingly demand safer, higher quality passivation services that deliver performance without compromising environmental or employee safety.
Barrel Plating Services for High-Volume Needs
Our barrel plating lines provide an efficient and economical method to plate large volumes of small parts such as electronic connectors, fasteners, and other components that require uniform plating at scale.
- Superior Finish Quality: Barrel plating offers excellent burnishing and descaling, resulting in smooth, consistent finishes on small parts.
- High Production Capacity: This method supports rapid processing of large quantities, making it ideal for Kenosha’s fast-moving automotive and electronics supply chains.
- Cost-Effective: By plating parts in batches within barrels, we reduce labor and equipment costs compared to traditional rack plating methods.
- Versatile Applications: We plate a wide range of metals and coatings tailored to specific industrial needs.
Kenosha’s electronics manufacturers and automotive suppliers benefit from our barrel plating capabilities, receiving fast turnaround and consistent quality.
Comprehensive Metal Finishing Services for Kenosha’s Diverse Industries
While black oxide plating is a core offering, L & L Metal Finishing also provides several other advanced metal finishing solutions to meet Kenosha’s varied industrial needs.
Electroless nickel plating deposits a uniform layer of nickel-phosphorus alloy onto metal surfaces via an autocatalytic chemical reaction — no electrical current needed. This process provides excellent hardness, corrosion resistance, and uniform coverage on complex parts.
- Superior Hardness and Durability: Our EN plating starts at 45-50 Rc hardness, which can be heat-treated up to 60-65 Rc. This ensures your parts resist wear and abrasion even in demanding environments.
- Uniform Thickness on Complex Shapes: The chemical nature of electroless nickel plating allows consistent thickness over all surfaces, including blind holes, threads, and recesses, which electroplating cannot achieve as effectively.
- Outstanding Corrosion Resistance: Our process complies with MIL-C26074 and AMS 2404 standards, providing reliable protection against corrosion in aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications.
- Cost-Effective Material Replacement: Electroless nickel plating often replaces expensive hard chrome plating or high alloy materials, helping Kenosha manufacturers reduce costs without sacrificing performance.
Our Kenosha clients in automotive and aerospace manufacturing rely on our electroless nickel plating to improve the lifespan and reliability of critical components, minimizing downtime and maintenance.
Why Kenosha Businesses Rely on L & L Metal Finishing
Kenosha’s industrial and manufacturing community faces distinct challenges: corrosive lake-effect weather, high-quality and precision demands, and growing environmental regulations. L & L Metal Finishing is uniquely positioned to support these needs with industry-leading processes and local service.
- Weather-Resistant Coatings: Our black oxide plating combined with post-treatment oils protects parts from Kenosha’s moisture, humidity, and road salts, extending service life.
- Precision and Quality Assurance: Kenosha’s automotive and aerospace industries demand coatings that meet strict dimensional tolerances and industry standards. Our processes meet MIL, AMS, and ASTM certifications for guaranteed quality.
- Local Convenience and Responsiveness: Based near Kenosha, we provide quick response times, flexible scheduling, and on-site consultations, supporting your production schedules.
- Environmental Responsibility: We prioritize safer, greener finishing processes like citric acid passivation, aligning with Kenosha’s sustainability goals and protecting workers.
- Custom Solutions for Every Customer: We tailor our metal finishing processes to fit your specific production volumes, industry requirements, and part geometries.
Our reputation in Kenosha is built on delivering consistent, high-quality metal finishes combined with excellent customer service.
At L & L Metal Finishing, we are proud to serve Kenosha and its surrounding areas.
Please refer to the map below for our service area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is black oxide plating suitable for metals other than steel?
How does black oxide plating provide corrosion resistance if the coating is so thin?
Does black oxide plating affect the mechanical properties of my parts?
Are your finishing services compliant with military and aerospace industry standards?
What is your capacity for handling large volume orders?
Need a Black Oxide Plating Shop in Kenosha, WI?
If you need a reliable, certified, and experienced black oxide plating shop in Kenosha, WI, look no further than L & L Metal Finishing. We combine deep industry knowledge, state-of-the-art processes, and a customer-first approach to deliver metal finishing solutions that help your parts stand up to Kenosha’s demanding conditions and strict quality standards.
Contact us today to discuss your specific metal finishing needs. Whether you require black oxide coating for automotive parts, electroless nickel plating for aerospace components, citric acid passivation for stainless steel, or barrel plating for electronics, we have the expertise and capacity to deliver superior results on time and within budget. Let L & L Metal Finishing protect and enhance your metal parts with durable finishes you can trust.