FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about metal finishes, specifications, our certifications, The Lindgren Group, Nico Products, Avtec Finishing Systems, or other concerns? Browse our FAQs for the most common answers and information. If you don’t see your question here, drop us a line and ask. We’re happy to reply!
Avtec Finishing Systems and Nico Products combine to offer nearly 70% of the chemical finishes available in the market. We are a trustworthy one-stop shop for many customers, offering mechanical finishing options, plating, anodizing, and conversion coatings. Whether your application is for enhanced corrosion protection, improved aesthetics, wear, or engineering purposes, The Lindgren Group will have options you can explore.
The Lindgren Group is ISO Certified, Nadcap Accredited, and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) certified. It holds a Federal Firearms License and is both RoHS and Reach Compliant.
While the most common specifications in our industry are Mil-Specs, ASTM, and AMS Specifications, we process work to literally hundreds of specifications, from Aerospace and Defense to OEM-designed specifications. We are happy to assist you with designing or interpreting existing specifications. Contact us directly for more information.
“RoHS” stands for “Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment.” It generally refers to Directive 2002/95/EC that entered into force on 27 January 2003. Article 4 of the RoHS Directive, hereinafter called “the Directive,” says that “member states shall ensure that, from 1 July 2006, new electrical and electronic equipment put on the market does not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).”
Nadcap stands for National Aerospace Defense Contractors Accreditation Program. It is a quality accreditation program designed to meet the requirements of Aerospace and Defense work, focusing on process controls. A very stringent set of rules dictates how we control and operate our processes, along with appropriate testing and documentation. It is tough to achieve and speaks highly of our organization.
The Lindgren Group can provide plating options for most materials. We offer finishes for Aluminum, Steel, Brass, Copper, Stainless Steel, Zinc, Tellurium Copper, Kovar, Hastalloys, Monels, Inconels, and many others. Parts we finish come in all forms. Avtec Finishing Systems and Nico Products work with extrusions, castings, sheets, forgings, stampings, machined parts, tools, and other material forms.
Tin, Silver, and Electroless Nickel plating are common coatings used on copper products like bus bars, electrical terminals, battery connectors, or other copper components used in electrical applications.
Gold plating is often used in electronics to provide a corrosion-resistant electrically conductive layer on copper, typically in electrical connectors and printed circuit boards.
There are several reasons and ways to mechanically finish a part. Abrasive blasting, Shot blasting, Vibratory and Tumble Deburring, Harperizing/Centrifugal Finishing, Sanding, Buffing, and Polishing are just a few types of mechanical finishing. As with the number of options for mechanically finishing a part, there are various reasons to utilize this technology. Some of the reasons are:
- De-scaling and removing heat treatment scale
- Eliminating burrs on the surface of parts
- Rounding edges for safe handling
- Preparing part for plating
- Texturing parts for adhesion or functionality
- Improving the cosmetic appearance of the parts
Part design can impact plating in several ways. Part weight, recessed areas, blind holes, sharp angles, and thread design all impact plating. From a tooling standpoint, providing areas for racking parts will be necessary. Deep recesses can be difficult to plate, particularly when calling for electrolytic plating where current “throw” is critical. The result could be air pocketing or lack of plating. Blind holes can be challenging to rinse and can entrap the solution, leading to a lack of plating or staining. Parts without adequate radius can lead to hardcoat edge effect or plating chipping off the part. Finally, thread design is essential for rinsing challenges and buildup multipliers in holes. We can assist you with part design and plating choices to optimize your success.
Our average turnaround time is approximately one week. Plan for additional time for jobs requiring masking, blasting, polishing, dry film, or other pre- or post-operations. At both Avtec Finishing Systems and Nico Products, we employ full-time production schedulers to work with you to meet your delivery requirements and requests for expedited ordering. We also offer automated notification of order receipt and completion to allow you to plan your post-finishing operations. We aim to meet your requirements and make working with The Lindgren Group easy.
Simply complete our credit application. Once approved, you’ll be offered Net 30-Day Payment Terms to make transactions with The Lindgren Group convenient. Contact us and request a copy of The Lindgren Group Credit Application.