process overview | surface technologies
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additional services
Add-on services – surface treatment
additive manufacturing
Post processing of additive manufactured parts is of high importance
anodizing
Functional and decorative finishing of aluminum components
anti-friction coatings
Minimum coefficients of friction
atmospheric carburizing
Thermochemical process
atmospheric hardening
Used to increase the hardness and tensile strength
austempered
Isothermal process
belt furnace brazing
Cost-efficient and continuous process
burnishing
Process for the darkening of mainly ferrous materials
carbonitriding
Carbonitriding is a thermo-chemical process
case hardening
Thermo-chemical process
cathodic dip coating/painting
Corrosion and impact-resistant coating
chrome cadmium substitute
Eco-friendly coating alternatives.
cryogenics
Quench materials below 0°C
CVD
Chemical vapor deposition
electroless nickel plating
Functional finishing of metals by means of electroless nickel plating
electroplating
Metal layers are brilliant performances
gas nitriding
Low temperature furnace treatment
hard anodizing
Aluminum oxide polymer composite layers
hot isostatic pressing
Simultaneous application of heat and high pressure to materials
hydrogen annealing
Anneal parts in Hydrogen atmosphere
induction hardening
Low distortion surface hardening treatment
magnetic annealing
Eliminates stresses and crystal lattice defects
nanocoatings
Small structures with a major effect
nitrocarburizing
Thermochemical process for surface hardening
Nitrotec®
Improves the corrosion resistance of alloys
normalizing
Austenitizing and cooling in still air
phosphating
Chemical/electro-chemical process
plasma chemical coatings
Crystalline oxide ceramic coatings for aluminum, magnesium and titanium
plasma/ion nitriding
Improve wear-resistance, surface hardness and material fatigue
polymer coatings
MagnaCoat® and TempCoat®
powder coating
Colourful protective coatings
precipitation / age hardening
Increase the yield strength of specific materials
PVD
Physical vapor deposition
reel to reel plating
Continuous reel to reel finishing
salt bath carburizing
Liquid carburizing
salt bath hardening
Technique that ensures the material is highly wear-resistant
screw locking and thread locking
Strong bonds
sealing
High performance sealing of aluminum surfaces
selective coatings
Selective finishing of metal surfaces
soft annealing
Improve machinability and cold formability
solution annealing
Heating, holding and cooling
Stainihard®
Harden the surface of stainless steel
stress relieving
Remove internal residual stresses from steels
thermal spraying
Where robustness meets durability
vacuum brazing
About 800°C to 1150°C in a vacuum atmosphere
vacuum carburizing (LPC)
Low pressure carburizing
vacuum coatings
Thin and yet top-performing coatings
vacuum hardening
Heating and subsequent cooling of steel
wet painting
Spraying process
zinc flake coating
Anti-corrosion coating
surface technology processes
Aalberts surface technologies is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced surface engineering processes. With more than 50 innovative technologies, we improve the mechanical, tribological, and corrosion-resistant properties of metallic components for various industries.
Your benefits with Aalberts ST:
- More than 50 specialized surface treatment processes at over 50 locations worldwide
- Combined heat treatment and surface treatment solutions from a single source
- High reproducibility, sustainability, and certified quality standards (including IATF 16949 and Nadcap)
- Customized solutions from small batches to millions of parts per year
Looking for the right surface hardening methods or heat treatment process for your component? Use our process scout or contact our experts directly.
surface treatment processes – comprehensive overview
Our surface treatment and surface coating technologies protect, refine, and optimize surfaces for long-term performance. Whether corrosion protection, wear reduction, or decorative finishing — Aalberts ST offers the full range of modern coating solutions.
Aalberts ST combines traditional and advanced surface treatment technologies for maximum performance. These surface treatment technologies also fulfill the demanding requirements of the automotive and aerospace industries while supporting CO₂ reduction targets.
Key coating technologies at Aalberts ST:
- Electroless nickel plating (DURNI-COAT®) — Uniform high-hardness nickel-phosphorus coatings
- Zinc flake coatings — Maximum corrosion protection without hydrogen embrittlement
- PVD and CVD coatings — Extremely hard and wear-resistant thin films
These surface treatment solutions significantly increase component lifetime while meeting the highest industry standards.
Aalberts ST heat treatment processes – overview
Our heat treatment process overview includes all relevant thermal technologies for improving material properties. From surface hardening to stress-relieving processes — precise, repeatable, and energy-efficient.
Our key heat treatment processes:
- Surface hardening processes including vacuum hardening, induction hardening, salt bath hardening, and austempering
- Annealing processes including stress relieving, soft annealing, solution annealing, and hydrogen annealing
- Additional specialty processes such as precipitation hardening, normalizing, cryogenic treatment, and hot isostatic pressing (HIP)
Due to our connected global production network, all heat treatment services are available flexibly and just-in-time.
how are surface treatment solutions applied in different industries?
The surface treatment solutions we offer are specifically designed for the requirements of demanding industries. Whether prototype, serial production, or high-volume manufacturing — we provide the exact combination of heat treatment and surface engineering your components require.
Typical applications and industries:
- Automotive — Zinc-nickel coatings, anti-friction coatings, thread locking systems
- Aerospace — Vacuum technologies, HIP, PVD/CVD coatings
- Mechanical engineering — Nitriding, hard anodizing, polymer coatings
why Aalberts surface technologies?
✓ More than 40 years of experience
✓ Global network with local support
✓ Proprietary developments and patented technologies
✓ Full traceability and highest quality standard
