Ensuring a Chilling Block Keeps Its Cool

AST is a high quality metal finishing company that specializes in electroless nickel plating, gold plating, silver plating, plating on magnesium, tin plating, electrolytic nickel plating, passivation and chemical conversion coatings. A large percentage of AST’s customers are OEM’s and high end machine shops that have stringent quality requirements.

One of our clients, one of the largest aluminum recyclers in the country, required a caster that holds 35 heavy chilling blocks weighing 800 pounds each and made with a two-inch copper bottom. Since the copper parts are the only parts that cool the aluminum, they needed a nickel coating to keep the aluminum from fusing with it. Starting from ground zero, we engineered a line with the capacity to coat just the copper bottom while handling the block’s weight. We created a dedicated line with 12 750-gallon tanks equipped with special trays, a unique fixture and a 5-ton crane to hoist and lower the blocks. Seasoned platers go through two weeks of specialized training to learn how to prep and run the line. Our capacity to address our customer’s needs has allowed them to expand their operation and relocate to a larger facility. The number of chilling blocks we’re now plating has tripled since we first started. Our client may have come to us for our experience in electroless nickel plating but what has kept them here for more than 30 years is our ability to solve their problem and to deliver quality plating every time.

Contact Us Today at (303) 432-8500