What Advanced Plating Technologies does

Advanced Plating Technologies (APT) is a privately held, fourth-generation family and veteran-owned metal finishing job shop headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 1948 as Artistic Plating Company and rebranded in 2013 to reflect its transition from decorative plating into technical surface engineering. The company operates three production facilities totaling 55,000 square feet with nine production lines across multiple shifts, and is self-classified in the top 10 percentile of U.S. job shops by size. APT offers electrolytic and electroless plating of gold, silver, nickel, tin, copper, and tin/lead, alongside powder coating and passivation services, using rack, barrel, and vibratory processing methods.

APT maintains five trademarked proprietary coating systems — Tacti-Black®, Eclipse-TPD®, Black-TPD®, Ducta-Bright 7A®, and Dura-Nickel HP+® — primarily targeting ammunition, firearm, and tactical applications, and holds ISO 13485:2016, ISO 9001:2015, ITAR registration, and a Federal Firearms License. The company serves electric vehicle, defense, medical, telecommunication/electronic, ammunition/firearm, and power distribution customers through a direct technical sales model with a website-based RFQ system, engineering consultation for new product design, and reverse-engineering support for existing finishes, with all pricing determined per project by specification, volume, and complexity.

Name

Advanced Plating Technologies

Legal name

Advanced Plating Technologies

Website

https://advancedplatingtech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Advanced Plating Technologies is a fourth-generation, family-owned Milwaukee metal finishing job shop, founded in 1948, providing electrolytic and electroless plating, powder coating, and passivation with proprietary specialty coatings for the EV, defense, medical, ammunition, telecom, and power distribution industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Finishing Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Electroplating & Metal Finishing (Anodizing/Galvanizing/Passivation) (IMAIAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK)

Keywords

• Metal finishing services
• Electroplating services
• Electroless nickel plating
• Powder coating services
• Passivation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Metal Finishing Job Shop Services: APT operates as a job shop providing surface finishing services including plating (electrolytic, electroless, gold, silver, nickel, tin, copper), powder coating, and passivation services. Services are quoted and billed per job/project basis with pricing based on specifications, volume, and complexity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Advanced Plating Technologies is a metal finishing job shop providing electrolytic and electroless plating, powder coating, and passivation services on customer-supplied parts. The company applies conductive, functional, and decorative coatings—including gold, silver, nickel, tin, copper, tin/lead, and proprietary specialty finishes—using rack, barrel, and vibratory processing methods for industrial OEMs in electric vehicle, defense, medical, ammunition/firearm, and power distribution markets.

Product overview

Advanced Plating Technologies operates as a metal finishing job shop offering a comprehensive portfolio of plating, passivation, and powder coating services. The core offerings include electrolytic and electroless plating of precious metals (gold, silver), base metals (nickel, copper, tin, lead), and proprietary specialty coatings. The company provides engineered solutions including electric vehicle plating, medical device coatings, aluminum plating, selective plating, heavy build plating, and bearing plating services. A distinct segment focuses on proprietary firearm and ammunition finishes including Ducta-Bright 7A Nickel®, Black-TPD®, Eclipse-TPD®, Dura-Nickel HP+®, and Tacti-Black® brands. Processes include loose-piece rack, barrel, and vibratory plating methods. The company positions itself as a surface engineering resource providing new product design consulting and reverse engineering of existing metal finishing issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tacti-Black®: Black electroless nickel plating finish for firearms providing deposit uniformity and surface lubricity.
• Eclipse-TPD®
• Black-TPD®
• Ducta-Bright 7A Nickel®
• Dura-Nickel HP+®

Products and services

• Gold Plating Services Electrolytic gold plating services for industrial applications including hard gold and soft gold variants, compliant with MIL-G-45204, ASTM B488, and AMS 2422 specifications.
• Silver Plating Services Silver plating services for copper, copper alloys, stainless steel, and high temperature alloys providing improved conductivity and solderability.
• Electroless Nickel Plating Services Autocatalytic nickel-phosphorus plating offering uniform deposit coverage, available in various phosphorus contents (low, medium, high) and black finish variant (Tacti-Black).
• Electrolytic Nickel Plating Services Electrolytic nickel plating including sulfamate nickel and black nickel variants for wear resistance, corrosion protection, and electronic applications.
• Tin Plating Services Electrolytic tin plating including matte and bright tin variants for solderability and conductive applications on copper and aluminum.
• Copper Plating Services Copper plating services for conductive underplates, improving corrosion resistance and solderability in multi-layer plating systems.
• Tin/Lead Plating Services Tin/lead alloy plating for soldering applications, commonly used in lead acid battery markets and critical soldering applications.
• Powder Coating Services Powder coating services including selective powder coating for precise application on specific areas of components.
• Passivation Services Passivation services for stainless steel and titanium/medical components to enhance corrosion resistance.
• Ducta-Bright 7A Nickel Services Proprietary ductile, bright nickel deposit optimized for ammunition applications, designed to withstand aggressive +P loading and provide reload capacity comparable to raw brass casings.
• Black-TPD Plating Services Proprietary duplex coating combining Ducta-Bright 7A nickel with Black-TPD alloy, providing liquid-black appearance with enhanced corrosion resistance and dry film lubricity.
• Eclipse-TPD Plating Services Proprietary low reflectance coating using molecular enhanced duplex technology for ammunition components, providing smoke-black matte appearance with tactical low light reflectivity.
• Dura-Nickel HP+ Plating Services Proprietary high-performance nickel plating for firearms with enhanced durability and corrosion protection.
• Tacti-Black Electroless Nickel Proprietary black electroless nickel plating providing consistent black appearance on various substrates including stainless steels, with enhanced lubricity for tight tolerance parts.
• Electric Vehicle Plating Services Specialized plating services for electric vehicle components including busbars, terminals, and connectors requiring high conductivity and durability.
• Medical Device Coatings Surface engineering solutions for medical devices meeting ISO 13485:2016 quality management requirements.
• Plating Aluminum Services Specialized electroplating processes for aluminum substrates requiring surface preparation and adhesion techniques.
• Selective Plating Services Electroplating and electroless plating applied to specific areas of components, commonly used for ultrasonic welding applications.
• Heavy Build Plating High-thickness plating services for dimensional restoration and wear-resistant coatings on industrial components.
• Bearing Plating Services Specialized plating for bearing surfaces requiring wear resistance and lubricity.
• Copper Plating of Bullets and Projectiles Copper plating services specifically designed for ammunition applications including bullets and projectiles.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Partner Companies (Logos Displayed)minorOthersWebsite footer shows logos of partner companies, indicating a network of industry partnerships or customer relationships in the metal finishing sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AOTCO Metal Finishing: Massachusetts-based job shop offering plating, anodizing, and specialized metal finishing services for aerospace, medical, and defense customers. Comparable to APT in its engineering-focused service model and regulated-end-market exposure.
• Pioneer Metal Finishing: Large U.S. metal finishing job shop providing plating, anodizing, and coating services to automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers. Comparable to APT in service mix and target verticals, though larger and more geographically distributed.
• KC Jones Plating Company: Michigan-based metal finishing job shop specializing in plating for automotive, industrial, and aerospace applications. Comparable to APT in core electrolytic plating services and Midwest industrial customer base.
• SIFCO Industries: Provider of selective plating services and surface treatments for aerospace, defense, and industrial OEMs. Comparable to APT in its focus on engineered plating solutions, particularly selective and brush plating for demanding applications.
• Electro-Spec: Indiana-based metal finishing job shop offering a range of plating services. Comparable to APT in job shop business model and Midwest industrial customer focus.
• H&W Global Industries: Metal finishing job shop offering plating and coating services across industrial end markets. Comparable to APT in its service portfolio and independent job shop positioning.
• Sharretts Plating Company: Pennsylvania-based metal finishing job shop offering electrolytic and electroless plating, passivation, and powder coating services across industrial end markets. Directly comparable to APT as a similarly scaled, independent, engineering-led plating job shop.
• K&L Plating: Indiana-based metal finishing job shop providing plating and surface treatment services to industrial customers. Comparable to APT in regional U.S. job shop positioning and plating service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Uyemura International: Global supplier of plating chemistries and processes, particularly for gold, silver, and electroless nickel. Comparable to APT in shared chemistry and end markets, though Uyemura supplies chemistry rather than performing finishing services.
• Atotech (Element Solutions): Global leader in plating chemistry and equipment used by metal finishing operations. Comparable to APT as a participant in the broader plating industry, though Atotech supplies chemistry and equipment to job shops rather than providing finishing services directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/advplatingtech
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AdvancedPlatingTechnologiesMilwaukee
• Facebookfacebook.com/advancedplatingtech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advanced-plating-technologies

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advanced Plating Technologies