Name

Bales Metal Surface Solutions

Legal name

Bales Metal Surface Solutions

Website

https://balesusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Surface 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)

Keywords

• Metal surface finishing
• Electroless nickel plating
• Hard chrome plating
• Proprietary diamond coatings
• Industrial coating services

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Finishing Services: Professional metal surface finishing and coating services including electroless nickel plating, hard chrome plating, and proprietary coatings (NICKLON™, NIBORE™, Diamond Chrome, Diamond E.N.™). Also includes polishing and passivation finishing services. Revenue generated through project-based service fees, typically quote-driven for custom work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bales Metal Surface Solutions is a metal surface finishing services provider that applies proprietary and standard coatings—including electroless nickel, hard chrome, and diamond-infused variants—to industrial components. The company also offers polishing (diamond, paper, and stone finishes) and stainless steel passivation, serving manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, medical, food processing, and plastic injection molding industries from its Downers Grove, Illinois facility.

Product overview

Bales Metal Surface Solutions is a metal surface finishing company offering a portfolio of proprietary and standard coatings plus finishing services for industrial applications. The core offerings include six distinct coatings (Nicklon™, Nibore™, Diamond Chrome, Electroless Nickel, Hard Chrome, Diamond E.N.™) that provide varying levels of hardness, lubricity, corrosion resistance, and wear protection. These are complemented by two finishing services: professional polishing (diamond, paper, and stone finishes) and stainless steel passivation. The company also provides value-added services including blasting, masking, stripping, barrel and rack plating, dimensional corrections, X-ray certification, and MIL spec certification. Services are applied across diverse industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, food processing, and plastic injection molding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nicklon™ Proprietary electroless nickel coating with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) offering corrosion and oxidation protection plus excellent lubricity and wear resistance with low coefficient of friction. Used for molds and industrial components.
• Nibore™ Proprietary nickel boron coating combining electroless nickel and boron nitride that offers superior lubricity and release, excellent abrasion and wear resistance, with extremely low coefficient of friction.
• Diamond Chrome Chrome plating co-deposited with nanometer-sized diamond particles for long-lasting abrasion protection with excellent lubricity and release, recommended for abrasive applications.
• Electroless Nickel Electroless nickel plating creating thin, uniform coating offering superior protection against oxidation with moderate abrasion resistance. Available in High Phosphorus and Mid Phosphorus variants; FDA-approved for food manufacturing equipment.
• Hard Chrome Traditional hard chrome plating offering superior abrasion and wear resistance for industrial manufacturing applications with moderate release properties.
• Diamond E.N.™ Proprietary electroless nickel coating with diamond particles providing exceptional hardness and wear resistance, serving as an alternative to hard chrome with excellent lubricity.
• Polishing Expert mold polishing services including hand diamond polishing (A1, A2, A3 finishes), paper finishes, stone finishes, and blasting using glass bead and aluminum oxide for surface preparation and refinement.
• Passivation Stainless steel passivation using citric acid to dissolve free iron and foreign particles, creating a protective oxide layer resistant to mild corrosion. Safer and more environmentally friendly than nitric acid.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% cycle time reduction (from 30 seconds to 24 seconds)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MOS PlasticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOS Plastics is a high-precision, custom plastic injection molded parts manufacturer that partnered with Bales to solve beryllium copper leaching issues using NIBORE™ coating. Bales developed a custom solution including glass beading and masking processes to create a barrier preventing copper migration into medical device products.
• Phoenix Proto Technologies (Uptive company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhoenix Proto Technologies partnered with Bales for NIBORE™ coating on aluminum molds for rapid tooling applications. This partnership enabled a 32% cycle time reduction and demonstrated aluminum as a viable alternative to steel tooling when paired with proper hard coatings.
• Plastic Ingenuity Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest custom thermoformers in North America, Plastic Ingenuity worked with Bales to develop a two-step coating process combining nickel plating with Diamond Chrome to solve persistent sticking and wear issues. Bales traveled to their facility for hands-on problem-solving.
• Precision Southwest ManufacturingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerospace parts manufacturer partnered with Bales for hard chrome coating using conforming anodes technology to coat large-diameter molds in a single process, eliminating the need for multiple dips and resulting lines.
• Uniphase Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom injection molding and contract manufacturing company partnered with Bales to solve sticky mold lifter problems. NIBORE™ coating on multi-cavity steel molds enabled successful high-volume production of consumer packaged goods.
• AM Manufacturing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDough and baking industry equipment manufacturer (since 1961) partnered with Bales for Electroless Nickel coating on aluminum pizza dies, providing FDA-approved corrosion protection with fast turnaround.
• Lincoln DiagnosticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical device manufacturer (30+ year customer) produces 60 million allergy skin test devices annually using Bales-coated steel inserts. Recently transitioned from NICKLON™ to Diamond E.N.™ for improved durability on precision components with sharp points.
• Pelco Tool and MoldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom plastic injection mold manufacturer partnered with Bales for diamond polishing services to achieve crystal-clear finishes on tumbler cups for food and beverage industry, creating ongoing business relationship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anoplate Corporation: Syracuse, NY-based metal finishing job shop offering electroless nickel, hard chrome, anodizing, and proprietary coatings to aerospace, medical, and industrial customers. Closely comparable in scope (electroplating services, proprietary formulations, regulated vertical focus).
• Uyemura International: U.S. arm of Japanese specialty chemical and plating company focused on electroless nickel, gold, and proprietary functional coatings for electronics and industrial customers. Comparable in specialty electroless nickel focus and technical depth.
• Valence Surface Technologies: Largest independent aerospace surface treatment company in North America, offering plating, anodizing, and chemical processing across multiple sites. Comparable in aerospace-focused finishing services; broader scale and multi-site footprint make it a larger-stage peer.
• Precision Plating Company: Chicago-area metal finishing job shop providing electroless nickel, hard chrome, and decorative plating services. Comparable in geography (Midwest) and customer mix (injection molding, industrial, machined components).
• KC Jones Plating Company: Detroit-area hard chrome, electroless nickel, and specialty plating shop serving automotive and industrial customers. Comparable in job-shop plating services and proprietary specialty offerings to Midwest industrial OEMs.
• Advanced Plating Technologies: Milwaukee-based metal finishing job shop providing electroless nickel, hard chrome, and decorative plating to industrial manufacturers. Direct competitor in Midwest regional finishing services to plastic injection molding and general industrial customers.
• SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts: Specialty applicator of engineered surface treatments including nickel, chrome, and composite coatings for aerospace MRO and OEM customers. Comparable in proprietary coating development and aerospace/industrial customer overlap.
• Hohman Plating & Manufacturing: Dayton, OH-based provider of metal finishing, plating, and coating services for aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Comparable in MIL-spec capability, second-generation family ownership, and proprietary finish development.

Broad incumbents

• Pioneer Metal Finishing: Large, multi-site U.S. metal finisher offering plating, anodizing, and coating services across automotive, industrial, and aerospace verticals. Comparable product categories but broader portfolio and significantly larger scale than Bales.

Regional players

• Electroless Nickel & Plating Technologies: Niche U.S. job shop focused primarily on electroless nickel and complementary coatings for tooling and industrial customers. Comparable in process focus and proprietary chemistry development, though smaller scale and less vertical breadth than Bales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bales_USA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bales-metal-surface-solutions

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Bales Metal Surface Solutions