This category covers a variety of operations required, on the one hand, to prepare metal and nonmetal surfaces and products for subsequent processing and, on the other hand, to give them a final (and usually pleasing) appearance. As such it includes sites related to an assortment of heat treatment processes (such as annealing, brazing, carburizing, and nitriding), various pre- or post- (and essentially mechanical) operations (like deburring, grinding, and polishing), and the application of (wet) painting and (dry) powder coatings as well as certain specialized (and, more than likely, chemically induced) finishes. On the whole, it assumes a quite different kind of application than that involved in plating products to give them a desired finish or significant change in physical properties. Note: Because many plating companies include pre- and post-treatment capabilities in the services they offer, additional sources for surface preparation and finishing can be found among the sites indexed in the
Casting,_Molding,_Machining/Plating_and_Metal_Finishing/Plating categoryHowever, the deciding factor in such allocations is the overriding concern with plating rather than a focus on what those companies are given to calling "value added services."