Additive Manufacturing
Precision Cerakote ceramic coatings for aerospace, defense, and industrial components.
What additive manufacturing demands
Printing is 40% of the timeline
Cerakote Color Consistency & Aesthetic Finishing
Delta E ≤1.5 color precision across production runs. 200+ standard colors. Spectrophotometer-verified on every batch.
Weight Reduction Without Sacrificing Protection
Thick coatings add weight that undermines lightweighting efforts. Ceramic coating at 0.5-2 mils delivers full protection with 200-400g savings per part versus powder coating.
Coatings engineered for AM production scale
Cerakote ceramic coating transforms AM surface finish from rough prototype to production-ready quality, adding corrosion protection and professional aesthetics while maintaining the dimensional accuracy that additive manufacturing delivers.
3D-printed parts from SLS, MJF, and metal AM processes have inherent surface roughness (Ra 6–15 μm) that limits end-use applications. Cerakote fills and smooths these surfaces to below Ra 3 μm while adding a ceramic barrier that provides corrosion resistance, chemical protection, and professional color.
Our material-specific protocols handle PA12 and PA11 nylon from SLS and MJF, plus metal AM substrates including DMLS stainless, titanium, and aluminum. Dimensional impact is minimal (+0.001–0.002"), preserving the precision that AM delivers.
Why Cerakote Beats Traditional AM Post-Processing
Vapor smoothing alters geometry and is limited to specific polymers. Tumbling rounds edges and removes detail. Painting adds thickness without hardness. Cerakote provides 9H surface hardness, corrosion protection, and color in a 0.5–2 mil application that works on both polymer and metal AM parts without geometric distortion.
Certifications behind every coating
We hold the credentials your industry demands. Every coating we apply meets or exceeds the standards that keep your components performing.
AS9100 quality management
The highest standard for quality management in coating operations, ensuring our processes meet the most demanding traceability requirements.
ITAR defense manufacturing compliance
Authorized to handle controlled defense articles and technical data with proper security protocols.
ISO 9001 quality systems certification
Demonstrates our commitment to consistent quality and continuous improvement across all operations.
How we coat AM parts
Material-specific protocols for polymer and metal additive manufacturing
Material Assessment & Surface Analysis
Parts evaluated for AM process type, material, and surface condition. Surface roughness measured. Build orientation and support removal areas documented for preparation protocol selection.
Surface Preparation & Conditioning
Material-specific media blasting creates optimal adhesion profile without damaging fine features or thin walls. Ultrasonic cleaning removes residual powder, support material, and oils. Polymer parts verified for outgassing before coating.
Application, Cure & Quality Verification
Cerakote applied in controlled layers optimized for AM surface geometry. Cure temperature matched to substrate material (lower temps for polymers, standard for metals). Post-cure inspection includes surface roughness measurement, thickness, adhesion, color, and dimensional verification.
What we coat in additive manufacturing
From production tooling and aerospace brackets to end-use consumer parts
Why Cerakote for Oil and Gas Weight Savings
Thin-film protection for demanding environments
Why Cerakote for Medical Weight Reduction
Thin-film protection for precision instruments
Why Cerakote for Maritime Weight Reduction
Thin-film saltwater protection at reduced mass
Why Cerakote for Industrial Weight Reduction
Thin-film protection that preserves design tolerances
What matters most
The performance data that matters for your operation
Surface Roughness: Ra 6–15 to Under 3 μm
Measurable surface finish improvement transforms rough AM parts to production-quality appearance. Corrosion resistance exceeds 3,000 hours ASTM B117 on metal AM substrates.
Full Process Documentation
Certificate of Conformance with every shipment. Material batch data, surface roughness measurements (before/after), cure parameters, thickness readings, and adhesion results. AS9100 documentation available for aerospace AM applications.
9H Hardness on AM Surfaces
ASTM D3363 verified. Transforms soft polymer AM surfaces to hard, scratch-resistant finish. Metal AM parts gain additional wear protection beyond base material hardness. Dimensional impact: +0.001–0.002".
200+ AM Parts Per Week Capacity
Transparent capacity with tiered lead times: 7-day standard, 3–4 day expedited, 24–48 hour emergency. Documented overflow partnerships ensure production schedules are maintained when volumes scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers about our coating processes and technical capabilities
Our services form a complete finishing pipeline. Ultrasonic cleaning removes contamination. Sandblasting creates the mechanical bonding surface. Custom color matching develops and verifies your specified appearance. Cerakote or polymer coating provides the functional and aesthetic finish layer. For AM parts, this entire sequence transforms raw 3D-printed components into production-quality finished parts. Running all steps in one facility under one AS9100 quality system eliminates the handoff risks and quality gaps of multi-vendor finishing.
Some AM applications require both the flexibility of polymer coating and the hardness of Cerakote on different surfaces of the same part. Polymer coating protects flex zones, vibration-dampening features, and chemical immersion areas while Cerakote protects wear surfaces, handling areas, and aesthetic surfaces. ColoradoKote designs and applies these combined systems with precision masking to ensure each surface receives the optimal coating. The full multi-layer stack ships with complete process documentation.
Yes. Agricultural chemical application equipment, including sprayer tank internals, pump housings, and mixing chamber components, faces direct chemical immersion in concentrated fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Polymer coating provides continuous chemical barrier resistance with the flexibility to accommodate thermal expansion and vibration during field operation. For components requiring both internal chemical resistance and external wear protection, we apply polymer coating internally with Cerakote externally to address both exposure conditions.
Yes. Chemical conversion coating per MIL-DTL-5541 is widely used on automotive aluminum parts including intake manifolds, brackets, suspension components, and housings. The sub-micron layer provides corrosion protection and serves as an ideal primer for topcoats. For performance and racing applications, pairing chem conversion with Cerakote delivers 3,000 hours of salt spray resistance at just 0.5-2 mils, far thinner than powder coating's 4-6 mils.
The combined stack provides layered protection: chemical conversion coating creates an adhesion-promoting base and initial corrosion barrier, passivation removes free iron and surface contaminants, and Cerakote delivers the final 3,000-hour salt spray barrier (ASTM B117). Running all three processes under one roof at ColoradoKote eliminates the handling damage and contamination risk of shipping parts between multiple vendors for each step.
Start Your AM Coating Project
Send part files for a coating quote. We respond within 24 hours with pricing.