Aerospace

Aerospace thermal spray at St. Louis Metallizing is procedure-first. The shop is FAA certified; that certificate is not a sticker on a brochure. Lots move with travelers, approved materials, and inspection that would bore anyone who likes improvisation.

Landing-gear journals, shafts, and hardware that call out a process spec land here instead of in a generic “hard coat” conversation. Plasma and HVOF both appear, depending on the callout. Fluorescent penetrant and dimensional records sit beside the grind log. Peening shows up when the spec is about fatigue, not about making the part look blasted. Quality details live on Quality; company papers on Our Company.

If your drawing says “or equivalent,” expect a conversation. Equivalence in this trade is a stack of tests, not a cheaper powder. Repair versus new production is another fork — repairs still need remaining wall and a method that does not hide a crack. Stripping an old layer on a fillet is a controlled operation, not a race.

The home page talks about industries in bulk. Aerospace is the subset that will reject a box for a missing stamp. Send the spec pages with the RFQ, not a cropped photo of a part number. Related process map: thermal spray. If the hardware is actually industrial with an airplane sticker, say that too; the traveler will thank you.

Lead times include paperwork. Anyone promising spray tomorrow on a first-article FAA lot is not working this building’s rules.

Paper is the process

Attach the spec, the revision, and the freeze date. A part number photo is not a method. If the lot is repair, remaining wall and crack history come first. If it is new production, first-article rules apply and “spray tomorrow” does not. Approved powders only. Masking that leaves residue under UV is a finding. Peen and FPI order is not a shop preference. Lead time includes review. If your hardware is industrial with an airplane decal, say so and use the industrial traveler. Sarpy Avenue will still coat it; the stamps will match the truth. Questions about ISO versus FAA belong on the quality page, not in a voicemail at 6 p.m. Friday.