Plastic Metallizing Services: Compare for U.S. Product Teams

Compare Providence for decorative sampling, TS VTI for production-scale reflective work and testing, and Koller Craft for specular or semi-specular finishes within its exposure limits.[1][2][3][5]

Compare substrate, finish, and approval evidence

Koller Craft

• Substrate compatibility: Koller describes coating various plastics without identifying exact resin grades. Ask it to confirm your resin and existing surface condition.[1]
• Reflective finish choices: Its sputtering and evaporation PVD capabilities include aluminum, brass, copper, and silver in specular and semi-specular finishes. Silver is standard; other colors use dye in a topcoat and require discussion with its sales representative.[1]
• Sample or production-acceptance evidence: Request sample terms and defined acceptance tests before approving production.[1]

Providence Metallizing

• Substrate compatibility: Providence offers vacuum metallizing for PP and HDPE.[2][4] Its broader substrate list includes PC/ABS, Ultem, nylon, and LCP; confirm which process it proposes rather than assuming every plastic qualifies for every service.[3]
• Reflective finish choices: Metallizing options include mirror, colored, transparent, and custom-tinted finishes, including gold, copper, and rose-gold appearances.[2][4]
• Sample or production-acceptance evidence: Providence offers free sample finishing for most customers and applications—not universally—and describes checks for color matching, adhesion, finish durability, quality, and consistency before production.[2][3]

TS VTI

• Substrate compatibility: TS VTI says many plastics can be directly coated but identifies polypropylene as particularly problematic for adhesion.[5]
• Reflective finish choices: Sputtered options include aluminum, copper, brass, titanium, and stainless-steel appearances; it reports aluminum reflectivity up to approximately 90%.[5]
• Sample or production-acceptance evidence: TS VTI describes incoming, in-process, and final inspections, plus adhesion, reflectivity, and electrical-resistivity testing. Request results against agreed pass/fail criteria.[5]

These are vendor-reported capabilities and checks, not independent test results for your part.[1][2][3][5]

Apply exposure, volume, and timing limits

Koller’s benefits list says “all-weather resistant,” but its FAQ says its metallizing is not designed for outdoor use or frequent touching. It says a hard topcoat may help but remains inferior to chrome plating for those uses. Resolve this conflict for the intended application before sampling.[1]

TS VTI generally excludes one-off or very low-volume projects and typically seeks approximately $10,000 or more in annual coating value, with no maximum order size. This is an annual program expectation, not a per-order minimum or quoted price.[5]

TS VTI’s approximately 2–3 weeks is time to enter the production schedule, not total turnaround; production time depends on quantity, coating requirements, and scheduling.[5] Providence describes prototypes as typically taking 1–2 weeks depending on complexity, with simple vacuum-metallizing or UV-coating work potentially completed within days.[3]

Define the finish and confirm the substrate

Specify reflection, color, gloss, and actual use before requesting quotes. Separate decorative appearance, measured optical reflection, and electrical function into distinct approval requirements; TS VTI describes decorative, reflective, and shielding applications separately.[5]

Send representative parts with the exact resin designation, available material documentation, existing coatings, known contamination, molded texture, and prior surface treatments. Request written compatibility confirmation for the grade, additive package, and surface condition—not simply “plastic.”

Providence describes pretreatment for difficult plastics and plasma treatment for polycarbonate.[4] TS VTI offers Class A polished-surface sourcing support for reflective applications.[5] Ask which preparation route applies to the submitted component.

Deep Coat warns that contamination can allow coatings to detach under contact or vibration and lists cleaning, mechanical treatments, and RF-plasma activation.[6] Use these as questions for the proposed finisher, not as a mandatory preparation sequence.

Mark coating boundaries and fixture contacts

Annotate the part drawing with appearance-critical faces, required coated surfaces, no-coat zones, assembly interfaces, and permitted fixture-contact areas. Ask the finisher to return a marked drawing confirming boundaries, masking method, orientation, and coverage limitations before sampling.

Deep Coat lists custom 3D-printed or molded masks, rotating fixtures for 360-degree coverage, multi-tier racks, and precision-alignment jigs. Confirm Deep Coat’s U.S. service coverage before treating it as a domestic option; use it here as a capability reference.[6]

Providence publishes in-house custom-tooling design and build capabilities and says its tooling and streamlined processes move parts from sampling to full production in half the normal lead times.[2] Ask what masking that tooling would support for your part. Keep the returned drawing with the sample to check coverage, not only the appearance-critical face.

Approve a representative sample

Request samples made from representative submitted parts using the proposed preparation, masking, deposited metal, and complete coating stack. Specify any basecoat, tint, and topcoat: Koller offers dyed topcoats, Providence publishes protective UV coatings, and TS VTI offers UV-cured protective topcoats.[1][2][5]

Providence describes evaluating submitted parts, recommending a process, and producing samples before production commitment.[2] Use that stage to establish both appearance approval and separate performance checks.

Define appearance approval as agreement on color, gloss, visual reflection, texture, and visible coverage under agreed lighting and viewing conditions. Record it separately from adhesion, weathering, electrical-performance, and production-consistency results. Agree who retains reference samples and how production parts will be compared with them.

Require use-specific performance evidence

For each required property, agree on the test method, exposure conditions, pass/fail threshold, and documented results. Treat handling, abrasion, chemical contact, and outdoor exposure as separate evidence requests—not one durability signoff.

Providence describes topcoats for cosmetic handling, scratching, and chemical/fragrance resistance; TS VTI offers topcoats for abrasion, chemical, or environmental resistance.[2][4][5] Request evidence addressing the intended exposure and service life rather than relying on those descriptions.

For electrical requirements, request separate performance evidence. TS VTI describes shielding films as typically 1–2 microns thick, versus approximately 0.05–0.1 microns for reflective films, and lists electrical-resistivity testing.[5] Do not use mirror-like appearance as a substitute for shielding or safety-performance evidence.

What to confirm before ordering production

Turn the sample approval and test results into a written agreement covering:

• Substrate and preparation: exact resin, surface condition, cleaning, and pretreatment route.
• Coverage: approved drawing, masking boundaries, visible faces, and permitted fixture contacts.
• Coating stack: metal, basecoat, topcoat, and tint specifications.
• Acceptance: retained samples, visual comparison procedure, test methods, pass/fail limits, production inspection, and approval of process changes.
• Commercial responsibilities: quoted price, tooling and sample charges, order requirements, schedule, warranty, cancellation, refunds, and responsibility for rejected parts, stripping, recoating, replacement substrates, and repeat approval.

The cited Koller, Providence, and TS VTI pages do not state production prices, cancellation, refund, or warranty terms, numeric acceptance thresholds, or sample-retention rules; Koller and Providence also leave minimum-order terms unstated.[1][2][3][5] Preserve TS VTI’s stated annual coating-value qualification when requesting a quote.[5]

Approve production when substrate fit, coating boundaries, appearance, required performance, and commercial responsibilities are agreed—not merely because the sample looks right.

References

1. Custom Metallizing Services in the USA | Koller Craft, LLC (koller-craft.com)
2. Metal Plating & Electroplating Services – 60+ Years Experience (providencemetallizing.com)
3. Metal Finishing & Surface Treatment Services – 60+ Years Experience (providencemetallizing.com)
4. Cosmetic Packaging Coating & Spraying Services – Approved by Estée Lauder (providencemetallizing.com)
5. Vacuum Metalizing Services | Vergason Technology (vergason.com)
6. Vacuum Metallizing Services for Plastics | Deep Coat (deepcoat.com)