Defense and Government Subcontract Finishing

A finishing subcontractor, not a prime

We work as a subcontractor. Primes, the machine shops and fabricators that supply them, and the program buyers at those companies send us parts with a drawing and PO, and we paint or powder coat them to the specification those documents call out. We don’t hold government prime contracts. We work under yours, and the requirements you flow down are the requirements we quote and work to.

All Coat Finishing is a family-owned shop in Colorado Springs that has finished metal parts for about 20 years. Our work is production batches: hundreds to thousands of parts on a part number, repeat releases, and multi-coat systems that have to be done the same way on every lot.

What we finish for defense programs

• Mil-spec liquid systems. We have applied CARC topcoats, aerospace epoxy primer with polyurethane topcoat, and AMS-STD-595 color matches. For CARC, we apply QPL-listed materials per MIL-DTL-53072. The spec-by-spec detail is on our mil-spec painting service page.
• Powder coating to the drawing. We coat with Cardinal powders on a batch line with a large oven that takes parts up to roughly the size of a large cabinet or long frame; send us the dimensions. The line runs 500 to 2,000+ parts a day depending on part size and masking, which suits production lots of enclosures, brackets, frames, chassis and housings. If the drawing calls out a military powder specification or an FS color number, send it with the RFQ and we’ll confirm the material before we quote. More on production powder coating.
• Prep and masking in-house. Solvent wipe and degrease, multi-stage wash, outgas pre-bake, masking and plugging, and sanding. Threads, bores, bonding points and mating faces are masked to the drawing. When a spec requires abrasive blasting, our blasting partner handles it and it’s quoted as part of the coating job. See prep and masking.
• Legends and nomenclature after paint. Panels and housings that need screen-printed markings go from our booth to our screen-printing partner and back to us for inspection and delivery, on one quote and one PO. Our guide to screen printing on painted metal covers ink callouts and MIL-STD-130 text.

How spec flow-down works with us

A qualified products list qualifies the coating material, not the shop that sprays it. What you need from a finishing sub is the right material, applied the way the spec says, with paperwork that ties each lot back to the requirement.

1. We quote to the spec, not to a generic finish. The spec number, type, class and color on your drawing or PO set the price. A primer and CARC topcoat system costs more than a single coat of powder, and the quote shows it.
2. We buy the material the spec calls for. QPL products for CARC and aerospace systems come from the manufacturers listed on that QPL. If a material carries a long lead time, we’ll tell you when we quote, not when the parts are on the rack.
3. We follow your QC procedure. On production programs we work to the inspection points and records your procedure requires. List any tests your spec or quality clauses call for. We don’t run certified lab testing, so tell us early if the program needs third-party lab results.
4. Certificates of Conformance on request. Tell us what the CoC has to state and who signs off on your side, and we’ll issue it with the shipment.
5. Sub-tier processors are disclosed. Blasting and screen printing go to partners. If your prime approves sub-tier special-process suppliers, say so on the RFQ and we’ll identify ours so you can flow requirements down to them.

We don’t hold ISO 9001, AS9100 or Nadcap, and we aren’t ITAR-registered. We work under your quality clauses and flow-downs. If your program requires one of these from its finisher, check with us before you send the package.

Small business, NAICS 332812

We’re a small business. Our primary NAICS code is 332812, Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers, the industry that covers powder coating, enameling, lacquering and varnishing metal products for manufacturers. We work as a commercial sub-tier supplier under your PO. We are not registered in SAM.gov and don’t have a CAGE code, so tell us up front if your program requires one.

A local finisher for the Colorado Springs defense base

Colorado Springs is home to Fort Carson, to Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases, and to the primes, machine shops and fabricators that support them. A local finisher means parts move across town instead of across the country. You can drop parts off on High Country Road, walk a first article through with us, or settle a masking question in person. Pickup and delivery to Denver and Pueblo is available by arrangement.

Standard jobs run about a week. Multi-coat spec systems are scheduled at quote time. Line, prep and documentation details are on our capabilities page.

What to include in an RFQ for spec work

A complete package gets you an accurate quote the first time. Our coating callout checklist walks through each element of the callout. For a subcontract RFQ, send:

• The drawing at its current revision, with the finish callout, finish zones and any masking notes.
• Every coating callout in full: spec number, type, class, color number (AMS-STD-595 or FS), dry film thickness, and the primer and topcoat if it’s a system.
• Substrate and incoming condition. Alloy, and whether parts arrive machined, welded, plated or already conversion coated.
• Masking and no-paint areas: threads, bores, bonding and grounding points, datums and mating faces.
• Quantities: lot size, release schedule and annual or program quantity, so we can quote setup once and plan rack space.
• Inspection and documentation: CoC content, any coating batch or lot certs you need, inspection records, first article requirements, and whether source inspection applies.
• Flow-down clauses from your PO terms that apply to finishing, including sub-tier approval and packaging or marking.
• Need date, ship-to, and pickup or delivery preferences.
• A flag on export control or CUI before any controlled data is sent. The FAQ below covers how to get those drawings to us.

Send the package through our request a quote form. If something on the drawing is unclear or conflicts with the spec, we’ll ask before we quote rather than guess.