Aluminum components are often plated with other metals to mitigate the effects of corrosion and wear, improve application performance, and extend service life. This article discusses some of the more common aluminum plating processes, including electroplating, immersion plating, and electroless plating, and describes various plating materials and the types of applications in which they are used. It provides critical processing details such as temperatures, ratios, ranges, times, and rates. The article explains how to prepare aluminum components for electroplating, discussing surface roughening, anodizing, and immersion procedures along with expected results.

Organic coatings are the principal means of corrosion control for the hulls and topsides of ships and for the splash zones on permanent offshore structures. This article describes surface preparation which is the most important consideration in determining the performance of organic coating systems. It contains a table that lists the uses and applicable standards for various surface preparation techniques. The article provides information on organic coatings in topside coating systems and reviews the importance of primers in the protection of steel substrates. It also explains the property requirements and the common types of immersion coatings.

The selection of surface treatments for copper and copper alloys is generally based on application requirements for appearance and corrosion resistance. This article describes cleaning, finishing, and coating processes for copper and copper alloys. These processes include pickling and bright dipping, abrasive blast cleaning, chemical and electrochemical cleaning, mass finishing, polishing and buffing, electroless plating, immersion plating, electroplating, passivation, coloring, and organic coatings.