In celebration of America's 250th anniversary, Varland Plating will be closed on Friday, July 3. Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Celebrating Eight Decades of Success

Varland Plating recently celebrated 80 years in business with a company event at the Fowling Warehouse Cincinnati, bringing together employees and their families for an afternoon of food, drinks, games, and friendly competition. The event was a great way to recognize this milestone and enjoy time together outside of work.

Reaching 80 years in business is an accomplishment we are incredibly proud of. We are grateful to our employees, customers, and partners whose support and trust have made this milestone possible. As we celebrate our past, we remain committed to providing the quality and service our customers have come to expect for many years to come.

Featured below are a few photos from our outing at the Fowling Warehouse.

Beyond Plating: The Importance of Baking

In the surface finishing industry, plating is only part of the process. For many components, post-plate baking is a critical operation required to meet engineering specifications and performance requirements.

Preventing Hydrogen Embrittlement

Many plating specifications require baking to reduce the risk of hydrogen embrittlement in high-strength steel components. Hydrogen absorbed during the plating process can increase the likelihood of cracking or premature failure under load. Baking helps drive out absorbed hydrogen, preserving the mechanical integrity of the part.

Enhancing Electroless Nickel Performance

For Electroless Nickel deposits, heat treatment can significantly increase hardness and wear resistance. When processed in an inert atmosphere oven, components achieve improved surface performance while preventing oxidation during the baking cycle.

Capacity and Process Control

To support customer and specification requirements, Varland operates seven batch atmospheric ovens and two inert atmosphere ovens. These ovens provide the capacity and process control needed for hydrogen embrittlement relief and Electroless Nickel heat treatment across a wide range of industries and applications.

Our baking operations are also augmented by PLC control systems, which have become increasingly important in ensuring process consistency and traceability. Varland's PLC system uses recipes to control and record all required baking variables. Variables include the minimum, maximum and target part baking temperatures, baking time, and the time elapsed since the plating process finished. Complete historical electronic records ensure every load of parts on an order is baked properly. We also built in the capability to automatically reject any loads or orders that do not meet the baking requirements. These automated controls have become essential to ensuring every load is processed in accordance with the required baking parameters.

At Varland, baking is more than a post-plating step. It plays a critical role in delivering finishes that meet stringent performance and quality standards.

Pictured below: One of our line operators unloading baked parts from one of our batch atmospheric ovens. 📸

Interested in learning more about our baking capabilities?

Get in touch today

40 Under 40

Congratulations to our Operations Manager, Mike Mitchell Jr., on being selected for the Products Finishing 40 Under 40 Class of 2026!

The annual 40 Under 40 program recognizes emerging leaders who are making a significant impact on the surface finishing industry through innovation, leadership, and dedication.

Mike's contributions to Varland Plating and the industry, along with his commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence, make this a well-deserved honor. We are proud to see him recognized among the industry's rising leaders.

Check out the full list of honorees here: Products Finishing 40 Under 40 Class of 2026