Since 1945 · San Jose, California
Hard Chrome Plating & Industrial Repair
Worn parts, put back to work. Plating, thermal spray, grinding and CNC machining under one roof — an FAA approved Repair Station since 1945.
By the numbers
Eight decades, measured
What we do
Products, services & capabilities
Four core processes, plus the welding, inspection, balancing and Babbitt work that finishes them.
Have a worn part on the bench right now?
Send a drawing or a photo — we quote fast.
Why BBC
Why choose us
One building, one approval, and a shop that tells you the truth about your part.
One building, one chain of custody
Plating, spray, grinding, machining and inspection are all on our floor. A rebuild never leaves for a subcontractor mid-job.
FAA approved Repair Station
#BK3R400L, working to FAR 145 — the framework that lets aviation work happen in the building.
We run both plating and spray
So we have no reason to push you toward the one machine we own. We recommend the process the part actually wants.
Straight answers, honestly scoped
We will tell you when a part should be replaced, not rebuilt — and we won't quietly substitute a cancelled specification.
Obsolete parts are ordinary here
No drawing? Send a photo and the dimensions you can measure. We have been reverse-engineering components since 1945.
Verified before it ships
Magnetic particle and liquid penetrant inspection in a complete inspection department, to ASTM 1444 and ASTM 1417.
Industries
Industries we serve
Aerospace, semiconductor, solar, food processing, printing and water treatment — work from all of them comes across our floor.
How it works
The process we follow
One chain of custody from the part arriving to it leaving measured back to print — every step in the same building.
- 1
Send the part
A drawing, a photo, or a description of how it failed — with the material and finished dimension.
- 2
Evaluate & quote
We inspect it, establish how much material is gone, and recommend the right process. You get a plan, not a guess.
- 3
Build up
Hard chrome, thermal spray or weld build-up to the current specification for the duty.
- 4
Machine & grind
CNC machined and precision ground back to the drawing — in the same building.
- 5
Inspect & verify
Non-destructive testing on our own floor to ASTM 1444 and ASTM 1417.
- 6
Finish & return
Balancing, honing or shot peen as required, then documented and returned to print.
One building, one chain of custody
Keep your rebuild under one roof
Evaluated, restored, finished and verified without leaving the floor — no freight legs between vendors, no finger-pointing on the final dimension.
Quality
The criteria we work to
Quality here is a documented framework, not a slogan. It is the FAA Repair Station approval, #BK3R400L, under FAR 145 — and the AMS and ASTM specifications that sit beneath it.
Repair station framework
FAR 145Quality Manual, Repair Station Manual and training programs developed to Federal Aviation Regulation Part 145.
Hard chrome plating
AMS 2460 / 2406Plated to the current revisions of both aerospace material specifications.
Plasma spray deposition
AMS 2437Plasma flame spray applied to the current revision of AMS 2437.
Magnetic particle inspection
ASTM 1444Surface and near-surface defect detection on ferromagnetic components.
Liquid penetrant inspection
ASTM 1417Surface-breaking defect detection on non-porous components.
Not sure how to specify it?
Our guide walks through exactly what to send so the quote comes back fast and right the first time — even if you don’t have a drawing.
Resources
From the blog
Plain-English writing on plating, spray and getting a repair right the first time.
When to Rebuild a Shaft Instead of Replacing It
A worn shaft is not automatically scrap. Here is how to decide between rebuilding it and buying a new one — on cost, lead time and engineering.
Read articleWhat Hard Chrome Plating Actually Does
Hard chrome plating restores worn diameters, cuts friction and resists corrosion. Here is how it works and where it is the wrong tool.
Thermal Spray Coatings, Explained
Flame, plasma and twin wire arc spray, in plain terms — what each process is, and the parts each one suits.
That Cancelled Spec on Your Print: AMS-QQ-C-320
A cancelled chromium plating spec still appears on drawings every week. Here is why, and what to do when yours calls it out.
Why One Building Beats Four Vendors
A rebuild needs plating, machining, grinding and inspection. Splitting them across vendors costs time and accountability. Here is the case for one roof.
Approvals & recognition
Certificates & awards
One verifiable credential does more than a wall of logos — and we mark the placeholders as placeholders.
- Approval01
FAA Approved Repair Station #BK3R400L
Federal Aviation Administration · FAR 145
Verified credential - Membership02
Member
National Metal Finishers Association
Verified credential - Membership03
Member
Surface Technology Association
Verified credential - Award04
Supplier Excellence Award
Sample — replace with a real award
Sample — replace - Award05
Longevity / Community Recognition
Sample — replace with a real award
Sample — replace
What customers say
Customer reviews
Sample reviews — replace with real testimonials
“They rebuilt a hydraulic ram shaft we thought was scrap and had it back to us faster than the OEM could even quote a replacement.”
Answers
Frequently asked
The questions we actually get asked, answered from what BBC publishes.
See the full FAQFrom .0001" for corrosion protection up to .050" to rebuild a worn component back to print — then ground to size in the same building. We plate to AMS 2460 and AMS 2406.
Yes. BBC is an FAA approved Repair Station, #BK3R400L, working under FAR 145. The AMS and ASTM specifications we plate, spray and inspect to sit under that framework.
No. BBC holds an FAA Repair Station certificate under FAR 145 — an airworthiness approval, not a quality-system registration. If your programme requires AS9100 or ISO specifically, tell us early.
Yes. Send a photograph and the dimensions you can measure. Reverse engineering an obsolete component is ordinary work here — we have been repairing parts since 1945.
Lead time depends on the part, the processes involved and current shop load, so we quote it with the job rather than publishing a blanket figure. For an urgent repair, call the shop.
Get in touch
Send us the part
A drawing, a photo, or just a description of how it failed. We will tell you what we would do with it.
Phone
(408) 298-1101Email
info@bbcmachine.comShop
1170 N. Fifth St, San Jose, CA 95112
Since 1945
Let’s put your part back to work
An FAA approved Repair Station in San Jose, doing plating, spray, grinding, machining and inspection under one roof for eighty years.