Most paint applicators do not maintain a strong chrome bath because it is not required for paint pretreatment. Steel requires a different pretreatment than aluminum. It only takes a few hours to process and pack a part. Most coaters need anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to plan, process and invoice for projects. Lead times of longer than four weeks for painting are rare.
Liquid paint is composed of pigment, resin, and solvent.
Since painting is obviously quite different from anodizing, keep your metal supplier informed of finishing requirements. This will result in better advice in all areas of your order. Etching aluminum in sodium hydroxide is by far the most common pretreatment for aluminum that is to be anodized. Alkaline etches are also used to strip off anodic coatings prior to painting. However, under no circumstances should an etch-only finish be used in a finish product because there is no way to prevent the rapid onset of corrosion.