Abstract: Surface-coated components, such as contact pieces for vacuum switches, are produced by means of the method by melting open the surface of a metallic substrate (1) in a local area (15) by an energy flow (12) and combining an additive (8) with the melted-open material of the local area (15). It is intended to produce components with large areas with small outlay in apparatus by means of this method. This is attained by the following steps: Prior to melting open the local area (15), the substrate (1) is pre-heated to a temperature considerably above room temperature, but below its melting temperature. After pre-heating, the local area (15) on the surface of the substrate is melted open and the additive (8) is applied to the substrate surface in the form of a loose powder layer (10).