What is the hard chrome plating?
Hard Chrome Plating includes heavy chrome coatings in order to provide resistance to wear, preserve oil and lubrication. It is not decorative and is instead used to add durability to things like piston rings, hydraulic cylinder rods, and the like. It gets its name from its measurable thickness and is commonly used for steel substrates. While metallic and shiny, it is not decorative. Hard chrome plating is a good choice for wheels or bumpers.
The main difference between hard chrome and decorative chrome plating is the final thickness. Hard chrome coatings are significantly thicker to improve strength, wear resistance and corrosion resistance for industrial applications.
In various industrial applications, hard chrome plating is used to increase resistance to wear and corrosion of equipment components. It is also known as engineered chrome or industrial chrome. Hard chrome plating reduces friction between machine parts and improves parts durability. Hard chrome coating increases the life of machine components and reduces downtime and maintenance costs.
Hard chrome plating can be useful for almost any piece of equipment. Because of its low friction, hard chrome plating is effective for moving parts such as rotors and pistons to reduce operating temperatures and improve the life of equipment parts. Manufacturers of hard chrome plating can polish it for round components such as printing cylinders and rollers, while providing excellent wear resistance when used with abrasive products such as textiles, paper, limestone or sand.
✔️ Application of hard chrome plating
Hard chrome plating can be applied to a variety of base metals to strengthen them without compromising the original properties of the metal. The base metals that can be coated with chrome include: steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, bronze, etc. Depending on the specific purpose, hard chrome plating can vary greatly in thickness to meet the exact needs of the project. The strength and durability of the hard chrome coating makes it very useful in various applications, such as:
Hydraulic cylinders
Piston rings
Rotor and shaft for pumps
Templates and other forms
Roller and bearing
Valves and gates
Compressors
lathe beds
Mechanical and automotive parts
Agricultural equipment
Mining equipment
Paper and wood equipment
Textile and printing parts
Food and beverage equipment
Hard chrome is easy to clean and disinfect, making it a popular choice for the food and beverage processing industries. The high corrosion resistance of hard chrome plating makes it effective in pharmaceutical, chemical and oil and gas applications. Other industries where you can see hard chrome plating include printing, textile, mining, agriculture, paper, manufacturing and many other industries.
Hard chrome plating can also be useful in repairing damaged, worn or machined parts. A part that is too small or worn can benefit from a thick coat of hard chrome plating to bring it back to the correct dimensions. Removing the damaged coating through a chemical process and applying a new hard chrome coating can repair the damaged area.
The automotive industry often uses industrial hard chrome plating for parts that need to move and resist wear, such as pistons and shock absorbers.
✔️ Hard chrome plating process
Hard chrome plating involves an electrolytic process that adds a layer of chromium to an electrolytic metal component. The chrome dip and electrolytic processes apply a hard chrome coating uniformly to most metal components, regardless of shape, size, or surface texture.
