Hard Chrome Plating (Chroming)

APTICOTE 100 is a low temperature electrolytic hard chrome plating (chroming) process which can deposit a protective coating of hard chrome on to a variety of base materials to produce an attractive hard wearing low friction surface.

APTICOTE 100 out-performs conventional hard chrome plate when combating wear, corrosion and friction. It can be applied to a precise thickness by the use of Poeton's unique processing method ('Precision Chrome Plating (chroming)') which results in a harder chrome plate. In many instances, this eliminates the need for final grinding, a step that otherwise reduces hardness and substrate adhesion. This in turn leads to shorter production times and the elimination of grinding reject losses.

Where these characteristics are critical, investing in APTICOTE 100 precision chrome plate coatings in preference to ordinary hard chrome plate can add considerable value to your product and, in many cases, enable you to reduce costs.

Precision hard chrome plating on JAS 39 flight actuators The process control is crucial - by controlling bath chemistry and managing the current density, we avoid the pitting and softening that plagues so many hard chrome plates, features that reduce wear resistance, encourage pitting corrosion and impair grinding.

Why is Apticote 100 the best hard chrome plating? PC controlled power supplies - fully programmable Accurately controlled chemistry and maintenance Specialist anode design Specialist tooling, minimising edge build-up and allowing 'precision' plating Monitored and controlled iron and trivalent chrome build-up Professional laboratory backup Highly trained and skilled operators Comprehensive quality inspection Rigorous environmental controls, minimal waste rinse water

Features

Primary Benefits

APTICOTE 100 hard chrome plating (chroming) provides prolonged service life for your parts, reduced finishing costs and lower frictional losses. The specialised crack-free version ('Thin Dense Chrome') of hard chrome plate, APTICOTE 100C can greatly extend the corrosion life of your product, even under arduous conditions that would normally be detrimental to the substrate. APTICOTE 100 hard chromium plate is ideal as a volume production process; repeatable, zero defect, just in time, the ultimate manufacturing wear-resistant treatment.

Substrates

APTICOTE 100 hard chromium plating (chroming) can be applied to a wide range of base materials, including stainless steels, cast irons, aluminium alloys, titanium alloys, copper alloys, bronzes and nickel alloys.

Tolerances and Cost

Poeton have highly skilled operators who can optimise the tooling and jigging so that you, the customer, can be provided with the most cost-effective coating; precision deposits to tight tolerances; where you want it, with a minimum post-grinding requirement.

Key Properties

More detailed information is available on request but some of the main advantages of APTICOTE 100 hard chrome plating (chroming) are:

Adhesive Wear Resistance

APTICOTE 100 hard chromium plating (chroming) gives ultra high metal-to-metal sliding wear resistance: up to 200 times less wear than that given by through-hardened, induction-hardened, carburised or nitrided steels in dry sliding situations, and five times better than conventional hard chrome plate. Under these conditions, APTICOTE 100 can only be matched or bettered by the highest quality thermally sprayed ceramics or cermets.

These exceptional characteristics are fully exploited in such applications as machine tool slideways for one of the major manufacturers of this type of equipment in the UK. The surface characteristics of APTICOTE 100 hard chrome plate allow the reciprocating components, i.e. the machine bed and saddle, to move easily without wearing or losing dimensional accuracy over many years of arduous use.

In lubricated applications such as cylinder bores, APTICOTE 100 hard chromium plate provides unsurpassed qualities. It responds superbly to honing and, with a crack network, its ability to hold a lubricant and prevent scuffing is excellent.

Abrasion Resistance

APTICOTE 100 hard chromium plate gives superb abrasion resistance, even under high contact stresses, providing a very low wear rate. It is many times better than that of ordinary hard chrome plate, hardened steel or electroless nickel in highly abrasive applications like textiles, paper and food products.

Thick deposits provide excellent wear resistance under high stress contact against sand, coal, cement, limestone, glass fibre etc.

With abrasion being the most common and destructive wear process found in industry, Apticote 100 hard chrome plating has the potential to solve many problems in pumps, valves, bearings, etc.

Friction Properties

The APTICOTE 100 chrome plated surface produces very low friction against polymers, carbons and graphites. This makes it ideal for textile applications or for seal faces. It also gives low friction against hardened steels, bronzes and other surface treated counterfaces (e.g. nitrided steel), making it a perfect coating for a shaft in a journal bearing, both lubricated or dry.

more info about hard chrome plating (chroming)

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