HARD CHROME – APTICOTE 100
Apticote 100 is a low temperature electrolytic plating process that deposits a protective coating of hard chrome on to a variety of base materials, to produce a hard wearing, low friction surface.
It out-performs conventional hard chrome plate when combating wear, corrosion and friction, and it can be applied to a precise thickness by the use of Poeton’s unique Precision Chrome Plating processing method, resulting in a harder coating. In many instances this eliminates the need for final grinding, a step that can reduce hardness and substrate adhesion. This in turn leads to shorter production times and the elimination of grinding reject losses.
Process control is crucial. By maintaining optimum bath chemistry and managing the current density, the pitting and softening that plague so many hard chrome platers is avoided, defects that would reduce wear resistance, encourage pitting corrosion and impair grinding.
Options
apticote 100C
Thin, Dense Chrome
– adjusted electrolyte
and temperature that
produces a crack-free
deposit
apticote 100N
Standard Hard Chrome
– natural microcracks that
are beneficial for
lubricant retention
apticote 100N
Duplex Chrome
– Combines the corrosion
resistance of crack-free
chrome with the lubricating
microcracks of standard
hard chrome
HARD CHROME PLATING
Apticote 100
Extreme hardness (1,000 hv)
Apticote Hard Chrome is significantly harder than steel which has been treated by normal hardening methods. Unlike some hard materials, Apticote Hard Chrome combines it with extreme toughness so that it provides wear protection even under high contact stresses.
Low coefficient of friction (0.05 oiled)
Very low friction against polymers, carbons and graphite, making it ideal for textile applications or for seal faces. Apticote 100 also gives low friction against hardened steels, bronzes and other surface-treated counterfaces (e.g. itride steel), making it a perfect coating for a shaft in a journal bearing, both lubricated or dry.
Excellent abrasion resistance
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, hardened steel or electroless nickel in abrasive applications like textiles, paper and food products. It responds superbly to honing and, with a fine crack network, its ability to hold a lubricant and prevent scuffing is excellent.
Precision plating (75 microns)
A specialist variant of Apticote Hard Chrome where the deposit thickness and coverage is controlled to close tolerances. This process requires special anodes, cathode extensions and jigging but eliminates the need for final grinding. The subsequent coating is harder, has superior bonding, gives more wear resistance and requires shorter production times.
No final grinding
Where precision chrome plating is used, the close tolerances will often eliminate the need for any final grinding.
Corrosion resistance
Hard chrome resists attack from a wide range of corrodents, but where exceptional corrosion protection of vulnerable substrates is required an undercoat is required. This could either be a layer of nickel or thin, dense, crack free chrome.
Low adhesive wear
Ultra-high metal-to-metal sliding wear resistance – 200 times less wear than given by through-hardened, induction-hardened, carburised or nitride steels, and five times better than conventional hard chrome plate.
- Hydraulic shafts and pneumatic arms
- Moulds and press tools
- Machine tool slideways
- Compressor cylinders
- Valves and pumps
Apticote 100 Hard Chrome gives ultra-high metal-to-metal sliding wear resistance, with up to 200 times less wear than through, carburised or nitrided steels in dry sliding situations. Apticote 100 also provides 5 times the sliding wear resistance than conventional hard chrome and can only be bettered by high quality thermal ceramic sprays.
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