Presented in Partnership with:
 
 

Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive
(Hard Chrome Plating)

by Randy Taylor, Advanced Tooling Corporation.
June, 2010

Roughness

Q. We are doing 120 microns on steel rings in conventional baths.After plating 120 microns we found that roughness on the job. How to avoid the roughness. In the same bath, same job when we do 30 microns are not getting roughness.

A. Chromium will mirror what's underneath..(base metal) Reverse etch (if you are using reverse etch) can exacerbate the problem and make a poor finish even worse.

Recommend access the base metal. Know your material content and heat treatment (tensile strength of the metal) Prepare the base metal with the utmost care, Good micro-finish going in, good micro-finish coming out.

Observe reverse etch times, and make sure your anodes are in good shape, properly spaced from the plating surface, large enough and sized correctly to do the job.

If your pre-chrome finish is smooth, your post-chrome finish should be smooth.

Best of luck.

Randy Taylor

 

 

 

 


The information contained in this site is provided for your review and convenience. It is not intended to provide legal advice with respect to any federal, state, or local regulation.
You should consult with legal counsel and appropriate authorities before interpreting any regulations or undertaking any specific course of action.

Please note that many of the regulatory discussions on STERC refer to federal regulations. In many cases, states or local governments have promulgated relevant rules and standards
that are different and/or more stringent than the federal regulations. Therefore, to assure full compliance, you should investigate and comply with all applicable federal, state and local regulations.