Industrial equipment is built to withstand intense wear and tear. However, over time, even the most durable machinery can deteriorate. In industries where downtime and maintenance costs can heavily impact profit margins, it’s important that manufacturers and factory owners find new ways to extend the lifespan of their industrial equipment. This is where hard chrome plating comes in. Hard chrome plating is increasingly seen as a practical solution for not only rebuilding and repairing worn parts, but also for enhancing their performance and durability.
What is Hard Chrome Plating?
Hard chrome is a layer of chromium, often between 10 and 500 microns depending on the applications requirements, that’s applied to a base metal via an electroplating process. Unlike decorative chrome, hard chrome plating is primarily used for functional purposes, such as reducing friction and increasing resistance to wear, abrasion and corrosion (although it’s vital to note that hard chrome is still susceptible to corrosion, especially in marine environments).
The versatility of hard chrome plating allows it to be applied to various industrial equipment components, such as hydraulic cylinders, pistons, valves, rolls and dies. Once applied, the chrome layer provides a sacrificial layer that can easily be repaired should it become damaged, rather than necessitating a complete replacement.
Re-plating vs. Replacement
One of the greatest advantages of using hard chrome plating is its ability to restore industrial parts to their original condition, or even improve them, at a fraction of the cost of sourcing or manufacturing new parts. Worn or damaged components can be re-plated with hard chrome, often extending their lifespan and making them as good as new.
The process of re-plating involves stripping the damaged chrome layer, repairing the base material, and hard chrome plating the component back to specification. This technique is especially effective because it can be repeated multiple times without compromising the integrity of the part. Over time, this approach significantly reduces maintenance costs. In industries where machinery is continually exposed to abrasive materials or harsh conditions (such as mining, manufacturing, or oil and gas), this can lead to substantial savings.
Improving Wear & Abrasion Resistance
One of the key benefits of hard chrome plating is its wear and abrasion resistance. In industrial applications where parts are consistently exposed to friction and harsh materials, plates and components wear down quickly. For instance, components in the mining industry are subject to significant abrasion from rocks, sediment and other abrasive materials. Hard chrome acts as a protective layer, minimising wear between contact surfaces and, in turn, reducing the rate of component degradation.
Increasing Equipment Repairability & Lifespan
Another benefit of hard chrome plating is its ability to improve the repairability of damaged or worn parts. The thick layer of chrome prolongs the time between maintenance cycles and allows worn parts to be restored through re-plating. This reprocessing capability means equipment can continue to operate at peak efficiency without the need for frequent part replacements.
The Sustainability Benefits of Hard Chrome Plating
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to many industries. Hard chrome plating contributes to these efforts by reducing waste and the need for new materials. Instead of discarding a worn-out part and manufacturing a new one, the same component can be stripped and a new layer of hard chrome plated, helping industries lower their carbon footprint. This approach not only saves materials, but also eliminates the energy required to produce new components from scratch.
Learn More Today
For more information on how hard chrome solutions can benefit your operations, reach out to Australian Surface Technologies today.