- Hardness
Measures approximately 65 on the Rockwell "C" Scale.
- Corrosion Protection
- Repair Score Marks
Hydraulic cylinder rods, for example, often become
scratched or scored. They can be ground undersized, hard chromed to
oversized, then ground to exact dimension, making them harder and
better than new.
- Correct Grinding Errors
Sometimes a diameter on a shaft is mistakenly
ground too small. We mask other surfaces and hard chrome the undersize
diameter to oversize, so it can then be ground to the correct diameter,
thereby saving the part.
- Mold Release
Hard chrome adds a lubricity factor, which serves to
release parts, e.g. rubber parts, from a mold.
- Wear Protection
In a punch and die operation, the edges of the punch and
the die will wear quickly (especially if the part being punched out is
abrasive, e.g. brake shoe material), even if the punch and die are made from
hardened tool steel. If they are hard chromed the wear will be greatly
lessened. If a roller on a printing press is hard chromed, it will wear
less. Many steel parts that are subject to wear can be hard chrome plated
for wear protection, offering cost savings in the long run.
- Abrasion Resistance
Hard chrome offers excellent abrasion resistance
because it has a high coefficient of friction. Hard chromed parts last many
times longer than hardened tool steel.
- Thickness
Hard chrome can be applied from a thickness of .0001" (known as a "flash")
up to about .040".
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Before Hard Chrome Plating
After Hard Chrome Plating
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