What Differentiates Decorative and Hard Chrome Plating

Chrome plating is of two types–decorative and hard. This article discusses the key differences between the two types.

What determines the difference between decorative and hard chrome plating? It is the thickness of the product.

In terms of thickness, decorative plating is thinner and bears aesthetic appeal and acts as a protective coating.

On the other hand, the thickness of hard chrome plating is more than decorative chrome plating. And hard chrome plating finds uses in multiple industrial applications for its strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance.

Notably, both the variants of chrome plating result from the same chrome manufacturing process, but their properties and applications are what differentiate them.

The manufacturing process involves the usage of an electrolytic setup that applies chromium plating to a metal component in an electrolytic bath at a rate of about 25 to 30 microns per hour.

The substrate needs to be cleaned thoroughly and, subsequently, needs treatment with chemicals to strengthen the plating adhesion.

After that, the component needs to be transferred into a chrome plating vat for chrome dipping, in which an electric current deposits chromium onto the substrate.

Due to the effects of the electrolytic process and chrome dipping, chrome plating gets applied to components.

Uses of Hard Chrome Plating

Hard chrome plating finds much use in many industrial applications to increase the resistance to wear and corrosion of components.

There are also other names for hard chrome plating, such as engineered chrome or industrial chrome.

Also, the fundamental benefit of hard chrome plating is the reduction of friction between machine parts, increasing component durability.

With hard chrome coating, the lifespan of machine components gets extended while reducing maintenance downtime and expenses.

In addition, hard chrome plating can help repair damaged or worn parts in some cases. For example, a tiny or worn down component can get corrected to the right dimensions with hard chrome plating. Furthermore, it is possible to strip the damaged plating through the relevant chemical process to subsequently apply new hard chrome plating to repair a damaged part.

Notably, hard chrome plating applies to many base metals to strengthen components while preserving the original properties. The base metals on which you can apply chrome plating are steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, and bronze.

The extent of the thickness of your chrome plating depends on the specific requirements of your project. Due to the strength and durability of hard chrome plating, it finds uses in applications, such as:

• Hydraulic cylinders
• Piston rings
• Rotors and shafts for pumps
• Molds, dies and other forms
• Rollers and bearings
• Valves and gates
• Compressors
• Press punches
• Lathe beds
• Mechanical and automotive parts
• Agriculture equipment
• Mining equipment
• Paper and timber equipment
• Textile and printing components
• Food and beverage equipment

Hard chrome plating can be helpful for any machine component or part. It can reduce operating temperatures and prolong the lifespan of machine parts.

In addition, hard chrome plated components can be polished for super smoothness. At the same time, such features provide exceptional resistance to wear.

With hard chrome plating, you can easily clean the components. And, it makes such components an ideal choice for the food and beverage processing industry.

In addition, the superior corrosion resistance property of hard chrome plating makes it an effective application in the pharmaceutical, chemical and oil and gas industries.

Uses of Decorative Chrome Plating

If you compare the uses of decorative and hard chrome plating, you will find that there are more uses of the former. But, interestingly, it is even decorative plating not offering strength and durability as hard chrome plating.

Decorative chrome plating plays an important role in many industries despite having limited applications. Typically, it provides a proactive coating on parts, protecting them from rust when they get exposed to wet conditions.

With decorative chrome plating, components get a smooth and shiny appearance and become easy to clean. As a result, products, such as consumer applications, become more attractive.

If you want to use decorative chrome plating solely for aesthetic appeal, you can use expensive imitation chrome finishes instead of actual chromium.

The following are the typical applications of decorative chrome plating:

Car Parts

Decorative chrome plating finds significant uses for many car parts such as trim, bumpers, rocker panels, door handles and grills.

With decorative chrome plating, the corrosion resistance property of the parts increases to prevent rusting on exposure to rain or snow.

Also, decorative chrome helps increase the shine and aesthetic appeal of the component.

Tools

When you apply decorative chrome plating to tools, like wrenches, pliers, sockets and hex keys, you can improve their durability apart from wear resistance. In addition, tools with chrome plating can withstand harsh environments without undergoing damage.

Kitchen Utensils

Decorative chrome plating can increase metal kitchen utensils’ corrosion and heat resistance, like spatulas, tongs, knives, spoons, and forks. Moreover, such kitchen utensils are easy to clean and durable apart from being aesthetically appealing.

Musical Instruments

Applying decorative chrome plating to musical instruments improves their appearance and durability. You can use chrome plating to musical instruments, like guitars, clarinets, etc.

In addition, there is a crucial aspect to know. Often, you will hear referring to decorative chrome plating as nickel-chrome plating. The reason is that the plating is applied over nickel instead of directly to the metal substrate. In some applications, copper plating is added first before applying decorative plating to increase the product’s strength.

The Final Say

Finally, the question arises–which plating you should use? And, the answer is–your need.

The thickness of the decorative chrome plating is lesser than that of more durable hard chrome plating. The thickness usually measures a few millionths of a meter.

While decorative chrome plating gives you exceptional aesthetic appeal, hard chrome plating gives superior strength and hardness apart from frictionless and durability.

Although both types of chrome plating are useful for different applications, the type of chrome plating you need to use will depend on the needs of your project.

While decorative chrome plating is useful for consumer goods, giving the necessary protection and desired appearance, hard chrome plating is applicable for high-stress industrial applications.