Chrome Plating
Chrome plating is a finishing treatment used in industrial equipment, automobiles, and consumer goods. The two main types of chrome plating are bright chrome and hard chrome.
Bright chrome is a decorative chrome covering seen most often in automobiles. It consists of a 10-micrometer layer of chromium over an underlying nickel plate.
Hard chrome, also known as engineered chrome, is used to plate industrial equipment. Hard chrome plating may be as thick as 1000 micrometers. Hard chrome plating is used to reduce friction and to restore parts that have been worn down by friction. Hexavalent chromium baths, whose main ingredient is chromic anhydride, are the most common type of hard chrome plating, but trivalent chromium baths, whose main ingredient is chromium sulfate or chromium chloride, may also be used.