What is chrome ceramic plating?
Chrome is a naturally occurring element. It is a metal and can be used for chrome ceramic plating, rather than as a solid material. It is thinly applied to a surface such as steel, brass or aluminum.
Many people mistakenly call all shiny finishes chrome, even though they don’t contain chromium. Other surfaces include polished aluminum, vacuum-metalized Mylar, painted wheels, and nickel-plated items. Chrome plating has a brighter, deeper reflection than other finishes.
Guide to Chrome ceramic plating
There are many terms you might have heard, including chrome ceramic plating and chrome electroplating. These terms refer to chrome plating which is chrome electroplating.
What is the difference between chrome plating?
There are two main methods of chrome plating: engineered chrome plating or decorative chrome plating.
Hard Chrome or engineered-chrome
Many people don’t know the difference between engineered and hard chrome plating. For greater durability, oil retention, wear resistance, and lubricity, hard chrome plating can be applied. It is used for piston rings, thread guides and mold surfaces, as well as hydraulic cylinder rods. It can only be described as hard because it is thick enough to measure. Decorative chrome plating has a thickness of just one millionth of an in, so it can be broken if it is subject to a hardness test.
Hard chrome plating can be applied to most steel surfaces. Although it is shiny and metallic, it is not intended to be decorative. It can be used for bumpers and wheels. Engineered chrome plating comes in many variations. Some are optimized for oil retention and some are thicker.
Engineered chrome plating is a service that only companies can offer. They don’t usually do other types of plating. A business that claims to offer only hard chrome will likely not attract customers.
Nickel-chrome plating, also known as decorative chrome plating, is also called it. This involves plating the chrome with nickel first. Sometimes copper is used instead of nickel. The copper or nickel level gives smoothness, corrosion resistance, and reflectivity. The thickness of the chrome layer is extremely thin, measured in millionsths of an inch.
Nickel-chrome plating is what you see on a nickel-chrome plated surface. The chrome thin layer gives the surface a slight bluish hue and protects it from scratching and tarnishing. It also helps with corrosion resistance.
