G. Engleman, MesoCoat, Inc, Euclid, OH
Chrome plating provides a very effective surface treatment for wear and corrosion reduction. In use for more than 70 years, it has proven to be a relatively inexpensive, effective solution. Electrolytic Hard Chrome (EHC) is applied using the reduction of hexavalent chrome in a solution of chromic acid. The EHC plating process is a low efficiency process which results in vigorous gas evolution at the electrode. This results in airborne mist which contains hexavalent chrome, a known carcinogen. Several alternative technologies exist to coat a substrate with metal without using electrolytic solutions or plating baths. These technologies do not eliminate the use of metal coatings, but they do eliminate the use of non-metal toxic components such as cyanide from the plating process. They can also reduce the amount of metal-contaminated wastewater and sludge that is generated from plating. These alternative technologies include thermal spray coating, vapor deposition, and chemical vapor deposition, and can be used to apply alternate materials. MesoCoat, Inc. has developed a combined top-down/bottom-up approach to this problem, utilizing a novel process for producing nano-featured feedstock materials as an alternative to the technologies described above. This approach both reduces the amount of waste produced and the amount of post plating processing required resulting in a hard, corrosion resistant coating.
