Hard Chrome Plating Service

Hard chrome plating extends the lifespan of metal parts and significantly improves their performance in the field: parts plated with chromium are harder, more durable, more resistant to corrosion, and better protected against premature failure than those that are not. The highly beneficial process is difficult to master – but Greystone has.

With over 90 years of industry-leading expertise and a commitment to continuous improvement, Greystone delivers hard chrome plating solutions that exceed industry standards and customer expectations. Our experienced technicians design and fabricate all tooling in-house and can skillfully plate even the most difficult geometries, including bores, annular faces, and areas without a direct line of sight.

Greystone’s superlative service doesn’t come at an exorbitant cost. Our proprietary Precision Plating System^® (PPS) allows our engineers to customize plating deposits with automated loading, so that only necessary surfaces are covered to a specified thickness. As a result, you can plate your parts more cost-effectively and efficiently than you would otherwise be able to, while still adhering to tight tolerances.

What Is Hard Chrome Plating?

Hard chrome plating is an electroplating process that deposits thin (<10 µm) or thick (10 to 100 µm) layers of chromium on a substrate. The chromium coating fortifies parts against wear and increases their hardness. Greystone’s hard chrome plating solutions leave parts with a hardness of 65 to 80 HRC.

The versatile process is well-suited to a variety of industrial applications. Hard chrome plating is widely used across industries including aerospace, automotive, defense, medical and semiconductor. To accommodate as wide a variety of specifications as possible, Greystone offers both micro-crack and crack-free hard chrome plating services.

Why Hard Chrome Plate Your Parts?

Greystone’s hard chrome plating solutions deliver an impressive array of benefits including:

• Improved Hardness: Hard chrome plating makes parts significantly harder and better protected against wear
• Reduced Friction & Galling: Hard chrome plating reduces friction and minimizes galling between sliding or moving components, leading to smoother operation and reduced wear
• Tribological Improvement: Hard chrome plating’s unique combination of hardness and lubricity can significantly improve the tribological properties of components, enhancing their performance in sliding, rotating or contacting applications
• Electromagnetic Barrier: Hard chrome plating helps to manage attraction between solenoid parts
• Reduced stiction: Hard chrome plating reduces surface contact and stiction between part surfaces by making face profiles shaped with tapered chrome
• Erosion Resistance: Hard chrome plating protects components from erosion caused by high-velocity fluids or abrasive particles, improving the component’s longevity
• Thermal Resistance: Components with hard chrome plating can withstand high temperatures and thermal cycling, making them suitable for applications involving heat exposure
• Repair & Salvage: Hard chrome plating can salvage parts damaged by wear and corrosion, and save manufacturers from the cost of creating new components
• Dimensional Restoration: Hard chrome plating can be used to restore worn or undersized components to their original dimensions, extending their lifespan and functionality
• Chemical Resistance: Hard chrome plating improves component durability against chemicals and environmental factors, and allows them to perform better in corrosive or chemically aggressive environments
• Uniform Coating Thickness: Hard chrome plating ensures consistent and even coating thickness on the entire surface of components

Compatible Materials

Greystone can apply hard chrome plating to a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys. Substrates we plate include, but are not limited to:

Hard Chrome Plating Specifications

Greystone’s hard chrome plating solutions meet chrome specifications including:

If your part requires a nickel undercoat before chromium plating is applied, Greystone meets the following nickel specifications:

The list above is not exhaustive. For more information about our approved specifications, please contact a Greystone hard chrome plating expert.

The Greystone Difference

Getting hard chrome plating right is no easy feat. High quality requires a skillful hand and top-notch tooling – which is why many customers rely on Greystone to hard chrome plate their parts.

Greystone engineers approach each job with creativity and the experience needed to address the details that many vendors overlook. Plating processes are tailored to meet each part’s specific requirements, and can be executed quickly and cost-effectively, thanks to Greystone’s proprietary selective plating process, PPS. Greystone’s tooling is custom-designed and fabricated in-house. Automated solutions and best-in-class technology are leveraged to ensure consistent high quality.

This dedication to customization and detail allows Greystone engineers to meet incredibly tight tolerances. By industry, we are routinely able to achieve:

• Semiconductor: Submicron-level precision of +/- 50 to 80 microinches
• Automotive: 3 +/- 1 microns with 2 CPK
• Medical: 1.5 to 8 microns +/- 0.5 microns

Get a Hard Chrome Plating Quote Today

Engineers and purchasing managers who rely on Greystone’s best-in-class hard chrome plating service to protect their parts against wear and corrosion no longer have to worry about defects or part failures in the field. Our global reach allows us to deliver this high-quality service cost-effectively to clients around the world – who can be confident that their parts will be plated with Greystone’s signature attention to detail.

Speak with one of our hard chrome plating experts or get a quote for your next electroplating project.

Contact us to learn more about hard chrome plating