A nickel silicon carbide finish also provides exceptional corrosion resistance and adheres well to aluminum, titanium and other metals. Depending on the conditions and application, the coating can reduce the impact of wear up to 5-10 times greater than chromium. Nickel Silicon Carbid: Nickel featuring a dispersion of hard silicon carbide particulates produces an electro-composite coating that provides excellent sliding wear resistance.Hard chrome alternatives featuring nickel include: What’s more, bright nickel’s silvery-white, gold-tinged color can make it a viable replacement for chrome in processes where visual appeal is paramount. Nickel also adheres well to other metals, allowing it serve as either an undercoat or topcoat. Nickel’s ability to oxidize slowly offers the strong corrosion resistance required for various manufacturing applications. Many manufacturers and metal finishing companies are turning to nickel and nickel alloys as alternatives to chrome for their plating applications. Nickel Offers a Solid Replacement Solution for Hard Chrome Plating Thus, companies that wish to implement hard chrome plating must go to great lengths and incur significant expenses to equip their facilities - which can make the process cost-prohibitive in many cases.

Environmental Protection Agency has enacted stringent regulations on its use in manufacturing environments. Hexavalent chromium is a known human carcinogen and the U.S.

Perhaps even more problematic are the health concerns. The hexavalent chromium solution used in most hard chrome finishing processes exhibits poor throwing power, which makes it difficult to produce a uniform surface coating. However, chrome plating does have its disadvantages. Chrome’s combination of superior hardness (which easily exceeds that of steel), excellent corrosion protection, abrasion resistance and bright, gleaming finish make chrome plating a top choice for various applications in industries such as automotive, aerospace, military, mining, machine tools, plastic molds and salvage. Hard chrome plating has been a preferred metal finishing solution since the 1940s - over time it has grown into a $20 billion industry.

Chromium plating steel