Some customers have asked if aluminum alloy can be chrome plated. Our answer is yes. Chromium plating of aluminum alloys usually requires several complex processing steps to ensure the adhesion and durability of the chromium coating. In this issue, let's take a look at some of the basic steps of aluminum chrome plating:
1.Wax Removal: It is recommended to use Bigely hot soaking wax remover BC-1 to remove wax scale from aluminum alloys.
2. Degreasing: Aluminum surfaces are further cleaned through the use of Bigely chemical degreasing powder BC-19.
3. Alkaline etching: The surface of aluminum alloys is etched with Bigely alkaline etching additive BC-20 to remove natural oxides and other contaminants and to microscopically roughen the surface in order to increase the adhesion of the coating.
4. Zinc replacement or undercoating: Due to the poor adhesion between aluminum and chromium, it is often necessary to first go through a zinc replacement process (which requires the use of Bigely zinc deposition water BC-22), where these layers of metal facilitate the subsequent bonding of the chromium plating to the aluminum.
5. Intermediate layer: A layer of electroless nickel (electroless nickel plating solution Ni-803 used by Bigely for priming) should be plated on the aluminum alloy first as an intermediate layer to improve the adhesion and overall quality of the chromium plating layer.
6. Chromium plating: Chromium plating is applied to the surface of the treated aluminum alloys (Cr-2, a Bigely hard chrome additive, may be used). Chrome plating provides good corrosion protection and decorative effect.
7. Cleaning, drying and inspection: After plating is completed, the product needs to be cleaned, dried, and inspected in a variety of ways to ensure that the quality of the plating meets the requirements.
Chromium plating of aluminum alloys requires careful handling and ensuring that all processing steps are properly controlled, otherwise it can lead to quality problems with the plated layer, such as unevenness, poor adhesion or premature wear. For this reason, chrome plating of aluminum alloys is usually performed with suitable hard chrome additives supplied by Bigely and under operating conditions provided by our engineers.
If you want to learn more about hard chrome additives, please feel free to contact us.
