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What is clear chromate conversion?

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About clear chromate conversion What is clear chromate conversion? Is it a plating process or just a cover after applying of zinc plating? Can the clear chromate conversion be applied indenpendently on metal? Thank you.

Jun Chen
Clear chromate conversion - Lombard, IL, USA

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Zinc is a very active metal; if left unprotected it will quickly "white rust" and pit. Chromate conversion coatings deter this. It is an immersion reaction that deposits a thin film, a complex mixture of zinc oxides, zinc chromates, and chrome oxides on the surface. Zinc plating is almost always "chromated" unless it is going to be painted or clear-coated. I put "chromated" in quotation marks because not all such topcoat processes these days actually involve hexavalent chromium.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

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