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High Temperature Baking of Nickel Chrome Plating and its Possible Effects

Q. My company is performing continuous improvement and has targeted rework/scrap in our decorative (nickel chrome plating - stainless steel and CRS) parts. These parts are painted on the interior and baked at 600 °F for 1/2 hour (burn off contaminants). The scrap/rework, based on preliminary test results, seems to happen after baking.

Does the high temperature forever change the physical strength of the plating (making it weaker and more susceptible to scratching even after cooling)? If so, is there a temperature ceiling to avoid this situation?

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2003

A. As far as nickel is concerned, it all depends on the type of solution. If the nickel is brightened with sulphur containing brighteners, it will embrittle. I don't know about chromium.

Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK

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"Nickel and Chromium Plating"
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2003

A. As I remember, 600 is where chrome basically turns to jello, losing many of its desirable properties, like wear resistance and hardness. 500 should be OK.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida

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