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Chrome plating.

Can somebody help me understand the difference between chrome plating and chrome conversion coating process ?

Ajit Menon
Landstrom's - Rapid City, South Dakota
2000

Chrome plating is the deposition of metallic, elemental chromium. It can be done to provide a hard, abrasion resistant, low friction, long wearing surface, or for a bright reflective look.

Chrome conversion coating is done on aluminum, and on zinc plated surfaces (and a few other metals) as a corrosion-preventative topcoat. No chrome metal is deposited; rather a trivalent or hexavalent salt reacts with the substrate metal to leave a bunch of sulphates, oxides, and complex salts on the substrate.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2000

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