Chrome plating

Chrome plating, which actually is nickel plus chrome plating, is a electroplating process. The nickel layer is to reach the desired surface finish and thickness. After this the nickel is plated with a thin layer (<1,0µm) of chrome. The nickel layer gives a corrosion protective layer, which is reinforced by the chrome layer on top. Since the chrome layer is a very stable layer, the decorative surface is maintained over time. If additional corrosion protection is desired, the nickel layer can be preceding by a layer of copper. Although it is the nickel that gives the decorative finish, bright nickel is not identical to a layer consisting of bright nickel and chrome. The chrome has a slightly more bluish shiny to it, and in comparison, the bright nickel looks somewhat yellow next to a nickel – chrome plated detail.

Even though a chrome layer is relatively thin, the total layer thickness often adds up to at least 10µm due to the preceded layers. The chrome plating gives a stable, decorative surface finish over time as well as wear protection and lowers the friction. Another benefit is that the nickel layer is sealed which means that the process prevents allergy.

Provexa offers several types of nickel plating, which you can read more about here. All of them are possible to chrome plate and depending on which nickel process you reach different surface finishes. We can also offer decorative chrome plating on plastic in our factory in Anderstorp, where the chrome layer precedes by multiple layers of copper and nickel to reach a surface with as decorative finish as possible as well as a surface that is sustainable over time.