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Chrome plating carbon composites

I am interested in hard chrome plating the ID of carbon composite tubes (Epoxy pre-preg laminates) for use in hydraulic cylinders. The bores could range from 1" to 4". Do you know if this is possible and if so any reason why not to do it?

Thanks,

Keith Carew
Engineer - Bayswater, Auckland, New Zealand
2004

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There have been many efforts and some successes in getting cylinders changed from hard chrome plating to electroless nickel, or electroless nickel with a flash of chrome. That might be easier and offer greater likelihood of practicality than hard chrome plating. Anything can be done, and there are probably advantages to hard chrome in this application, but hard chroming an ID of an epoxy pre-preg tube seems to present a string of challenges, including the question of what to start with . . . electroless copper, then acid copper, then hard chrome? Or maybe electroless nickel, then hard chrome? If the latter, then why then not consider electroless nickel / flash chrome or just electroless nickel.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2004

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I think I would be happy with just the Electroless nickel as a start since I am currently running alloy cylinders with minimal anodized surfaces on the bore.

Do you - or anyone else- know of a source for this service? Thanks, Keith Carew

Keith Carew
- Auckland New Zealand
2004

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I guess I would be happy with any of the alternatives outlined above. Primarily I need to increase the hardness and decrease the porosity of the Epoxy surface. If this can be done with any of the methods you mention then I would really like to hear more about the most likely to work and/or the least expensive.

Keith Carew
Design Engineering - Auckland, New Zealand
2004