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Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Bright Chromium or Nickel Plating on SS 316.

We have a set of components,which are made in SS 316 [functional needs]. They are also required to be highly polished & buffed, the components being external decorative parts. Is it possible to electroplate them, preferably in Chromium or Bright Nickel? We prefer it to be cheap, compared to Electropolishing, which is being regularly done on SS material.

Vijay Kolekar
Development Engineer - Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
September 28, 2011

Hi, Vijay.

I think chrome plating will be more costly than electropolishing, and less satisfactory. I don't think nickel plating will be acceptable for exterior exposure as it will quickly tarnish.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 28, 2011

Electropolishing of 316 stainless steel is very easy and requires only a few process steps. Conversely, electroplating stainless steel with either nickel or chromium requires many more stages, more process control and will not be as good as external decorative and reflective parts. I would strongly support electropolishing.

Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
October 5, 2011

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