Chromium parts. Chromium parts in Moscow. Chromium plating in St. Petersburg

Make your car attractive and bright - the dream of most car owners. To do this, many resort to such a process as chrome parts. This design allows you to change a specific part of the machine, for example, a body, emblem or attachments. The features of this process we will consider in this article.

When is it required?

In industrial conditions, chromium is used to make the metal surfaces harder and more durable. In terms of car design, this procedure is necessary to give it protective and decorative properties. In addition, chrome parts are the guarantee that the machine will be protected from corrosion and oxidation and will generally be more reliable in operation. Along with vehicles, chrome plating can be exposed to sanitary ware, furniture fittings, interior details and various souvenirs. However, most often the car is chrome plated.

Process Features

Chroming of car parts is the possibility of its significant transformation, especially if you apply, for example, on the body of airbrushing. The surface after the application of chromium will be brilliant, bright, attracting attention, and therefore many believe that they have just bought a car. Thanks to this, in general, a simple process is possible to give your machine an interesting appearance and at the same time to increase its mechanical strength. It is noteworthy that until recently it was possible to create a surface specifically for the color of chromium, whereas today new technologies have appeared, respectively, and the color of the machine can be any.

The chrome plating technology of parts assumes that the concrete part of the machine is subjected to painting. For example, it is ridiculous to chrome the whole car, since the mirror surface of the body is simply not safe for the driver. But when some details of the machine shine, it looks winning and interesting. Today there are several technologies for applying chromium:

1. Film.
2. Electrochemical.
3. Catalytic.

Film

The most reliable method of chromium plating is a film. It is applied simply, while the consumption is very small, and therefore this method is considered economical. Due to the wide color range, it is possible to give your car almost any appearance. It is important that the film can be easily removed, while it will reliably protect the factory painting from various damages.

Electrochemical method

The most expensive method is electrochemical, since special equipment is required for chrome plating of parts, while masters must have special skills. To give the surface a fashionable effect, you will first need to apply a rough layer of metal, for example nickel, and then the chrome is directly applied by electrolytic deposition. To make the part more wear-resistant, it will also be necessary to chrome the upper layer, albeit without a metal sub-layer.

Catalytic chromium plating

The third method is catalytic chromium plating, when several layers of a special liquid are applied to the surface of the part, in which there are no acids. That is, it is absolutely safe for a person to work with her. A feature of the catalytic method is that it is possible to make a coating with an unusual effect. In addition, this chromium-plating makes it possible to work even with flexible parts, which in the electrolytic process is impossible, since the coating will peel off.

As an add-on

In order to obtain the chromium effect, it is also possible to carry out the treatment with chrome using a special paint. The essence of the process is as follows:

1. On the surface of the car, which must be previously prepared, first apply a black paint a thin layer.
2. After it dries, the surface is thoroughly polished, then degreased and heated by hot air. These measures will allow a new layer of paint to "lie down" on the surface.
3. Now you can apply the paint "under chrome", which contains the smallest particles of aluminum.
4. The surface should dry, after which it is again polished, and then it is given a certain texture with the help of various tools.

Today chrome parts in Moscow are performed in more modern ways. So, the prepared surface is first treated with a primer, for example, automobile lacquer class HS, which has a special pigment. Thanks to it, glare is created on the surface, and the adhesion of the composition to the metal becomes better. Such a varnish is an excellent base for directly coating chromium. On the primer layer chromium paint is sprayed, due to which a mirror effect is created. To avoid the appearance of haze and dull spots, specialists use a distiller. The final layer is a protective coating of the HS class, in which special colored pigments are added - they give the surface of the details the effect of steel or gilding.

Independent work

Every car enthusiast wants to make his car special not only in terms of color choice, but also design in general. At the same time chrome parts by themselves - this is quite an affordable event, most importantly - to have the necessary materials and tools. For chromium plating you will need to stock up:

• Good atomizer;
• A thermal fan or a hairdryer;
• Automotive paint - black and chrome reflective;
• Polishing compound;
• Means based on alcohol.

The order of work will consist of several stages. First you need to prepare the surface for applying the paint - for this, we clean it well from the old coating, we grind it. We spray the surface primer with a black paint using a sprayer, while first protecting against the ingress of glass and parts that we are not going to paint. Now we wait until the paint dries.

Chroming the details with our own hands assumes that we will make the parts mirror and shiny. To do this, you must first polish the surface, then clean it and degrease it with tools that do not contain alcohol. Using a hair dryer or a heat fan, heat the space that needs to be painted. Chromium paint will be applied with a spray gun, it is important to spray it well and evenly. We are waiting for complete drying in an enclosed space. Now our task is to polish our details to a mirror shine. In this work, the chromium process can be considered complete.

Surface preparation requirements

Chroming of parts is a process consisting of several operations, which in a complex allow to give the car an individual look. In this case, technological processes are performed in a certain sequence:

• First, the surface is mechanically treated (polished or polished);
• The surface needs to be washed with organic solvents that remove grease;
• Holes are sealed, those areas that are not chrome plated are insulated.

Before coating the surface, the part is first processed depending on the class of purity that is specified for a particular component. The essence of mechanical processing is reduced to removing from the surface all nonmetallic inclusions, cracks, deep risks, and chrome just differs in the ability to remove such defects well. If there are holes on the surface, they must be covered with a material before chrome plating, which will be resistant to chromic acid.

Removing dirt from the workpiece, remember that steel elements with thin walls can not be degreased in the cathode. In such cases, the use of anodic degreasing or degreasing by chemical means is advisable.

Restoration of details: chrome-plating for help!

A feature of the chromium process is that it can be used and, if necessary, to increase the wear resistance of parts. For example, restoring parts by chrome plating Is produced for those elements that are subjected to mechanical wear during operation. In addition, wear-resistant chrome plating helps to restore the dimensions of worn parts, and also to correct parts whose dimensions have been changed during machining. In such coatings, the thickness of chromium is a maximum of 1 mm. To achieve maximum effect, you should choose solid materials as the main layer. This is particularly useful for those parts that will be used at high specific loads.

Chrome plating of plastic

Plastic and any other dielectric is chrome plated as the final layer of a multilayer decorative protective coating. It is noteworthy, but chromium plating of plastic parts can significantly increase their resistance to corrosion and at the same time make the surface stronger. Whichever method of chrome plating is selected, it is important to properly prepare the surface of the plastic. First it needs to be processed by grinding, after which the etching is performed. Several methods can be used for this. Thus, the universal composition for etching consists of chromic anhydride, orthophosphoric and sulfuric acid. However, for some types of plastics, special composition may be required. So, for the etching of polystyrene, a combination of chromic anhydride and sulfuric acid is necessary. And the parts made of PTFE should be treated with a composition of sodium and naphthalene.

After the etching of the plastic is performed, it is necessary to metallize or apply a heat-conducting layer. This can be done in two ways. The first involves the application of a graphite-containing varnish or powder, which conducts a current. In the second method, chemical copper is applied. To make the heat-conducting layer stronger, a coating of "tightening" copper is applied. Already after this, chromium plating of plastic parts is carried out.

Galvanic method: what's special?

Galvanic chrome plating of parts today is widespread, as this coating is wear-resistant, hard, durable, resistant to chemical and thermal environments. It attracts this method of chrome-plating motorists and in that it allows to keep the coating aesthetic for a long time. Galvanic chrome coatings are used in several cases:

1. In the production of reflectors, projectors, mirrors, since the coating has high reflective properties and is inferior only to silver and aluminum in these indices.
2. If you need a coating that meets the protective and decorative tasks.
3. If you need to restore the dimensions, which allows you to extend the life of parts and return them to their original size.
4. If necessary, increase the life of important parts for the mechanisms.

The thickness of the galvanic coating depends on the conditions under which the parts will be used. For example, if the worn dimensions are restored, the thickness of the layer will be approximately 500 μm. If you want to make the parts more durable and wear-resistant, then the thickness of the chromium layer can be 9-60 microns.

How is galvanic chromium plating done?

The quality of the chrome coating will depend on the mode in which it was applied. During this process, oxygen is actively released at the surface of the anode, and hydrogen is released at the cathode. To form a coating on the inside of the parts, it is important to install additional anodes. Moreover, they must be installed so that they do not interfere with the escape of gases.

In some cases it is advisable to form a protective layer with a high level of heat transfer. In this variant, it is best to use black chromium plating: it will create a stable and reliable coating, while retaining its properties even with temperature changes. If you want to remove a poor-quality galvanic coating, a chemical or electrochemical method is used for this.

Chrome plating of parts in Moscow

The prices in the services of Moscow and St. Petersburg for these services vary. Most companies offer a wide range of services - from galvanizing and galvanizing to anodizing and nickel plating. In this case, not every company costs the preparation of the coating is included in the cost of chrome plating in general. In addition, the final price depends on how much material and what shape and size was spent. On average, in a car workshop the cost of work is from 500 rubles. Up to 700 rubles. For a detail measuring 10 x 10 cm. In other companies, the price for processing a plot in 1 dm ² starts from 150 rubles. Depending on the thickness of the coating. Additional processing (grinding, surfacing, polishing, garnovka) is paid separately. Some companies in St. Petersburg emphasize that they do not perform galvanic coating, for example, motorcycle bumpers, headlamps or silencers. This is explained by the fact that it is cheaper to buy the part itself, rather than give it an updated look. As for prices, in St. Petersburg chromium is offered on average for 15,000 rubles: that is, some specific part of the car with the material will be processed. A painting of the car will cost approximately 200,000 rubles. In Moscow, a car will be covered with a film for about 30-50 thousand rubles, and a certain detail of the car interior will be covered, on average, for 2000 rubles, one detail.