Easy alternative to hard chrome
Hardide coated ball valve components
Hardide has developed a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) coating that can replace environmentally unfriendly hard chrome plating in the flow control industry.
Dr Yuri Zhuk, technical director of Hardide Coatings presented the new Hardide-A coating at the Valve World 2010 exhibition.
Hard chromium electroplating has long been a trusted industry solution used to extend the life of valves that control the flow of abrasive, erosive and corrosive fluids and gases. However, it is an environmentally unfriendly process that is subject to increasing legislative restrictions in Europe and the United States, which are reducing the availability and increasing the cost of hard chrome.
The manufacturers say Hardide-A matches the standard thickness and hardness of hard chrome and outperforms the material in several key properties including enhanced protection against corrosion, wear and chemically aggressive media. The replacement process is easy as no dimensional changes or drawing re-design is necessary. It is applied by CVD (chemical vapour deposition) which enables the coating of internal surfaces and complex shapes where other coatings such as HVOF, D-gun and PVD cannot be used. No grinding or other expensive finishing operations are required due to the smooth and uniform ‘as coated’ surface. It is easily applied to a wide range of metals including various grades of stainless steel, tool and alloy steels, nickel, cobalt and copper-based alloys, titanium and stellite.
Dr Zhuk commented: “Hardide-A is a technically comparable and better performing alternative to hard chrome plating. It is a clean and innovative technology that can offer a commercial solution to valve manufacturers and end users.”
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