Chrome plating companies and users of chromium plated parts are investigating alternative processes and materials to chrome plating due to the health hazards related to handling hexavalent chromium and increasing costs incurred to meet more stringent environmental regulations. Ball valves resisted wear better with HVOF- sprayed chromium carbide coatings than those with chromium plating. Typically, tungsten carbide applied by an HVOF coating system is five times more wear resistant than hard chrome plating as measured by a standard, dry abrasive wear test. JP-5000 deposits 25 microns of tungsten carbide with each pass of the gun. Depending on the size of the part, the JP-5000 applies coatings faster and thicker than plating.
Thick coatings are difficult to obtain with plating.
The size of the tank limits the ability of chrome plate to accommodate very large parts, but with HVOF there is no size restriction. HVOF coatings can be sprayed on site thereby reducing the time required to complete certain plating jobs. TAFA Incorporated is a Praxair Surface Technologies company.