XPROTECT™ is a better Hard Chrome Replacement than HVOF
HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fueled) coatings are promoted as replacements for hard chromium but there are many issues associated with switching to and using HVOF. Xtalic’s XPROTECT™ coating is a better hard chromium replacement. It has the corrosion and wear properties of hard chrome without the expensive equipment required by HVOF. It is smooth and can coat inner diameters.
HVOF is Expensive and Doesn't Have All of the Properties of Chrome Plating
HVOF processes require completely different, and costly, application equipment, the materials are expensive, they cannot coat ID's or non-line-of-sight areas of part geometries and they produce coarse surfaces that must be post-finished.
HVOF Requires Expensive New Equipment
HVOF is a completely different deposition technology than electroplating. Implementation requires investment in costly new process equipment that, additionally, is not readily adaptable for high volume production requirements. Xtalic’s XPROTECT™ family of nanocrystalline nickel-tungsten alloys for functional applications can be used in standard electroplating equipment with one minor modification. This avoids the large capital expenditures for HVOF and the training for implementation while maintaining the proven large volume production capabilities of electroplating processes.
HVOF Limited to Line-of-Sight; XPROTECT™ has Good Throwing Power
The HVOF deposition process is limited to line-of-sight surfaces — recessed areas, internal diameters and such are very difficult if not impossible to coat. XPROTECT™ has good throwing power and can be plated into recessed areas and internal diameters of pipes and tubes using well known electroplating techniques.
HVOF Produces Parts with Coarse Surfaces; XPROTECT™ Produces Smooth Surfaces
In addition, coatings applied using HVOF have coarse surface morphologies that typically require significant post-finishing/grinding to achieve usable wear surfaces. As the deposited material is extremely hard these post-treatments are difficult and costly. XPROTECT™ is electroplated and can produce extremely smooth surfaces. It can actually improve the surface topography (Ra) on which it is applied – thereby minimizing or avoiding the need for post-plate finishing or grinding.
XPROTECT™ is Environmentally Friendly and Energy Efficient
XPROTECT™ is a broadly applicable replacement for Hard Chrome that uses less dangerous materials than hexavalent chrome thereby reducing health, safety and environmental risk. Additionally it is far more energy efficient than even the most efficient Hard Chrome plating processes – leading to significant reductions in power consumption and costs.
Wear and Corrosion Resistance of XPROTECT™ Exceeds Hard Chrome
Xtalic’s family of nanocrystalline nickel-tungsten alloy coatings provide broadly applicable replacement coating for chromium plating at equal and frequently far superior levels of performance. XPROTECT™ coatings provide equal, or better, wear resistance to hard chromium while offering far superior corrosion resistance. In many other industrial applications where chrome is used today the properties of Xtalic’s coatings are technically superior.