When Better-than-OEM Is the Only Option

United Surface Finishing is a leading industrial hard chrome plating provider. We take pride in the products and services we offer, and even more pride in the strategies we’ve provided to our clients over the years. You’re seeking superior finish to every part you entrust to us, and we provide that, but there’s more to it. Our staff thinks strategically about product development and unique finishing requests to provide you out-of-the-tank solutions. This strategy doesn’t cost you anything, it’s just how we’re wired to provide a superior product and not simply be order-takers.

Many of our customers throughout the years have asked how United Surface Finishing achieves such an excellent end result. We believe that beyond precision finishing, our technical processes and custom engineering alternatives provide us with a competitive advantage while maintaining the best value in the industry. Consider some of our quality advantages:

Engineered Switch Mode Rectifiers: We use these rectifiers during chrome deposition instead of common power supplies. That delivers a high-quality industrial chrome plating that frequently achieves a better-than-OEM finish.

Full In-House Grinding and Polishing: USF manages the entire lifecycle — including precision grinding between centers, center-less grinding, chrome build-up, and finish polishing that returns parts to within specified tolerances (for most processes).

End-to-End Hydraulic Remanufacturing: Our staff provides expertise in the full repair of journal rebuilding and remanufacturing of most hydraulic cylinders and rods.

Proprietary Alternative Solutions (USF-Excel): When traditional industrial hard chrome plating isn’t the best fit, we offer our proprietary USF-Excel (a low-phosphorus electroless nickel process) that achieves an as-plated hardness of 63 Rockwell C.

Leverage the USF advantage! Get a Quote through our online form, or call 1-800-453-2786 to receive more information about our industrial chrome plating services.

Industrial Hard Chrome Plating

Industrial chromium plating, also known as hard chrome or engineered chrome, is used for working surfaces that require one or more of the following characteristics:

• Reduced friction
• Improved wear resistance
• Increased corrosion resistance
• Chemical Inertness
• Resistance to wetting or galling

Industrial Chrome Vs Decorative Chrome

While industrial hard chrome does provide an attractive finish, it is not to be confused with decorative chrome (such as might be applied to furniture, hub caps, exhaust pipes, bumpers, and wheels). Whereas decorative chrome is intended primarily to provide aesthetic appeal, industrial hard chrome is a rugged and durable plating designed
specifically to resist corrosion and wear.

Industrial chrome plating is very hard, measuring between 66 to 70 HRC. It tends to be thicker than the decorative treatment, but thinner layers are not uncommon. Surface defects and roughness are amplified, because hard chrome does not have a leveling effect.

Substrates for Hard Chrome

Industrial hard chrome plating can be applied to a wide variety of materials (substrates) including:

• Stainless Steel
• Cast Iron
• Aluminum (Ni/Cr Process)
• Copper
• Bronze
• Nickel
• Steel

Have a part not shown in the list above? Contact our sales department to find out if industrial hard chrome plating may still be a good option for your particular situation.

Finishes and Options

• Satin
• Matte
• Ground
• Polished
• Honed
• RA (2 and above)

The above finishes are achieved by special pre-plate processes specific to the customer’s request and application.

Our Production Capabilities

From our state-of-the-art 35,000 square foot facility in Canton, Ohio, we provide plating to customers from across the continental United States. Our production capabilities include:

• ten plating tanks for fast turn-around
• plating capabilities up to 321” in length and 30” O.D.
• flash up to .0005″ thickness (chrome)
• extremely precise tolerances
• small and large parts
• rack
• prototypes
• production runs from 1-1MM pieces

From start to finish, we understand that every step of the production process is critical to achieving the standards both we and our customers expect. That’s why we can also provide pre- and post-plating services upon request, such as abrasive blasting, buffing and polishing, centerless belt-sanding, and stripping. See Extended Services for a complete list.

Extend product life. Improve efficiency.

United Surface Finishing specializes in finishes engineered to significantly extend the life of parts subjected to friction, corrosion, and wear in both OEM and retrofit applications. Serving the greater Midwest since 1957, our staff is comprised of market-leading experts with more than 100 combined years experience with hard chromium, thin-dense chromium, electroless nickel, and duplex plating.