Chromium was discovered in the mineral crocoite, a lead chromate, as early as 1797. Pure chromium is a bluish-white, hard, dilatable and ductile metal. It is widely used to produce steel with resistance to corrosion and heat. Because of their special characteristics, chromium compounds are also used as mineral paint. The metal derives its name from this type of use: “chroma” means colour in Greek.

Why ATC thin dense chromium coating?

It is common knowledge that external influences lead to the alteration of a surface. Metallic surfaces that come into contact with flowing surfaces are changed through a process of cavitation and erosion, for instance. Surfaces of moving counter bodies change through tribological damage, cold welding and wear.

How does ATC differ from hard chromium?

The surface of conventional chromium coatings is usually characterised by the presence of many cracks. These cracks make hard chromium coatings that are bonded to a base material, usually steel, less resistant to corrosion. Unlike conventional chromium coatings, an ATC coating has a typically cone-shaped surface. Depending on the base material and the pretreatment and finishing treatment used, an ATC coating may be deposited completely free of cracks, thereby providing a surface that is particularly resistant to corrosion. Chrome also has very low wettability, a characteristic that enables it to repel aqueous media from its surface, enhancing resistance to corrosion even further.