High Velocity Coating (HVC)
For decades, there was nothing better than chrome plating to protect metal components from scratches and corrosion. Chrome produces a smooth, polished coating with a hardness that resists scratches and a surface too smooth to allow corrosive materials to get an easy foothold.
Good as it is, chrome has its drawbacks. The plating process requires a supply of hazardous chemicals that pose significant environmental risks. The finished product has a surface that resists scratches and corrosion better than normal steel.
Electroplating leaves microscopic cracks that will eventually allow corrosive chemicals to penetrate and damage the surface.
Metallurgists working at Caterpillar began looking into a different method. They felt a powdered metal alloy could be heated to a molten state and sprayed at high pressure onto a metal surface to provide a coating superior to chrome.
Our metal experts at Empire Precision Machining heard about Caterpillar's experiments and joined the project in its early stages. We worked closely with Cat for years to perfect the process we call HVC, for High Velocity Coating.
The HVC process uses none of the hazardous chemicals needed for electroplating and it creates a surface with none of the cracks typical of chrome coatings. The HVC surface is ideal for hydraulic rods and other exterior metal-on-metal applications. The surface actually has microscopic dimples that hold oil to produce superior lubrication.
Empire is the only HVC operation in the Western United States. For more information about HVC, click here.
Good as it is, chrome has its drawbacks. The plating process requires a supply of hazardous chemicals that pose significant environmental risks. The finished product has a surface that resists scratches and corrosion better than normal steel.
Electroplating leaves microscopic cracks that will eventually allow corrosive chemicals to penetrate and damage the surface.
Metallurgists working at Caterpillar began looking into a different method. They felt a powdered metal alloy could be heated to a molten state and sprayed at high pressure onto a metal surface to provide a coating superior to chrome.
Our metal experts at Empire Precision Machining heard about Caterpillar's experiments and joined the project in its early stages. We worked closely with Cat for years to perfect the process we call HVC, for High Velocity Coating.
The HVC process uses none of the hazardous chemicals needed for electroplating and it creates a surface with none of the cracks typical of chrome coatings. The HVC surface is ideal for hydraulic rods and other exterior metal-on-metal applications. The surface actually has microscopic dimples that hold oil to produce superior lubrication.
Empire is the only HVC operation in the Western United States. For more information about HVC, click here.
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