CTMA Project #: 142219
Problem: Across the United States, maintenance facilities are under pressure to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances, such as hexavalent chromium (Cr6+). Traditional chromium plating releases a mist of highly corrosive droplets that poses a risk to process operators. It is imperative that both the Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial maintenance industries quickly find an alternative approach that prioritizes their workers’ health while minimizing the costs and time needed to successfully implement the transition.
Solution/Approach: The overall objective of this initiative is to continue to refine and evaluate the deposition conditions required to apply functional hard chrome coatings from a commercially available REACh compliant trivalent chromium chemistry. This initiative will focus on converting the hexavalent chromium plating process to a new trichrome process that aims at addressing the cracking issues of prior techniques.
Benefit: The project will benefit the DOD and commercial industries by giving them an alternative manufacturing process to the potentially carcinogenic hexavalent chromium technique currently used. The new processes tested and lessons learned during this initiative can help commercial maintenance industries make the necessary transition to safer work practices.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Reduce negative environmental impact
- Increase health and safety of operators
- Decrease maintenance and sustainment costs
DOD Participation:
- AMCOM G-4 Environmental
- Technology Provider and Testing
- Corpus Christi Army Depot
- Aviation Engineering Directorate
- U.S Army Research Laboratory
Industry Participation:
- ES3, Inc.
- NCMS
