Appliance Design - September 2008 - (Page 43) DECORATION the waste stream. While research difSoliant offers a number of color and fers, there is concern about the matebrushed chrome looks. rial ending up in soil and groundwater. According to the EPA, about half of all Superfund sites, those sites with particularly egregious environmental problems, have excessive levels of the chromium. In one case highlighted by the movie Erin Brockovich, hexavalent chrome was found in the drinking water consumed by residents of Hinkley, Calif. The material, which was used to fight corrosion in the cooling towers of a utility facility, was smoothness before multiple layers of metals linked to cancer and other negative can be applied. A copper layer is often applied health effects in the community. Because of Europe’s restrictions, and com- over aluminum and plastic substrates to propliance issues in the U.S., the number of plat- mote adhesion. Then, up to eight layers of ing facilities has dwindled; an important issue nickel are applied before the chrome is coated for OEMs who outsource their electroplating onto the part. All this can add up to increased needs. This lower capacity is expected to esca- costs to OEM customers. At the same time that traditional chrome late costs for an already costly process. The process can also be time consuming, plating is getting more difficult to use, the creating bottlenecks in production, as raw chrome look has become popular again metals need to be polished and machined to with consumers. Fortunately, new options give designers the opportunity to achieve the high-end look of chrome using environmentally friendly, easyto-use, and cost-effective processes. These alternatives include physical deposition processes that condense chrome alloys on a metal or plastic substrate, decorative laminate films that adhere to multiple substrates, and plastics with a molded-in metallic look. These approaches give the part the look of chrome, and, in some cases, the feel of it. The metal deposition process is probably the costliest process, but best looking option. This process can coat metal or plastic substrates with thin layers of chrome alloys and as the chrome isn’t in an oxidized state — it is not a hexavalent chrome and is not covered under the EU’s directives. With this technology, the manufacturer can achieve the same appearance as traditional chrome plating, even when compared side by side with a traditional electroplated chrome part. In the past, if a chrome-coated www.applianceDESIGN.com AD09084Amer.indd 1 applianceDESIGN September 2008 43 8/13/08 2:59:50 PM http://www.americor-usa.com http://www.americor-usa.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
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