Lead-free anode not only for hard chrome

The new environmentally friendly hybrid anode can do both: it not only benefits the environment, but is also the key to being able to electroplate even complex, 3D-printed components with a high degree of precision.

Lead or lead alloys are often used as anode materials in hard chrome plating due to their high chemical resistance and favourable price. However, lead is classified as toxic to reproduction and hazardous to health and has therefore already been included in the REACH candidate list. For this reason, alternative anode materials such as platinised titanium or stainless steel are used in individual applications. However, this has not proved to be a really convincing solution due to the high costs involved. Also, the complexity of the anode mould cannot be increased with these materials in order to achieve a more precise coating.

Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH, a non-university research organisation, and  S.P.T. surface plating technology have developed a new type of lead-free hybrid anode. By combining two materials that are harmless to health and environmentally compatible, the critical lead could be substituted. The newly developed hybrid anode has a core that is produced using additive manufacturing processes. The polymer core was metallically coated using thermal spraying. The new coating shows no signs of cracking, not even in the transition area between the coated and uncoated surface. In a service life test, it was demonstrated that both the stability and the layer thickness of the hybrid anode have not changed after 36 days of operation.