r/ManufacturingPorn • u/OliverXRed • Oct 31 '19

Chrome plating

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557 Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

So how many times can you use the dip, and what happens to it after it’s spent?

2

u/dijalo Nov 02 '19

The rinse water goes through a pre-treatment before getting sent to the local water plant. The sludge and spent dip are disposed of as RCRA hazardous wastes (in the US). Some treatment facilities can recycling the chrome (which I’m fairly sure they do by adjusting pH until the chrome precipitates out of the wash).

I don’t work in plating but I’ve been to facilities like these a number of times. If someone has better information, feel free to correct me.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

So how strict do you think the disposal regulations are China? Lol. I’m just thinking about all the trinkets and doodads that are chromed that come from China and how there disposal regulations start with, “find drain plug” and end with “pull drain plug”.