In order to carry out this process for the long term in an ecologically and economically justifiable manner, its consumption of resources must be reduced. In hard chromium plating for example, only some one-fourth of the electrical energy used is directly applied to conversion of the metal layer: the remainder produces only heat.
A resource-saving galvanic hard chromium system realized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Engineering and Automation IPA (Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung IPA) in cooperation with Thoma Metal Finishing GmbH (Thoma Metallveredelung GmbH) triples the degree of energy utilization. For the »Variable-High-Speed Hard Chromium System HCr 21« (»Variable-High-Speed Hartchromanlage HCr 21«), system components for specialized use in the coating of long cylinders were designed and constructed.
The result: through the upgrading of contacts, the geometrically optimized design of the plating bath and an optimized component holder, almost 40 % per square decimeter in electrical energy could be saved during the plating process. In order to utilize the heat loss from the process, a heat pump system and a heat accumulator were built in. This makes it possible to utilize amounts of the deployed energy up to and above 90 % – whereby the usual utilization ration lies nearer 20 %.
On the whole, a distinct improvement in energy efficiency in the hard chromium plating process has been achieved through intelligent power supply, optimized contact areas and extensive measures for heat loss capture. The resource-efficient hard chromium plating system thus contributes to climate protection, avoids or reduces the formation of pollutants and limits the commitment of natural raw materials.
Project Operation:
Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung IPA
Nobelstraße 12
70569 Stuttgart
Telefon 0711|970-1041
martin.metzner@ipa.fraunhofer.de
www.ipa.fraunhofer.de/galvanotechnik
Thoma Metallveredelung GmbH
Achstraße 14
87751 Heimertingen
Telefon 08335|9822-0
info@thoma-metallveredelung.de
www.thoma-metallveredelung.de
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