Youngstown Hard Chrome Plating and Grinding, Inc.

As one of only a very few companies with the capacity to process large, oversized work-pieces, at Youngstown Hard Chrome, we were selected to plate, polish, and hone the two tensioner cylinders highlighted here for a client in the oil industry. Rather than incur the expense of acquiring two new cylinders, the client contracted with us to apply a corrosion resistant, hard wearing finish to restore cylinders that had worn after exposure to the punishing conditions found on an offshore oil rig.

Problem:
These cylinders featured dimensions of 21” I.D. x 336” in length. We had to carefully manage our equipment assets to handle their massive size. In addition, we had a two-week timeframe to finish the project in order to avoid downtime on the rig.

Solution:
To accommodate the heavy weight and large-scale proportions, we installed two 35’ tanks under two 15-ton hoist cranes. We also integrated eight new high-end rectifiers to provide an ample, steady, and unidirectional flow of DC current. Production involved applying heavy chrome plating built up to a .010” thickness to restore the diameter, improve the surface hardness, and provide a high degree of corrosion resistance. Additional processes included polishing all surfaces and honing to attain dimensional tolerances of ±.002”.

Results:
Critical quality inspections confirmed the surface quality and a uniform, consistent build-up of chrome. Considering the massive scale of these workpieces and the substantial amount of surface area to be examined, it was quite an accomplishment to complete this plating project in just two weeks. The client was very impressed with the quality of the chrome finish as well as the fast turnaround that allowed them to avoid production downtime.

To learn more about this project or our hard chrome plating capabilities, contact us directly.