Decorative chromium plating f rom trivalent chromium solutions is gaining commercial acceptance. The advantages of plating chromium from the trivalent state are numerous, and have been discussed in detail in other articles. One of the major advantages of plating chromium from the trivalent state is the ability to tolerate current interruption, without causing passivation to the chromium plate. This is a major advantage for barrel plating. A review will be given on the history of barrel chromium plating from hexavalent chromium solutions, and what was needed to successfully barrel plate decorative chromium from 8 trivalent chromium electrolyte. Solution composition, barrel design, anode configuration, cathode contact and quality of chromium plate will be viewed.
