Chromium Replacement: METTEX 6
Dr. Wenhua Hui

Company & METTEX history:

• Shining Surface Systems Inc. was founded in 1997 to promote new premium coatings invented by Dr. Wenhua Hui.
• 2 patents pending on METTEX product series
• Currently developing a fully automated precision manufacturing processes, using METTEX plating to replace precision grinding

Background and History (I): The Advantages of Chromium Plating

• Bright
• Hard
• No discoloration
• Stable at atmospheric conditions
• Long preservation of the luster

Background and History (II): The Disadvantages of Chromium Plating

• Poor Uniformity
• High current density requirement
• Low current efficiency
• High production costs
• Environmentally hazardous plating process

Background and History (III): The Danger of Chromium Plating

• Chromium ions cause cancer
• Still more strict EPA emission standards:
  - From 0.05mg/m³ to 0.015mg/m³

Existing Chromium Replacements

• All other Chromium replacement coatings have crippling limitations
• Sn-Co and Sn-Ni have only half of the wear resistance of Cr
• Ni-P, Ni-B, Ni-Mo-P, Ni-Cu-P, Ni-Co-Ti-B and Co-W-B have low deposition rate
• Ni-Co-B plating requires constant monitoring by automatic systems and pulse power supply

What is METTEX 6?

• A kind of chromium replacement plating
• A Ni-Fe-Co alloy:
• Nickel based solid solution 
• Containing iron (Fe) and cobalt (Co)
• Intermetallic compound: Ni₃Fe and Ni₃Co

METTEX 6 vs. Chromium (I)

METTEX 6 vs. Chromium (II)

METTEX 6 vs. Chromium (III)

METTEX 6 vs. Chromium Plated Rotogravure Cylinders

• The life span of a rotogravure cylinder can increase substantially
• 15 minutes to plate 43 micrometers at D_k 8A/dm²
• For a typical cylinder, it takes roughly 1/10th of the time
• The sample we demonstrated here (at the conference) took 8 minutes
• Unlike Cr, no polishing is needed after plating

METTEX 6 Process and Application

• METTEX 6 is Ni-Fe-Co alloy, unlimited, economical supply
• No constant monitoring and analysis required during the plating process
• Existing Cr tanks can be converted easily
• Reduced waste disposal
• Simple and economical waste treatment

Simple steps to Convert existing Cr Plating Tanks to METTEX 6 Plating Tanks

• Change the chromium solution to METTEX solution
• Change the anodes
• METTEX 6 plating uses DC power

METTEX 6 Waste Water Treatment

• Can be discharged with simple ion neutralization  and exchange 
• Zero discharge: wastewater can be recycled back into service circle with very limited amount of sludge
• The EPS requirement for Ni allowed in the wastewater disposal is 0.5mg/m³

Why is METTEX 6 so Superior (I)?

• METTEX 6's excellent properties are largely the result of its microstructure
• Its nickel based solid solution contains iron and cobalt.  It is an amorphous matrix containing microcrystals
• The grain size of the matrix is 2.5 nm approximately

Why is METTEX 6 so Superior (II)?

• Many finely intermetallic compound Ni3Fe and Ni3Co, about 10nm in size, are dispersed in the matrix
• Superior corrosion resistance are caused by METTEX 6's amorphous structure
• Outstanding wear resistance are largely the result that is intermetallic  compound, which are hard particles

Appendix I:
Hardness Comparisons at Room Temperature:

Appendix II:
METTEX 6 Hardness at Various Temperatures:

Appendix III:
METTEX 6’s Wear Rate

Appendix IV:
METTEX 6 Friction Coefficient

Appendix V:
Corrosion Resistance

Conclusion

• METTEX 6 produces better quality than Cr plating
• METTEX 6 is safe and economical to use
• METTEX 6 plating can use existing chromium facilities

Availability

• Available immediately:
• we will do the conversion process for exiting Cr plating tanks
• We will provide the proprietary additives for the METTEX 6 solution

Pricing 

• Negotiable and reasonable
• No more expensive than chromium plating