Advanced Hex Chrome-free Surface Technologies for Corrosion Protection

Hexavalent chromates set the benchmark for corrosion protection for a number of industries and they are

essential for the safety of current Aerospace products. However, EU REACH legislation has tightly restricted the

sale and use of these chemical substances which creates a business continuity threat to the UK and EEA supply

chains. One key technology is chromate conversion coatings (CCC) that are essential for the protection of

aluminium components. While there are a number of proposed alternatives on the market, previous work has

identified these to be unsuitable.

A consortium has been brought together in order to develop and industrialise CCC alternatives to ensure that

they meet stringent requirements set by the Aerospace industry. The lifetimes of these hex-chrome

technologies will be measured using advanced methodology so that they can be safely introduced into

Aerospace products. Furthermore, the new technologies will be available for the entire UK supply chain to use,

including for other industries such as medical, automotive, oil and gas.