Chrome elimination
Worldwide Government regulations have imposed a ban on Hexavalent Chrome coming into effect over the next few years.
Gun tube fatigue and erosion have been a long-standing military problem. Modern weapon systems use aggressive munitions. The utilization of highly energetic propellants exposes the gun barrel to elevated temperatures and erosive gasses significantly reducing the life expectancy due to fatigue and erosion. Legacy gun tubes use electrodeposited Chrome as a protective finish on their interior bore surface.
Chrome has fundamental limitations when applied to Gun barrels including: maintaining dimensional tolerances, requiring additional treatment before and after plating, and being very brittle with inherited microcracks.
Chrome is a heavy metal which is deposited onto the gun surface using aqueous electro-deposition, and the Chromic Acid used in the process is a very hazardous substance because it contains Hexavalent Chrome. Hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen which is extremely expensive to dispose of because of its toxic nature. Agencies that plate with chromium currently spend millions of dollars on environmental disposal.