Nickle or chrome plating

Nickle or chrome plating

Dear Colleagues and Guests,

I am wondering how many practitioners use chrome or nickle plating codes in
the course of offering orthotic services and in what circumstances. This
used to be a very popular and necessary process to help prevent rust on
cold-rolled or hot-rolled steel components. There were other rust-inhibiting
processes used too, like fish-oil finishing, etc. With today's technology
and materials, I am trying to think where nickle or chrome plating might be
used and am having a hard time trying to visualize a circumstance where I
might use this process today. I have even more difficulty trying to validate
this as a cost effective procedure, given the cost of having parts plated,
versus using stainless steel and modern welding techniques. Am I looking at
this from the wrong angle? Are these codes still hanging around for
occasional usage where plating might still used by some in the field? Or,
are these codes for use to designate rust-prone sidebars that are already
plated? If that is the case, who manufactures plated sidebars?

Even if plating is still a valid procedure, it seems that this LCode would
better serve the profession if it were renamed to signify long term and long
wearing corrosion resistant coatings that are applied for either
rust-proofing or as an anti-oxidation process. This would include other
materials, such as aluminum or titanium, in addition to the rust-prone
materials. Any thoughts about this?

Also, to muddy the waters a bit more, I see the other non-corrosive finish
code, (per bar) as a sandblasted or abrasive brush finish with an acrylic
spray or dip coating that is designed to retard oxidation, not necessarily
prevent it on a long term basis.

Any agreement or disagreement? Thanks for any replies. I'll post replies
without reference to indiviuduals who respond.

Wil Haines, CPO