Electrolytic looping for forming layering in the deposit of a coating
A method for depositing a metal onto a substrate including the steps of providing a plating bath including ions of the metal, positioning the substrate in the plating bath, positioning at least one counter electrode in the plating bath, performing a first electrolytic process for a predetermined first period of time, performing a second electrolytic process for a predetermined second period of time and looping between the first and second electrolytic processes to form a coating of the metal on the substrate.
1 . A method for depositing a metal onto a substrate comprising the steps of:
providing a plating bath including ions of said metal;
positioning said substrate in said plating bath;
positioning at least one counter electrode in said plating bath;
performing a first electrolytic process for a predetermined first period of time;
performing a second electrolytic process for a predetermined second period of time; and
looping between said first electrolytic process and said second electrolytic process to form a coating of said metal on said substrate.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein said metal is chromium.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein said ions of said metal are chromium(III) ions.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein said first electrolytic process is a direct current process.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein said first electrolytic process is a pulse current process.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein said first electrolytic process is a pulse reverse current process.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein said second electrolytic process is a direct current process.
8 . The method of claim 1 wherein said second electrolytic process is a pulse current process.
9 . The method of claim 1 wherein said second electrolytic process is a pulse reverse current process.
10 . The method of claim 1 wherein said coating has less than 50 cracks per centimeter formed continuously through said coating.
11 . The method of claim 1 wherein said first electrolytic process is a direct current process and said second electrolytic process is at least one of a pulse current process and a pulse reverse current process.
12 . The method of claim 1 wherein said first electrolytic process is a pulse current process and said second electrolytic process is at least one of a direct current process and a pulse reverse current process.
13 . The method of claim 1 wherein said first electrolytic process is a pulse reverse current process and said second electrolytic process is at least one of a direct current process and a pulse current process.
14 . The method of claim 1 wherein said first electrolytic process and said second electrolytic process are the same electrolytic process and said first electrolytic process and said second electrolytic process are separated by a predetermined off-time.
15 . The method of claim 1 wherein said coating has a thickness of about 1 to about 100 mils.
16 . The method of claim 1 wherein each of said first and second electrolytic processes deposits a layer of said metal.