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There are various treatments (like Chrome plating) vendors one of my metalworking clients use--all available in the USA.

They compete by being extremely efficient with their use of labor hours and cutting waste. Just-in-time everything.

I'd be careful to extrapolate your direct experience to indicate trends.

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I speak from experince in chroming. In the USA, hex chrome is insanely expensive, if even still possible under EPA. You may be thinking of tri chrome, which is what you can get here. Everyone outsources now due to this.

Hoenstly, the chemicals are horrendus and chrome's days are numbered in any capacity thanks to new mirror finish water based paint. Even china will soon ban hex chrome process, by proxy if not explicitly.

I'm not a chemist, how will water based paint displace (heh) chrome? I understand the environmental and possibly cost benefits but if it is water based how will it work for exposed surfaces? Will it be used in heavy equipment on hydraulic actuators? I see the benefit of water based paint inside the cylinder where it meets the oil but what about the exposed area?

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