Tewkesbury Diamond Chrome Plating is pleased to announce some exciting news regarding our Chromefree project. We have now completed the 3rd quarter of the project and are fast approaching the final stage.

Project Manager Andrew Burt states, “[the project] is an opportunity to further our experience and credentials in research and development. There is a clear need to develop a CrVI (hexavalent chrome) free replacement for conventional hard chrome, as EU REACH legislations restrict the usage of certain SVHCs (Substances of Very High Concern) – CrVI is one of these substances.”

In summary, we have found that nickel coatings prove to be tremendously corrosion resistant. These preliminary results are very positive, and we are confident that the process works. Nickel coatings could be extremely useful in environments such as offshore, where salt (chloride) readily attacks chrome plate, or within applications such as pumps for corrosive substances. Click here to read the full report.

It will be interesting to discover where Q4 takes us. The project has been extremely interesting and rewarding so far, and it is looking likely that our aim to find a hexavalent chrome free alternative to chrome plate could be achieved. Watch this space for our final report…

You asked, and we listened! Here at Tewkesbury Diamond Chrome Plating, we have been working hard to create a more user-friendly website for our customers. We are delighted to announce that our new website is now live.

It has been a challenging time for TDCP since part of our factory was destroyed by a fire back in January 2018, with the rebuild of the anodising hall continuing until June 2019. We’re now back with a vengeance, and we hope our new website reflects our dedication and expertise in the surface engineering field.

Our new site is easy to navigate, whilst still containing vital information about our surface finish offerings. The home page features a much more simplistic design with high-quality imagery, and a user-friendly navigation bar. You can now find everything you need at just the click of a button.

What do you think of our new website? Please get in touch if you require any form of surface engineering support – we would be happy to help.

TDCP is delighted to announce the successful re-accreditation of its NADCAP status for Chemical Processing.

The NADCAP accreditation is a significant achievement, given to only the very best companies operating in the global aerospace supply chain. NADCAP audits are completed by industry experts and include a rigorous technical process, in order to assess total compliance to customer requirements and industry regulations.

We are really pleased to have been recognised for our hard work in Chemical Processing. If you require any form of surface engineering, please get in touch with us here at Tewkesbury Diamond Chrome Plating today.

Chromefree Project Manager Andrew Burt from Tewkesbury (Diamond Chrome) says of the project “it is an opportunity to further our experience and credentials in research and development and we are looking forward to the challenges of leading this exciting project. Hard chrome plating is a common engineering coating which is reliant on hexavalent chrome. There are many alternative surface engineering coatings however, combination of low friction, high hardness corrosion resistance and relatively low cost has not been matched. There is a clear need to develop a CrVI (hexavalent chrome) free replacement for conventional hard chrome as EU REACH regulations restrict the use of certain SVHCs (Substances of Very High Concern) of which CrVI is one.”

Substances of Very High Concern are those substances which have been identified under EU REACH regulation as requiring restriction of use as the first step towards restriction of use as a chemical. Thus there is there is a current need to replace technologies reliant on materials featuring on the list. CrVI is currently widely used in electrodeposited coatings and features heavily on the SVHC list. Engineering coatings contribute ~£10.8Bn to the UK economy. Surface engineering is a key activity in the production of high value components and the downstream goods which depend on them are estimated to be worth ~£140Bn, 10% of UK GDP.

The project which is concentrating upon depositing a nickel coating impregnated with nano particles to enhance wear and hardness properties is anticipated to last 1 year. The project consists of a consortium of academic institutions Leicester University and TWI Ltd as well as other interested collaborators from industry including aircraft bearing manufacturer NMB Minebea UK and J C Bamfords and Weir Group. Tewkesbury (Diamond Chrome) are leading the project and the lead scale-up process and technology demonstration.

The project is now in it’s third quarter and is being scaled up and by the end of the year TDC will be in a position to start coating parts from other industrial partners as well as other interested parties for benchmarking against hard chrome and other coatings. Pictured is Adeoye Thomas presenting TDC’s 2nd quarter report at the recent quarterly meeting held at TWI in Rotherham.

Back in January 2018 Tewkesbury Diamond Chrome Plating (TDCP) experienced a devastating fire to part of its factory.

Despite the obvious damage, the real challenge for TDCP was to continue trading whilst the factory was rebuilt. Working closely with the building contractors (E G Carter & Co Ltd ) an ambitious schedule was agreed, allowing TDCP to plan ahead and expand into the renovated parts of the factory as they became available, ensuring they were able meet their customer’s needs.

After a challenging 18 months, the factory was officially reopened in June 2019 and TDCP celebrated the official opening with all of their employees and the project team from E G Carter & Co Ltd.

George Todd, Director at TDCP said, “After a difficult time in our history I am proud to say we are back up and running, stronger than ever, and I would like to express my personal thanks to all our staff and the project team at EG Carter for all their hard work and patience. The new anodising hall looks amazing and serves as a reminder to us all of what can be achieved by working together. I would also like to thank our customers for their understanding and support during this time.”