Electroplating

Electroplating is using an electric current to apply a plating of a metal to a surface from a solution that contains the plating material.

We're most familiar with this from chrome.

Chrome plating used to be everywhere.

There used to be a chrome shop nearby virtually any place people lived.

Now?

Not so much.

Why?

The chemicals used and the chemicals left over are kind of nasty stuff.  The traditional method of disposing of them, ie dump it out back, became illegal and the legal method of disposing of it is expensive.

Plating of any kind started getting expensive and less common as the margins narrowed.

New processes and chemicals were developed, but demand was reduced because chrome became anathema in car styling (low speed impact standards played a key role here too).

Some processes and plating took longer than others.

Stellite is one of them.

M60 machine guns had Stellite lined barrels and were known for their resistance to wear.  But that lining became impossible for a number of years because the EPA regulations concerning the plating chemicals killed any profitability from doing it.

Like so many things, a new way of doing it was figured out and it's now being used again in the M240!

The exact chemicals and process is proprietary and guarded.

I love how technological need is usually met, despite regulation that should prevent it.