To make chrome coating on plastic is not a simple process, this coating process in industry is not use a chromium plating as usual done on metal or steel. They use vacuum metalizing process on chamber with vacuum pressure. Metal evaporate inside vacuum chamber which then bonds to the desired parts to achieve a uniform metalized layer, like plastic.
Thermal evaporation, known as vacuum metalizing, is the most common process used to apply metal alloys under vacuum pressure. This process have many applied to decorative bright chrome and metalllic finished, highly reflective coatings for light reflectors, heat shielding, vapor barriers and many others.
To do this process, many industrie build a custom tooling fixtures to hold mask parts during the vacuum metalizing and painting process done. For most decorative and reflective application it is necessary to apply a special formulated primer or basecoat to promote adhesion and to provide a smooth surface, assuring a high quality surface for the metalizing or finish paint steps.
All coating is applied by high volume low pressure spray guns by three different methods including, six axis robotic paint cells, automatic reciprocating paint cells, or by hand for low volume and prototypes.
