At High Tech Reman, we operate both hard chrome plating and HVOF/HVAF (High Velocity Air/Oxygen-Fuel) thermal spray systems. We use both every week. HVOF is excellent on the right type of component — bushings, sleeves, rigid wear parts, and certain high-heat or high-corrosion applications. But when it comes to mining suspension struts and hydraulic rods, our field experience and customer data point in the same direction: HVOF fails more often than it succeeds.
Where HVOF Falls Short on Suspension Struts
- Base Metal Damage
Removing HVOF coatings is harsh on the steel underneath. Every strip cycle erodes or pits the parent rod, shortening its usable life compared to chrome. - Brittleness Under Flex
Suspension struts flex under massive cyclic loads. HVOF coatings are ceramic in nature — extremely hard, but also brittle. By contrast, hard chrome is metallic and, when applied correctly, forms a like-metallurgical bond with the steel substrate. This allows chrome to flex with the rod under shock loads, while HVOF remains rigid and prone to cracking when the rod bends or impacts. - Proven in the Field
Across multiple fleets we have tracked, HVOF-coated struts crack more frequently than chrome-plated equivalents. Many of these cracks extend through the coating and into the rod itself, making salvage impossible.
The Better Solution: Hard Chrome First, Weld Overlay When Needed
At High Tech Reman, we analyze every rod. Hard chrome plating alone is often the best solution — it provides the right combination of toughness, flexibility, and service life for most suspension struts.
When a rod reaches end-of-life condition — meaning the base material is worn, scarred, or undersized — that’s when we apply our proprietary weld overlay process to rebuild it. Using custom-engineered welding, our overlay system restores the parent steel and prepares it for a fresh chrome finish. These consumables are not off-the-shelf — they’re tuned to deliver:
- Correct hardness for resisting wear
- Necessary flexibility to withstand shock loads
- Reliable fusion and bond strength so the overlay becomes part of the rod, not just sitting on it
After overlay, we finish rods with hard chrome plating — the proven, flexible surface layer that consistently outlasts HVOF in dynamic mining conditions. The result is a suspension rod that performs as long or longer than new, at 60–80% savings over replacement.
The Takeaway
HVOF is an outstanding technology — but not for suspension struts. Its ceramic brittleness and aggressive treatment of base material make it a poor fit for components that must flex, absorb shock, and survive repeated rebuild cycles.
That’s why at High Tech Reman, we don’t just offer HVOF as a default. We apply hard chrome as the first-choice solution, and when a rod has reached end of life, we bring in our proprietary weld overlay with chrome finishing — an engineered approach proven to extend rod life in the toughest mining environments. Many of our customers use this process to convert their suspension struts from HVOF back to hard chrome.
