Army Program Advances Evaluation of Maxterial's MaxShield™

As Hydraulics Industry Confronts the End of Hard Chrome

BROWN CITY, Mich., May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Maxterial Inc. today announced that the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), the U.S. Army's environmental technology demonstration and validation program, has selected its MaxShield™ coating technology for demonstration and validation as a next-generation alternative to hard chrome coating, a heavy-duty wear resistance coating made from hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺).

While the program is focused on defense applications, its significance extends beyond military systems. The selection underscores a broader industrial inflection point—particularly within the global hydraulics market—where reliance on hard chrome is being challenged by tightening regulation, rising compliance costs, and the emergence of performance-ready alternatives.

Hydraulic systems power equipment across construction, mining, steel production, aerospace, and defense. For decades, hard chrome plating has been the default for protecting rods, cylinders, and components from wear and corrosion, largely because alternatives have struggled to deliver consistent performance under extreme stress and cyclic loading.

That constraint is now beginning to break.

Hexavalent chromium, long embedded across hydraulic and defense supply chains, is classified as a carcinogen and is subject to increasing regulatory scrutiny under OSHA, EPA TSCA, and EU REACH frameworks. The operational burden associated with its use—including safety protocols, emissions controls, waste handling, and long-term liability—has grown materially, transforming what was once a standard material choice into a rising source of cost and risk.

For hydraulic manufacturers and service providers, the implications are immediate. Regulatory timelines—particularly in Europe, where REACH authorization reviews are tightening through 2027 and beyond—are already influencing procurement decisions, maintenance strategies, and customer expectations.

MaxShield™ is field tested and engineered to address this shift directly. The platform eliminates hexavalent chromium and other hazardous substances while maintaining compatibility with existing industrial processes. Internal and third-party testing indicate strong performance across the metrics most critical to hydraulic applications, including wear resistance, corrosion resistance, adhesion strength, and lifecycle durability. Hydraulic parts coated in MaxShield have already been installed in plants.

"From a mechanical standpoint, hydraulic components represent one of the most demanding environments for surface performance, particularly under cyclic loading and high contact stress," said Carlo Mapelli, Researcher at the Department of Mechanics at Politecnico di Milano. "What is becoming increasingly clear is that alternative coating systems can now be engineered to match—and in some cases exceed—the performance of hard chrome in these conditions. That fundamentally changes the risk profile of transition."

The shift is already being validated in real-world operating environments, where performance, uptime, and regulatory exposure converge.

Dayne Thomas, Vice President of Engineering and General Manager of Ohio-based Dover Hydraulics, a Sunsource Company, emphasized the impact on operation costs where every second costs money: "Hard chrome is becoming more difficult to source, with reduced availability, rising costs, and long lead times. In maintenance, time is everything—we're managing downtime in steel mills and large industrial plants where every hour has a real cost. We also handle parts with a wide range of sizes and complex geometries, where chrome can be restrictive. MaxShield's lower dependency on geometry is a major advantage, allowing for faster turnaround and more flexible, practical deployment in the field."

That shift is also being reflected in market behavior, particularly in Europe, where regulatory pressure is accelerating adoption timelines and forcing earlier transition decisions.

Marco Sighinolfi, Chief Technology Officer, Idraulica Sighinolfi, underscored the importance of aligning compliance with enhanced performance: "Beyond the well-known regulatory and health concerns associated with chrome, there are many hydraulic applications where it simply falls short in performance or compatibility. From our testing, MaxShield delivers superior performance and unique capabilities that could position it as a universal solution across the hydraulic industry. This shift has the potential to dramatically simplify the supply chain—reducing complexity in sourcing, inventory, and service, while lowering overall costs."

"Customers are no longer separating performance from compliance—they expect both," said a Managing Director at Silvio Fossa S.P.A. "If a solution cannot meet durability requirements, it is not viable. But if it cannot meet regulatory expectations, it is also no longer viable."

"ESTCP's selection reflects the importance of advancing technologies that can address both performance requirements and environmental challenges within defense systems," said Dr. Mehdi Kargar, CEO of Maxterial. "MaxShield™ is designed to support operational readiness while enabling a broader industrial transition—especially in hydraulics—where the need for safer, more efficient, and more sustainable solutions is already reshaping the market. In the past, we have had early commercial traction in pneumatic systems, in particular shock absorbers, on commercial vehicles.

"This project aligns with ESTCP's mission to identify and demonstrate innovative environmental technologies that address critical DoD requirements," said Dr. John La Scala, Program Manager for Weapons Systems and Platforms for ESTCP.

The ESTCP demonstration project is expected to begin in April 2026, with evaluations spanning multiple service branches and sustainment environments. As validation progresses, its implications are expected to extend across industrial sectors facing similar regulatory and performance pressures, accelerating the transition away from hard chrome in hydraulics and beyond.

About Maxterial
Founded in 2015, Maxterial is an advanced chemical coating and data technology company applying a Silicon Valley–style innovation model to legacy industrial markets. The company commercializes high-performance, sustainable alternatives to outdated, hazardous metal-finishing chemistries, accelerating the adoption of next-generation technologies across regulated and infrastructure-critical sectors. Its patented platform enhances durability, operational efficiency, and lifecycle performance while eliminating toxic substances from industrial processes—bringing speed, scalability, and disruptive thinking to industries long constrained by legacy solutions. For more information, visit https://www.maxterial.com

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SOURCE Maxterial