Chemical Solutions

Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless Nickel is an autocatalytic chemical plating processes that deposits a nickel-phosphorous deposit over zincated aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel and carbon steel.  There are numerous systems with varying performance characteristics.  When selecting an electroless system, here are some things to consider:

  • Phosphorous content requirements – 1-5 is low phos, 6-9 is mid phos, 10-12 is high phos
  • Deposit brightness – deposits can be dull, semi-bright or mirror bright depending on customer requirements
  • Production requirements – mid phos can plate twice as fast on a new make-up
  • Corrosion resistance – 1 mil of high phos should give 1000 salt spray hours, 1 mil of mid phos should give 100 hours
  • Composite coatings – EN Teflon, EN Boron Nitride, EN Diamond
  • Nickel concentration – Reduced Ion technology has nickel at 3 gram per liter instead of 6 g/L
  • Hardness requirements – Rockwell scale is most commonly used

Description

Types of Electroless Nickel

  • Low Phos – excellent high alkaline corrosion resistance
  • Mid-Phos – Low nickel reduced ion systems available
  • High Phos – High speed system available
  • Composite Coatings – Boron Nitride, PTFE (Teflon), Silicon Carbide
  • Alkaline Strike Bath – Protects aluminum and extends EN bath life
  • High Hardness – Rockwell 63 as plated