Electroless Nickel plating

Electroless nickel plating is a reaction that is autocatalytic that deposits a layer of nickel-boron or nickel-phosphorus alloy on the surface of a substrate or solid material like plastic or metal. It is presently being used in a lot of engineering applications due to its strong hardness, protection against corrosion and strong resistance to wear. Electroless nickel coating allows the thickness of the deposit to be controlled for near lenience finish even in most complex geometric shapes. Items in which electroless nickel plating is used In selective plating, there are many techniques of masking whether it is bearing surfaces, blind holes or profound threads or bores. Electroless nickel will meet all your engineering requirements. Electroless nickel plating can be used for different types of plating like barrel plating which has a huge volume of contact pins, small rings, and other small parts. It can also be used for wire plating which has extensive volume and parts of medium size with complex geometries. Electroless nickel is also used in rack plating where the items have complex shapes which include ground springs, connectors, molded contacts, and rotatable connectors. It is also being used in the analytical and in-house laboratory for solderability, X-ray per ASTM B-568, NDT, Atomic absorption and Chemical analysis, and Union per ASTM-B 571. Electroless nickel plating is also used in Hoist Plating where two overhead bridges that carry 500 lbs are connected. The process of Electroless Nickel Plating The process in which electroless nickel plating is added to the surface of a metal involves an autocatalytic chemical reduction. This process involves a chemical bath which deposits a layer of nickel-phosphorus on a metal surface. Electroless nickel plating can even be used on non-conductive surfaces. It can be used on a wide range of base materials. It improves the resistance of the object to galling and leaves uniform nickel coating on parts of high precision which can be ferrous or non-ferrous surfaces of different shapes. ELECTROLYTIC services has been used for over 70 years and provides electroless nickel platings based on applications’ requirement. Depending on the plating or coating material used it delivers results of high quality. Electrolytic Nickel Plating Electrolytic nickel plating requires a DC applied exte ally. The deposit is non-uniform with an extra deposit on the corners and edges of the part. Electroless nickel plating is an alloy which is amorphous of phosphorus and nickel which has less magnetic properties and more resistant to corrosion. It has a lower friction coefficient than an electrolytic nickel. In electrolytic nickel plating, the thickness of the deposit is not uniform. It does not have much resistance to corrosion. Its magnetic properties are variable. Summary Electroless nickel plating is better than electrolytic nickel plating and can be used in a lot of engineering applications.