What is Electroless Nickel Plating?

Electroless Nickel Plating (ENP) is that the deposit of a nickel-alloy coating by chemical reduction – while not the electrical current that’s employed in electroplating processes.

The majority of ENP for engineering functions may be a nickel phosphorus deposit containing a pair of to 14 July phosphorus.

The higher the phosphorus content the larger the corrosion resistance, but the compromise on hyperbolic phosphorus content may be a decrease in hardness.

ENP is deposited by reducing nickel ions to aluminiferous nickel with a chemical agent like metal hydrophosphite. Thickness of 25-75m is common, high phosphorus ENP will edge on top of 75m though this will begin to push the bounds of ENP.

The Benefits of Electroless Nickel Plating

ENP offers glorious corrosion resistance to common corrodents like salt water, dioxide, O and atomic number 1 compound.

High phosphorus deposits of ENP (10-14% phos) is additionally amorphous, which implies that there are not any grain or section boundaries to form initiation sites for corrosion.

The uniformity of ENP versus electrolytic deposits is additionally advantageous, making a uniformly thick coating across the full substrate; even in slots, holes and within walls of conduit.

Without heat treatment corrosion resistant high phosphorus ENP still provides smart hardness and wear resistance properties.

ENP offers value-effective resolution for applications subject to conditions wherever wear and corrosion are factors; extending service life and providing a lower cost different to corrosion resistant alloys, significantly wherever steel suffers localized corrosion; projection attack or weld corrosion.

What are the properties of the deposit and factors touching them?

ENP offers glorious corrosion protection and uniformity of deposit alongside smart hardness. The phosphorus content of the deposit will be altered to best work the appliance.

At Surface Technology our technical team perceive every customers’ application before recommending the optimum phosphorus level – the upper the phosphorus content the larger the corrosion resistance however lower the surface hardness.

Hardness of ENP will be hyperbolic by heat treatment however this produces a microcracked deposit with reduced corrosion resistance.

ENP deposits uniformly, even on complicated shapes, in contrast to electroplating.

What Factors Have An Effect On Plating Quality?

There are many factors touching plating quality and also the majority ought to be effectively managed by your surface finishing partner.

• Surface preparation: Rough, badly machined surfaces with uneven metal surfaces, burrs or cold shuts cannot be effectively plated.
• Cleaning: Surfaces should be free from oils, dirt and soaps shaped by reaction of oils by alkaline cleaners.
• Management of the plating baths: Temperature, pH, nickel particle concentration and hypophosphite concentration all got to be rigorously managed to make sure top quality, consistent plating end is achieved.

Other Key Concerns

When wanting to settle on an acceptable partner for your electroless nickel plating needs it's necessary to visualize for many factors:

• Is grit blasting accessible as a service pre-plating once required?
• Can surface scrutiny be completed before plating?
• Are the chemicals equipped by an authorized ENP product supplier?
• Are ENP solutions created up with demineralized water?
• Is continuous filtration of the bathtub to at least one metric linear unit done alongside air agitation?
• Is bathtub chemistry monitored regularly?
• However often are baths cleaned?
• Is scrutiny disbursed to spare levels?