Electroless nickel plating (ENP) is a specialist process that uses chemical reductions to add a nickel-alloy coating to the surface of an object.
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Q1. What is the electroless nickel plating process?
The initial stage is referred to as “pre-treatment”. This involves smoothing out the surface, as well as chemically cleaning the object to remove oil, grease, dirt, etc.
The second stage involves using acidic chemicals to remove the oxides from the item’s surface. This is referred to as “activating” the surface.
The third stage is the actual plating itself. The ENP bath is prepared using substances based on individual requirements (it will usually contain nickel cations together with a reducing agent such as hypophosphite). The items are then submerged in the bath for as long as needed to achieve the desired coating thickness.
Q2. What are the benefits of electroless nickel plating?
There are a number of benefits of using ENP to coat items.
Firstly, it is able to achieve an impressive level of uniformity in terms of coating thickness. It can also reach awkward edges and internal places that other methods cannot.
Secondly, the coating that is able to be applied has a significant number of desirable properties including corrosion resistance, increased hardness and resistance to wear and tear.
Thirdly, as the process does not need an electric current, it is regarded as being safer from a H&S perspective.
Q3. What can electroless nickel plating be used for?
ENP is used to coat key components in a variety of industries such as automotive, aerospace, construction, electronics and engineering. Examples include valves, drive shafts, pumps and mechanical equipment.
If you feel you could benefit from electroless nickel plating or would like to learn more, there are a number of specialists in this field, such as poeton.co.uk/standard-treatments/electroless-nickel-plating/, who have useful online resources.
Q4. What factors can impact on the coating quality?
There are a number of factors that can affect the overall coating quality. These include the effectiveness of preparation and cleaning, the overall adhesiveness of the surface and the concentration of the ENP bath.