ELECTROLESS NICKEL (PHOSPHORUS NICKEL) PLATING

Electroless Nickel is a Nickel Phosphorus Alloy, which can be applied to metallic surfaces and also to semi conducting materials to provide coatings, which are of uniform thickness and have excellent chemical and physical properties.

The main applications are engineering products where these products have Intricate shapes and it is important that the coating is uniform.

Electroless Nickel has the advantage that it will penetrate into narrow and blind holes.

The thickness can be controlled to + - 2 microns.

Another big advantage of Electroless Nickel is that as it can plate onto steel, brass, copper, aluminium etc., assemblies made up of components manufactured from different materials can be made to look alike in appearance.

For applications where major requirements are chemical resistance, hardness and resistance to wear and abrasion, Electroless Nickel provides an effective alternative to hard chromium.

Typical applications of Electroless Nickel are high precision components where close tolerance finishes must not be interfered with, such as Scanning Electron Microscope Columns etc., moulds for plastic and zinc base alloy die castings, gauges and hand tools.

On moulds, Resistance to corrosion is provided. On moulds for zinc base alloys the lower thermal conductivity of the Electroless Nickel layer can inhibit premature freezing of the metal to die casting surfaces.

On moulds for glass, a coating of Electroless nickel will prevent sticking and ease release of the glassware from the mould.

On moulds for plastic and rubber, Electroless Nickel can have advantages over hard chromium, in those problems due to hydrochloric acid attack in the coating are avoided.

Electroless Nickel plating provides a technique for the application of a coating which is hard 450-500HV as plated and up to 1100HV after heat treatment and has a high resistance to wear and abrasion.

Typical applications include gears, bearings, crankshafts, pumps, hydraulic cylinders, automotive components including ball studs, transmission thrust washers and different cross shafts on which improved resistance to galling type wear is obtained.

The deposit has good wet ability and therefore tends to hold a Lubricant film better than chromium.