Find electroless nickel plating including metal finishers, metal plating and more. From chrome plating to nickel coating, you will find the electroless nickel plating service you need. Use the time-saving Request for Quote tool to submit your inquiry to all the electroless nickel plating services and companies you select.
Classic Plating has been specializing in plating and metal finishing services since 1985. Electroless Nickel, Electroless Nickel PTFE co-deposit, bright & matte tin, satin tri-chrome electroplating, cleaning of stainless steel, copper & aluminum, cabinet blasting with various media and nondestructive x-ray testing.
Component Surfaces offers the very best in electroless nickel plating and electroless gold plating. Our capabilities include electroless NiP, electroless NiB, immersion & electroless gold, electrolite gold tin, indium plating and selective plating. We specialize in handling extremely fragile parts.
National Chromium Company has been specializing in metal finishing & metal plating since 1940. We offer hard chromium plating & electroless nickel plating. Our metal finishers can also perform mass tumbling & deburring, and we sell media for these processes. We certify to AMS and MIL specs!
Hi-Tec Plating has been a metal finisher since 1970. We can provide traditional hard chrome plating, as well as electroless nickel plating and chromium electroplating. We offer the latest metal plating technology and inspection equipment. We are ISO 9001:2000 certified with 2 locations to serve you.
Founded in 1946, Sheffield Platers provides metal plating services and metal finishing. Our metal finishers specialize in electroless nickel plating, as well as a variety of metal processes. We can restore antique silver and plate your golf clubs too! We strive to be environment-friendly.
Electroless nickel plating is a process in which a
coating of a nickel alloy (most commonly nickel-phosphorus) is deposited
onto a metallic substrate. This is a procedure that uses heat, which
is directly linked to the chemical reduction of nickel compounds. Unlike
electrolytic coatings, electroless nickel plating is performed without
the use of electricity. Electroless nickel plating also has better corrosion
resistance compared to other coating techniques. Any substrate surface
to which the coating solution has free access is capable of being coated
or plated.
Electroless nickel plating was first reported in 1946 by its accredited
discoverers, Grace Riddell and Abner Brenner. Nowadays, technology and
education have enabled the advancement of the nickel plating process.
Electroless
plating is superior to electrolytic plating in its ability
to coat uniformly. There is also less excessive buildup on projections
and corners. Because of its benefits, electroless nickel plating is a
favorite for coating irregular objects that other processes have difficulty
covering. Products that have already been coated with electroless nickel
can undergo heat treatment in order to precipitate phosphorous from the
alloy, which increases hardness up to four times.
Various nickel deposits are available based mainly on the phosphorus
concentration. Low phosphorus deposits (1-4%) have the ability to be
welded or brazed, and are very corrosion resistant. For applications
where lubricity and heat tolerance are desired, a medium phosphorus concentration
(5-9%) is more beneficial. Maximum corrosion resistance for nickel plating
comes with a higher phosphorus concentration (10-15%). High amounts of
phosphorus add to the deposit’s non-magnetic and excellent ductile
qualities. Another property of phosphorous electroless nickel that makes
it highly beneficial is its ability to adhere to most metals.
Some examples of industries that use electroless nickel plating include
the petroleum, medical, dental, oil, gas, aerospace and automotive fields.
After choosing the deposit best suited for a particular application,
the thickness of the coating should be considered. Coating thicknesses
for electroless nickel plating range from less than .0005 inches to over
.01 inches. Thicker coatings often mean better corrosion resistance and
better wear characteristics. This provided, finding a quality finisher
is crucial in receiving a quality product. With all the advancements
in electroless nickel plating, it is surprising that the exact mechanism
for the deposition remains unknown, due to its complexity.
Types of Electroless Nickel Plating
Chrome plating is a finishing treatment that can be either bright chrome or hard chrome.
Composite coatings
use hard particulate matter mixed with electroless nickel plating chemicals.
Silicon carbides and synthetic diamonds are common types of composite
materials.
Electroplating
is an alternate type of the coating/plating process. Using a low voltage
current, charged nickel compounds are attracted to a substrate’s
oppositely-charged surface; in this fashion, nickel deposits are transferred
through a solution and onto the substrate.
High phosphorous plating
has the best corrosion resistance of any electroless nickel plating
process. It is used in harsh environments, such as oil drilling and
coal mining.
Low phosphorous (hard)
plating yields very good resistance to alkaline corrosive environments.
It also provides uniform thickness, so that grinding after the procedure
is unnecessary.
Medium phosphorous
(bright high speed) plating is a popular form of nickel plating
that has been used over the years. It generates a nice uniform coating
and will not build up on the edges of the substrate.
Metal finishers improve a product’s corrosion and wear resistance.
Metal-plating is the process of depositing a metal or metal alloy onto a surface.
Nickel-boron coatings
are admired for their as-plated hardness, which is greater than that
of nickel-phosphorus platings. The melting point for N-B alloys is higher
than that of N-P, but chemical costs for nickel-boron baths can be up
to 10 times that of the nickel-phosphorus chemicals.
Nickel coating is the process of coating an item with a nickel alloy to prevent oxidation.
Poly alloy coatings
consist of nickel and boron or phosphorus. Other materials, such as
iron, cobalt and tungsten, are also included in poly alloys. Polly alloy
coatings allow maximum corrosion and high-temperature resistance, hardness
and magnetic or nonmagnetic qualities.
Electroless Nickel Plating Terms
Abrasion –
The deformation or wearing away of a surface material due to frictional
forces and/or impact engendered by a nearby body or element.
Activation – The loss of passivity
on the surface of a solid.
Adhesion – The sticking together
or attractive force between two materials in contact. The adhesion that
electroless nickel provides to most metals is excellent.
Alloy – A solid compound consisting
of two or more metals fused together.
Anode – A positively-charged
conductor that attracts nearby free electrons. Anodes are a uniformity
factor for the electroplating process, but not electroless plating.
Base Metal – Metal that easily
oxidizes or dissolves, forming ions.
Bright Dip – A process that
is used to create an extremely bright surface on a metal.
Catalysis – The quickened rate
of a chemical reaction due to a catalytic agent. Catalysts are often applied
to substrates to speed up the finishing procedure.
Coating Thickness – The distance
from the top layer of the coating material to its substrate’s outermost
surface. Common thicknesses for nickel deposits range from .0005 to .001
inches.
Compound – A substance formed
by the chemical union of two or more elements.
Conductance – A metal’s
capacity to transmit electric current.
Corrosion – The deterioration
of a metal due to reaction with atmospheric elements. Nickel plating is
admired for its anti-corrosive qualities.
Density – The ratio of a material’s
mass to its volume. Nickel compounds used for coating purposes typically
have densities in the range of 7.7 gm/cm3 to 8.5 gm/cm3, depending on
the concentration of phosphorus.
Ductility – The ability of
a metal to withstand deformation before finally fracturing.
Electrical Resistivity – The
ability of a material to resist the flow of electrical current.
Eutectic Alloy – An alloyed
material that has a melting point lower than that of each individual element
alone.
Hardness – The resistance of
a material to deformations by indentation. For electroless nickel plating,
common hardness values range from 44 HRC to 59 HRC.
Immersion – The act of submerging
a product. Substrates are immersed into baths containing electroless nickel
plating chemicals.
Ion – A charged atom or molecule.
Oxidation – A reaction in which
electrons are removed from a reactant, usually because of the addition
of oxygen.
Passivity – A decrease in the
corrosion rate of metal, which results from the application of a protective
film such as electroless nickel plating.
Substrate – The material that
is being coated or plated.
Tensile Strength – The maximum
amount of tensile force that can be applied to a material before it is
broken apart. Electroless nickel plating has comparable tensile strength
to many hardened steels.
Topography – The surface features
of a material. Substrate topography affects coating appearances for many
metal products.
