Nickel Plating

Nickel is a silvery-White metal with a satin to bright luster and a slight trace of a gold colouring. As it is also a hard metal with a high endurance to wear, nickel, when used in nickel plating services and combined with various levels of phosphorus, is often applied as a base layer for its levelling and smoothing characteristics and ability to provide greater wear and corrosion resistance. By applying nickel uniformly as a coating to the surface of another metallic substance, it can fill up holes, recesses and cavities and does not build up on edges and provides resistance by electrolytic metals to base metals from being attacked such as cyanide copper or silver. Nickel electrolytic & electroless plating can be used for aesthetic purposes, as its brightness can enhance the appearance of a surface that would otherwise be dull. Nickels ductility is dependent on the type of nickel plating used. For your Nickel Plating requirements, Manideep has facilities for nickel plating (Electrolytic & Electroless) both small and large parts in various sized barrels and racks, along with custom and prototype metal finishing.

Thickness Grades:

Electroless Nickel- Engineering Purposes

Resistance to wear and abrasion are the main uses of electroless nickel plating in engineering applications. When there is a need to provide protection against corrosive chemical environments or building up of undersized or worn parts, heavy deposits of electroless nickel plating may be used with the thickness of the deposit clearly specified.

Note: As electroless nickel plating finishes become brighter, they become harder and less ductile. Bright electroless nickel plating finishes are not recommended if parts are intended for flexure applications or will be bent or crimped in manufacturing operations subsequent to electroless nickel plating.

MIL-C-26074, MIL-P-27418, MIL-QQ-N-290, ASTM-B254, ASTM-B733, ASTM-B689, AMS-2403, AMS-2404, AMS-2405, AMS-2423, AMS-2424, AMS-C-26074, AMS-QQ-N-290

Mil Spec-QQ-N-290, Nickel Plating (Electrodeposited) describes several classes and thickness grades.

Classes:

Corrosion protective plating, 2. Engineering plating

Thickness grades

0.0016 inch, 0.0012 inch, 0.0010 inch, 0.0008 inch, 0.0006 inch, 0.0004 inch, 0.0002 inch

The use of these class and thickness grades provides a standard nomenclature for developing our specifications for you that are tailored to your nickel plating requirements.

Electroless Nickel- Corrosion Inhibitor

Electroless nickel plating is effective in resisting corrosion and wear and protecting copper, iron and zinc alloys due to the highly micro-crystalline structure of nickel. Its ability to level out and fill the pores of base metals also make it an excellent undercoat for the precious metals by reducing the amount of the precious metal required so that the electroless nickel plating meets performance specifications. This makes nickel plating best for industrial, rural or marine environments depending on the thickness of the nickel coating.

Specifications

Medium and High Phosphorus Content

A chemical reaction mechanism that does not require electrical current is used in electroless plating of base metals. This enables the metal deposit to not be governed by flux density fields which tend to be non-uniform and can result in uneven thicknesses of the deposits. Improved leveling and hole-filling are accomplished by electroless plating systems which makes them ideal as a first layer for almost all other electroplated finishes. Electroless nickel plating is also excellent at preventing corrosion depending on thickness and phosphorous content and has hardness and internal stress levels at the mid-range of all nickel systems. Professional Plating provides both mid-phosphorous and high-phosphorous electroless nickel plating and so plating systems specifications should be clearly defined in situations of part flexure or bending.

Sulfamate Nickel Plating

Sulfmate nickel plating produces a dull finish, which is better for engineering applications than decorative ones. However, of all the nickel plating systems, it the lowest hardness, lowest internal stress and highest ductility. This last characteristic enables it to be best used in applications where part bending or flexure, such as crimping, might occur. Finally, sulfamate nickel plating has good resistance to corrosion and excellent solderability.