Electroless nickel deposits - Applications

The number of possible applications for electroless nickel deposits is constantly growing. However, many engineers, designers, metallurgists and those responsible for materials selection in the electronics, petroleum, chemical, aerospace and automotive industries, for example, are completely unaware of its performance as a functional coating.

It should be noted that electroless nickel can be deposited regardless of the surface finish of the part to be coated, but the characteristics of the finished part will be affected by this parameter; for example, an excellent surface finish (ground or polished) results in better corrosion resistance.

Pre-treatment on all substrates involves removing grease and oil residues (machining, handling), oxides (corrosion, heat treatment scale) and activating the surface.

The classic sequence is: degreasing (chemical and electrolytic), pickling and/or activation, nickel plating.

Having first outlined the properties of the deposit in the previous article , we have chosen in the following pages to present a number of applications to show how these properties have been used to solve specific problems.

This information should be sufficient to establish cost forecasts favorable to electroless nickel.