3. Outlook

Nickel plating, which is seeing its horizon darken as regards its use as an undercoat or coating for materials that could come into contact with users' skin, is now increasingly used in the mechanical and electronics industries, where these risks are limited. Competition with electroless nickel plating is strong, but electrolytic nickel plating still retains its operating characteristics, making it an easy-to-use and economically very competitive process.

The wide range of deposit characteristics obtained, depending on the formulation and deposition conditions, make this surface coating indispensable in many applications, including :

• as an undercoat to increase corrosion resistance;

• as a levelling, high-gloss coating for decorative applications;

• for...