electroless-nickel

RoHS Compliant – MIL-C-26074 & AMS-2404
AMS-C-26074, ASTM B-733, ASTM-B-656

Metal Finishing

Specialty Process

Information

Certifications
ISO 9001:2000/
AS9100 Rev B
NADCAP Certified

Electroless Nickel Plating For Longer Wear & Corrosion Resistance

What Is Electroless Nickel?

As the process name implies, an Electroless Nickel deposit is not the result of a standard electroplating process, but rather the result of a chemical reaction that deposits a coating of Nickel and Phosphorous on this surface.

An Autocatalytic Chemical Reaction

The reaction is autocatalytic: once it starts, the presence of nickel acts as a catalyst to keep the reaction going. Deposit thicknesses can range from a few microns to 100 microns.

Phosphorous Content Categories

Electroless Nickel deposits are divided into three categories, based upon Phosphorous content.

  • Low Phosphorous 1-3%
  • Medium Phosphorous 4-9%
  • High Phosphorous 10-13%

Hi-Tech offers Medium Phosphorous content Electroless Nickel.

Unique Properties Of Electroless Nickel Deposits

  • Because the deposit is the result of a chemical reaction, uniform deposits are obtained over all surfaces.
  • The Phosphorous content makes the deposit somewhat self-lubricating.
  • As a general statement, the lower the Phosphorous content, the higher the as-deposited hardness. However, the lower the Phosphorous content, the lower the corrosion resistance.
  • All Electroless Nickel coatings can be hardened by heat treatment after deposition. Nickel Phosphide forms through a process known as precipitation hardening.

Our Specialization: Plating Electroless Nickel On Aluminum

Hi-Tech Plating specializes in plating Electroless Nickel on Aluminum. Medium Phosphorous deposits are utilized to impart wear and corrosion resistance to the Aluminum for the electronics, aerospace and medical industries. 

Electroless Nickel Specifications

Hi-Tech Plating specializes in the MIL-C-26074 electroless nickel plating process as well as AMS-2404, AMS-C-26074, and ASTM B-733, ensuring the highest quality results.

Interesting Facts About Electroless Nickel

    • The first patent on Electroless Nickel plating was granted 1916. However, Brenner and Riddel are generally credited with publishing the first article on practical Electroless Nickel plating in 1946. Since then, all other developments have essentially been refinements of their initial process with the basic chemical reactions remaining the same.
    • Nickel-Boron is another commercially available form of Electroless Nickel that has found limited use for special applications only.
    • Electroless Nickel can be plated onto metallic powders.
    • Electroless Nickel can be co-deposited with Teflon and other particles to produce unique coatings.
    • In addition to Nickel: Copper, Silver, Gold, Palladium, Tin, Indium, Iron and Cobalt have all been chemically deposited, but only Copper is run commercially.

    Call us today at 1-617-389-3400 for a speedy quotation on your metal finishing project.