NICKEL PLATING SERVICES
ProPlate’s dedicated new product development team supports new medical device projects from concept through commercialization through our proven process roadmap.
ProPlate® has a library of solutions for a wide range of parts and industries. We are always pleased to take on new challenging projects and expand our Nickel Plating Services.
Nickel
…is a silvery-white metal with a satin to bright luster and a slight trace of a gold coloring. Being a hard metal, Nickel, combined with amounts of Phosphorus, is often used as a base layer for plating for its leveling and smoothing characteristics and ability to provide excellent wear and corrosion resistance. Applying Nickel can fill up holes, recesses, and cavities and does not build up on edges. The ductility of Nickel depends on the type of Nickel being used for plating.
For your Nickel Plating requirements, ProPlate® has both Electrolytic & Electroless Nickel plating services; for large and small parts in various sized barrels and racks, and with custom and prototype metal finishing.
Specifications
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.
Thickness Grades
- 0.0016 inch
- 0.0012 inch
- 0.0010 inch
- 0.0008 inch
- 0.0006 inch
- 0.0004 inch
- 0.0002 inch
Class
- Corrosion Protective Plating
- Engineering Plating
The use of these classes and thickness grades provides a standard nomenclature for developing our specifications for you that are tailored to your Nickel plating requirements.
Watts Nickel per QQ-N-290A
Watts Nickel is an electrolytic plating bath system that can creates both bright and semi-bright deposits. Our SuperBright™ process uses watts Nickel to provide a decorative and bright finish as well as abrasion and corrosion resistance according to thickness, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion. However, its relatively low tensile strength and hardness and relatively high internal stress make it inappropriate for engineering applications where some flexure or bending may occur.
Electroless Nickel – Engineering Purposes
Resistance to wear and abrasion are the primary 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 electroless nickel plating deposits may be used with the thickness of the deposit specified.
Electroless Nickel – Corrosion Inhibitor
Electroless Nickel plating is effective in resisting corrosion, 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 makes it an excellent undercoat for 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.
Medium and High Phosphorus Content
A chemical reaction mechanism that does not require an electrical current is used in electroless plating base metals. This enables the metal deposit not to be governed by flux density fields which tend to be non-uniform and can result in uneven thicknesses of the deposits. Electroless plating systems improve leveling and hole-filling, making 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, so plating systems specifications should be clearly defined in part flexure or bending situations.
Sulfamate Nickel Plating
Sulfamate Nickel plating produces a dull finish; this is better for engineering applications than decorative ones. However, all the nickel plating systems have 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.
