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Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless Nickel Plating

Nickel phosphorus alloy coatings

Electroless nickel plating (chemical nickel plating) is a procedure that has been used since the 1950s for finishing surfaces with a nickel-phosphorus coating. Apart from aluminum and steel, all other base materials may be optimized with electroless nickel plating. High precision, uniform plating thicknesses - especially when it comes to components with complex shapes - and safety during series production are among the many advantages offered by this process. The dispensability of an external power source makes electroless nickel plating even more interesting.

Aalberts surface technologies is your partner when it comes to electroless nickel plating. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, our factories will finish your components in a highly functional and economic way.

Metal finishing with DURNI-COAT®

DURNI-COAT<sup>®</sup> electroless nickel plating

Our most important method for the functional finishing of metals with electroless nickel plating is called DURNI-COAT®, referred to in short as DNC. Customized to the type of material, processing and use, it protects metal components against wear and corrosion. When it comes to this nickel coating process, Aalberts surface technologies can look back on more than 50 years of practical experience. Every year, we durnicoat more than 350 million components.

DURNI-COAT® nickel coatings are ideal for applications with special requirements. The scope of performance covers everything from chemical resistance to dimensional accuracy and ideal gliding behavior to increased hardness. Below we have summarized the most important coating properties:

  • Excellent corrosion resistance
  • Erosion and cavitation resistance
  • High resistance to wear
  • Elongation at break of up to 2%
  • Uniform coating deposition
  • Good dimensional accuracy
  • Excellent hardness
  • Magnetic properties
  • Joinability / solderability
  • Conductive surface
  • Ideal frictional behavior
  • Good chemical resistance

Our DURNI-COAT® chemical nickel plating process

Electroless Nickel Plating

DURNI-COAT® is applied as a chemical, electroless deposition. The workpiece is immersed in an aqueous electrolyte solution including a defined content of nickel ions. In the course of the process, these ions are reduced to nickel metal. The hypophosphites contained in the solution are the chemical reactants and the suppliers of the electrons required for this purpose. In the course of the reaction, they are oxidized to form orthophosphate. An alloy coating including proportions of nickel and phosphorus forms on the surface of the workpiece. This layer efficiently protects the workpiece against wear and corrosion.

Our versatile DURNI-COAT® electroless nickel plating processes are characterized by uniform and accurate coating depositions, even on geometrically complex surfaces. Edges, recesses, accessible cavities and drillings will thus be evenly coated as well. This is an advantage, especially in comparison with electroplated coatings. The uniform DURNI-COAT® layer allows for narrow plating thickness tolerances: ±10 percent of the required plating thickness are common, whereas the minimum tolerance is ±3μm.

Fields of application for DURNI-COAT® electroless nickel plating

DURNI-COAT® chemical nickel plating is used in many sectors, such as the automotive industry, the chemical industry, the electrical engineering industry, the food industry, the mechanical engineering industry, the textile industry and the area of aircraft construction.

The range of base materials which can be finished with DURNI-COAT® comprises the metals most frequently used in technical applications:

  • All low-alloy ferritic steels
  • Cast-iron materials
  • Stainless steels
  • Non-ferrous metals, such as copper, brass and bronze
  • Aluminium alloys
  • Sintered metals
  • Further materials following previous sample coatings

Standard DURNI-COAT® plating thicknesses

DURNI-COAT<sup>®</sup> coatings

Layer thicknesses of 2 to 5 μm are sufficient when DURNI-COAT® coatings are used as soldering aids. When selecting the DURNI-COAT® variants and layer thicknesses, it is moreover necessary to consider the corrosive environment, the type and quality of the base material and its surface, the tribological system and the required service life.

According to DIN EN ISO 4527, the following plating thickness distribution is common for parts subject to wear and corrosion:

  • Minor stress
    • 5 to 10 μm (when subject to wear)
    • 2 to 10 μm (when subject to corrosion)
  • Moderate stress
    • 10 to 25 μm
  • High stress
    • 25 to 50 μm
  • Extremely high stress
    • 50 μm

Metal finishing with NEDOX®

The NEDOX® electroless nickel plating procedure also involves the application of a nickel-phosphorus alloy onto metal surfaces. This chemical coating contains countless pores created by a series of patented production steps. The controlled diffusion of polymers solidifies the surface. In the final phase of the NEDOX® process, the polymers are fully integrated with the surface. The nickel coating is deposited in a precise and uniform way.

The NEDOX® process creates a hard, smooth and self-lubricating surface with high protection against wear and corrosion. NEDOX® features high chemical stability and comes with lasting non-stick and antistatic properties. There are many variables which can be controlled during the different stages of our NEDOX® process in order to improve different surface properties.

Important properties of NEDOX® coatings

As a leading electroless nickel plating company, Aalberts surface technologies implements different NEDOX® coating variants with individual characteristics. Customized to the requirements of each individual application, the following (combined) properties are paramount:

  • Non-slip properties
  • Resistance to UV radiation
  • Chemical stability
  • Noise reduction
  • Gliding behavior
  • Corrosion protection
  • Coatings that prevent the adhesion of adhesive tape and glue
  • Temperature resistance
  • Wear protection

Fields of application for NEDOX® electroless nickel plating

A versatile product, NEDOX® is often used as industrial coating in the automotive industry, the energy technology sector (oil and gas), the semiconductor industry, the aerospace industry, the pharmaceuticals industry and the area of pneumatics. Some variants of our coating solution comply with the food regulations, which is why they are ideal for components used in the food industry and the packaging sector.

NEDOX® coating is suitable for a great variety of materials, such as

  • low-alloy ferritic steels,
  • cast-iron materials,
  • stainless steels,
  • non-ferrous metals such as copper, brass or bronze,
  • aluminium alloys,
  • sintered metals and
  • further materials, provided that their suitability has been confirmed (sample coating).

FAQ

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