Letter 26878

Plating onto titanium substrates [Texas] 

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This has been discussed before, however I am still trying to find a viable production method to nickel plate titanium. I know there is a shop in Mass. that nickel plates THEN fuses the plating in an argon filled furnace. He has a proprietary way to accomplish this process. I was hoping someone may know of an alternative method?

Bill Ferree
Coating Manager - Houston, Texas, USA

The ASM Metals Handbook, Vol. 5, gives some suggested prep steps for plating onto titanium--but I would agree that even if you follow them adhesion can be iffy.

I am not familiar with the shop you are referring to, or what they may or may not do, or what they might consider proprietary, or what may be patented,. But it is not a well kept secret that adhesion onto titanium can be improved by baking after striking to allow nickel to diffuse into the substrate; I have heard this countless times over the years of running finishing.com. I think you have the principle right, and now it's a matter of making sure you are not violating a patent, then developing your own diffusion regimen.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

A nickel diffusion heat treatment (HT) is given in ASTM B481 [link is to spec at TechStreet]. It may adversely affect properties of heat treatable alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V. Ideally, one plates onto initially solutionized Ti alloy and conducts the diffusion HT to also serve as the artificial aging (precipitation hardening) HT. After any HT, the surface must be activated before further plating.

Ken Vlach - Goleta, California

Hi,

I have published here on this forum one method for plating on titanium Ti6Al4V with electroless nickel, letter 3503 with this method will show adhesion of 90 Mpa. But with selective nickel plating I have received up to 300 Mpa in a argon filled tent and after that heating in a furnace at 450 celcius degrees.

Regards,

Anders Sundman     surface finishing engineer Sweden

I am not particular as to the type of material applied to titanium - I am simply trying to encapsulate the reactive titanium in order to apply a noble metal plating on top of the flash coating. The initial plating can be nickel, copper , etc. Of course, bond strengths are paramount.

Bill Ferree
- Houston, Texas

Ref book-plating over Ti with very good adhesion after phosphoric acid anodizing. TRIED-nickel sulfamate , silver directly to titanium after sulfuric acid anodizing for approx 30 minutes-chisel test very good.

Good luck

Cair Shishani
aircraft maintenance - Abu Dhabi, UAE

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