HOME FAQs BOOKS JOBS: Help Wanted Suggestions you are here: Hotline/Forum => Letter 3081

Duplex Nickel

What specifically is the difference between nickel plating and DUPLEX nickel plating?

Dave Kinghorn
Chemical Engineer
SUNNYvale, California

"Duplex" in this context simply means "two layers"--traditionally semi-bright nickel followed by bright nickel.

Even in the days before the STEP test, it was recognized that this combination afforded better corrosion protection than a single layer of bright nickel of the same total thickness because the bright nickel corrodes preferentially to the semi-bright so the corrosion spreads laterally rather than perforating through to the underlying substrate. Today, with the STEP test, the potentials of the nickel layers can be closely controlled to optimize this tendency.

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

ANSWER or FOLLOW UP POST an unrelated QUESTION HOT Topics

Disclaimer: It is not possible to diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information
presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The
internet is largely anonymous; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations may be deliberately harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: