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51025
Electroless plating?
January 21, 2009
I recently encountered a customer that requested their products to
be electroless Nickel platied. Firstly, what is the difference
between electro-plating and electroless plating. Anyone that is
experienced please help. Thank you.
Jeff Wong
manufacturer - Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

First of two simultaneous responses -- January 23, 2009
Electroless nickel is done without a power supply by using a high
temperature and a strong reducing agent.
It is considerably more expensive to run, but has a large number of
desired outcomes.
It requires good training to efficiently operate the tanks, or the
solution dies prematurely. 6 - 10 tank turnovers is common. This is
where you have replaced the nickel and other materials 100% ---6 to
10 times. some people get more and some people get less. Rapid heat
up and rapid cool down are requirements, but high surface temp of the
heater will cause the nickel to plate out on it.
Lots and lots of things to learn about it before jumping into getting
rich quick (which you will not because competition will follow)
James Watts
- FL
Second of two simultaneous responses -- January 25, 2009
Since its invention some 50+ years ago, electroless nickel has
been gaining commercial acceptance and success. It consists of a
solution of a nickel salt, (mostly sulfate though there are
specialized fomulations that use other salts), a reducing agent which
acts as a donnor of electrons (frecuently sodium hypophosphite) and
other constituents that act as stabilizers (to avoid spontaneous
chain reaction and decomposition), buffers, brighteners, heat, etc.
It does not require an external current to plate, so is not governed
by electric laws. It is often called autocatalitic or chemical
nickel. Its deposits are generally nickel alloys containing some of
the elements used to reduce it. Deposits produced with hypophosphite
contain from 4-12% P, are harder than electroplated nickel, heat
hardenable and solderable. Their main advantage is the ability to
uniformly plate complex geometries.
Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
January 26, 2009
Dear Jaff,
Kindly see diff, as below.
Electro Plating - Done in presence of electric current method,
coating done by positive pole and negative pole.
Electroless plating - Coating done by chemical reaction without
giving any kind of electricity power to the plating bath.
Kunal Goda
- Rajkot (Gujarat) - INDIA
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