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Costs of electroless Ni and Cu plating

June 10, 2009

Hello,

I wonder about the costs of electroless Ni and Cu plating in comparison to each other. Say we have an identical workpiece and we want to create a layer of identical thickness on it and we neglect the costs/efforts for pre-treatments. Are the costs the just determined by the Cu and Ni-price? This would mean Ni is about 2-3 times more expensive than Cu plating. Is that correct in real life or are there other factors to consider?

Thanks a lot for you help!

Andreas Fischer
RESEARCHER - Sweden

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First of two simultaneous responses -- June 11, 2009

While nickel may be 2-3 times the cost of copper, it is a rather small part of the total cost of plating. Copper may be slightly less expensive, but only by perhaps 10-20%, and that can vary from one shop to another.

Specify the plating which will best suit your needs.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Far too many variables to make such a gross simplification. A great deal depends on the specifications and quality inspections that you call out. Rarely would they be similar.
Competition is a major factor. If you have 5 superior EN platers within 25 miles, it is going to cost less than if there was only one. The same with the type of copper that you specify.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
June 11, 2009

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July 8, 2009

Thanks a lot for your answers!

I was rather interested in the total costs of the plating bath itself, neglecting any personal- or service cost. So lets put it like this: If you compare a electroless Nickel and a Copper bath, which both produce the same total amount/layer thickness of metal, which would be the cheaper one?

Greetings,
Andreas

Andreas Fischer
- Sweden