Nickel electroplating

Nickel electroplating

Nickel electroplating is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of nickel onto a metal object. The nickel layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, wear resistance, or used to build-up worn or undersized parts for salvage purposes.[1]

Contents

Overview

Nickel electroplating is a process of depositing nickel on a metal part. Parts to be plated must be clean and free of dirt, corrosion, and defects before plating can begin.[2] To clean and protect the part during the plating process a combination of heat treating, cleaning, masking, pickling, and etching may be used.[1] Once the piece has been prepared it is immersed into an electrolyte solution and is used as the cathode. The nickel anode is dissolved into the electrolyte in form of nickel ions. The ions travel through the solution and deposit on the cathode.[3]

Types and chemistry

Watts

Watts nickel plating baths can deposite both bright and semi-bright nickel. Bright nickel is typically used for decorative purposes and corrosion protection. Semi-bright deposits are used for engineering nickel where a high luster is not desired.[4][5]

Chemical Name Formula Bright[4] Semi-bright[4]
Nickel sulfate NiSO4·6H2O 20–40 oz/gal 30–40 oz/gal
Nickel chloride NiCl2·6H2O 8–20 oz/gal 4–6 oz/gal
Boric acid B(OH)3 5–7 oz/gal 5–7 oz/gal

Nickel sulfamate

Sulfamate nickel plating is used for many engineering applications. It is deposited for dimensional corrections, abrasion and wear resistance, and corrosion protection. It is also used as an undercoat for chromium.[6]

Chemical name Formula Bath concentration[3]
Nickel sulfamate Ni(SO3N2)2 40–60 oz/gal
Nickel chloride NiCl2·6H2O 0–4 oz/gal
Boric acid B(OH)3 4–6 oz/gal

All-chloride

All-Chloride solutions allow for the deposition of thick nickel coatings. They do this because they run at low voltages. However, the deposition has high internal stresses.[3]

Chemical name Formula Bath concentration[3]
Nickel chloride NiCl2·6H2O 30–40 oz/gal
Boric acid B(OH)3 4–4.7 oz/gal

Sulfate-chloride

A Sulfate-Chloride bath operates at lower voltages than a Watts bath and provide a higher rate of deposition. Although internal stresses are higher than the Watts bath they are lower than that of an all-chlorine bath.[3]

Chemical name Formula Bath concentration[3]
Nickel sulfate NiSO4·6H2O 20–30 oz/gal
Nickel chloride NiCl2·6H2O 20–30 oz/gal
Boric acid B(OH)3 4–6 oz/gal

All-sulfate

An all-sulfate solution is used for electro-depositing nickel where the anodes are insoluble. For example, plating the insides of steel pipes and fittings may require an anode.[5]

Chemical name Formula Bath concentration[3]
Nickel sulfate NiSO4·6H2O 30–53 oz/gal
Boric acid B(OH)3 4–6 oz/gal

Hard nickel

A hard nickel solution is used when a high tensile strength and hardness deposit is required.[3]

Chemical name Formula Bath concentration[3]
Nickel sulfate NiSO4·6H2O 24 oz/gal
Ammonium chloride NH4Cl3 3.3 oz/gal
Boric acid B(OH)3 4 oz/gal

Black nickel

Black nickel plating is a typically plated on brass, bronze, or steel in order to produce a non-reflective surface.[7] This type of plating is used for decorative purposes and does not offer much protection.[1]

Chemical name Formula Bath concentration[7]
Nickel ammonium sulfate NiSO4·(NH4)2SO4·6H2O 8 oz/gal
Zinc sulfate ZnSO4 1.0 oz/gal
Sodium thiocyanate NaCNS 2 oz/gal

Applications

Decorative bright nickel is used in a wide range of applications. It offers a high luster finish, corrosion protection, and wear resistance. In the automotive industry bright nickel can be found on bumpers, rims, exhaust pipes and trim. It is also used for bright work on bicycles and motorcycles. Other applications include hand tools and household items such as lighting and plumbing fixtures, wire racks, and appliances.[4]

Engineering nickel is used where brightness is not desired. Non decorative applications provide wear and corrosion protection as well as low stress build ups for dimensional recovery.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c QQ-N-290A
  2. ^ MIL-P-27418
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i http://www.substech.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=nickel_electroplating
  4. ^ a b c d e http://www.pfonline.com/articles/pfd0015.html
  5. ^ a b NickelElectroplating.pdf
  6. ^ http://www.balesmold.com/sulfamate.htm
  7. ^ a b MIL-P-18317

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