Electroless Nickel Plating – The Accidental De-scovery

During analysis of something else entirely, Brenner and Riddell actually resulted in discovering electroless nickel plating purely by mistake.  It was in 1946 that they noted the additive NaH₂PO₂ actually caused cathode efficiencies of 100% and more, in a nickel plating bath, leading them directly to the conclusion that a chemical reduction was indeed taking place.  Initially, they named this process electrodeless plating, but when the name autocatalytic was adopted the –de was discarded, creating the word electroless which we still use today.  Nearly 70 years later, electroless nickel plating has developed massively in to one of the most substantial sectors of the metal finishing industry, with the coatings being readily available to both engineers and
designers for over half a century.

The Pros of Electroless Nickel Plating (ENP)

• ENP is a high quality, cost effective solution to coat metals like stainless steel.
• ENP can dramatically elongate a components longevity.
• ENP deposits a metal layer of equal thickness all over the surface of a component, despite its shape or size.
• The uniformity of the coating is favoured by engineers working in the industries of defence, healthcare, automotive and aerospace.
• ENP is highly corrosion resistant, so is ideal in harsh environments like the marine, oil, gas and defence industries.
• ENP prevents rust formation from occurring.
• Due to ENP’s corrosion resistance, it reduces the cost and frequency of repairs and replacements needed on stainless steel parts (for example).
• The quality of components coated with ENP noticeably improves.
• ENP acts as a protective layer from wear because it is self-lubricating and therefore reduces the friction of the component in question.
• When a component is EN plated, it is guaranteed not to chip or flake, unlike other substances used as top coats, such as paint or lacquer.
• ENP can be hardened up to 950vhn through the use of heat treatment if substantial friction and wear are issues.
• Pit-free deposits are created using ENP.
• ENP acts as an excellent adhesive to other substrates like aluminium and copper.
• ENP causes components to have a lower percentage of porosity.
• Components are non-magnetic after being EN plated.
• Staining is much less likely to occur once ENP has taken place.

 

Suppliers of Electroless Nickel Plating

us are a Derbyshire, UK, company, who are experts in the process of electroless nickel plating or ENP for short.  If this process is something you or your business would like to find out more about, then please give our friendly and professional team a call , send us an email at or alternatively you can  get in touch with us through our contact page.  Visit our website to find out more about other metal plating services, too, such as diffused nickel plating, copper plating, shotblasting and aqua blasting.

 

 

Electroless Nickel Plating – The Accidental De-scovery

During analysis of something else entirely, Brenner and Riddell actually resulted in discovering electroless nickel plating purely by mistake.  It was in 1946 that they noted the additive NaH₂PO₂ actually caused cathode efficiencies of 100% and more, in a nickel plating bath, leading them directly to the conclusion that a chemical reduction was indeed taking place.  Initially, they named this process electrodeless plating, but when the name autocatalytic was adopted the –de was discarded, creating the word electroless which we still use today.  Nearly 70 years later, electroless nickel plating has developed massively in to one of the most substantial sectors of the metal finishing industry, with the coatings being readily available to both engineers and
designers for over half a century.

The Pros of Electroless Nickel Plating (ENP)

• ENP is a high quality, cost effective solution to coat metals like stainless steel.
• ENP can dramatically elongate a components longevity.
• ENP deposits a metal layer of equal thickness all over the surface of a component, despite its shape or size.
• The uniformity of the coating is favoured by engineers working in the industries of defence, healthcare, automotive and aerospace.
• ENP is highly corrosion resistant, so is ideal in harsh environments like the marine, oil, gas and defence industries.
• ENP prevents rust formation from occurring.
• Due to ENP’s corrosion resistance, it reduces the cost and frequency of repairs and replacements needed on stainless steel parts (for example).
• The quality of components coated with ENP noticeably improves.
• ENP acts as a protective layer from wear because it is self-lubricating and therefore reduces the friction of the component in question.
• When a component is EN plated, it is guaranteed not to chip or flake, unlike other substances used as top coats, such as paint or lacquer.
• ENP can be hardened up to 950vhn through the use of heat treatment if substantial friction and wear are issues.
• Pit-free deposits are created using ENP.
• ENP acts as an excellent adhesive to other substrates like aluminium and copper.
• ENP causes components to have a lower percentage of porosity.
• Components are non-magnetic after being EN plated.
• Staining is much less likely to occur once ENP has taken place.

 

Suppliers of Electroless Nickel Plating

us are a Derbyshire, UK, company, who are experts in the process of electroless nickel plating or ENP for short.  If this process is something you or your business would like to find out more about, then please give our friendly and professional team a call , send us an email at or alternatively you can  get in touch with us through our contact page.  Visit our website to find out more about other metal plating services, too, such as diffused nickel plating, copper plating, shotblasting and aqua blasting.