Electroless solutions have the advantage of producing coatings which have a very high degree of uniformity. This means that electroless nickel is ideal for plating complex shapes and can be used effectively to salvage parts that have been mis-machined. It also allows worn components to be recycled.
Electroless nickel deposits vs electrolytically-applied coatings
Electroless nickel deposits are chemically applied using an autocatalytic immersion process which does not use an electrical current.
This is much different from electroplating, which depends on an external source of direct electrical current to produce a deposit on the substrate material. Because the electrical current cannot be evenly distributed throughout the component itself, it is hard to obtain a uniform deposit with electrolytically-applied coatings.
Electroless nickel is often chosen above electrolytically applied coatings because of its ability to coat irregularly shaped, highly detailed parts with complex geometries. The completely uniform deposit thickness is perfect for achieving close dimensional tolerance capabilities.
If you would like to find out more about using electroless plating as an alternative to electroplating, call us , email us at or visit the contact page on our website to make an enquiry.