Meeting the Demands for Black Electroless Nickel

It is a common fact in the metal finishing industry that the plating service can actually be accomplished without the introduction of an electric current into the plating solution. There is an alternative to the traditional electroplating service that is known as electroless plating; this is a process of depositing a metal on the surface or another metal known as the substrate using an autocatalytic reaction. There are a few advantages of the electroless plating process that include the ability to achieve a more even coating on the surface as well as a greater flexibility that allows for easier achievement of the desired thickness in addition to the ability of the bath solution reaching holes and other hidden places.

Electroless nickel plating has for a long time been a most popular option because of nickel’s ability to provide excellent protection against wear and corrosion. There are different types of electroless nickel plating processes that include low phosphorous that provides for some uniform thickness for any complex configurations and superior protections against any alkaline environment. When medium phosphorous is used, which is the most common type of electroless nickel plating it provides for situations where brightening of the substrate will be required and a high phosphorous nickel solution the provides for the highest level of resistance against corrosion; this is mainly preferred in acidic environments such as what is found in oil drilling and mining.

However, in the recent times, there has been an increasing demand for black electroless nickel plating and there are a few good reasons for this kind of demand; one of them is the easier identification of parts or when you want an enhanced aesthetic appeal. There is only very few NADCAP metal finishing companies that can achieve a suitable black electroless nickel plating process with many other companies trying and failing in the process. It should be noted that it takes a high level of experience to get a commercially viable black electroless nickel plating service that can meet the strict requirements of today’s industrial operations.

It is an open secret that meeting the demands of the finest black electroless nickel plating process is a demanding challenge, consumers must take the time to interrogate that plating experience of the company they are going to get the service from. Superior black electroless nickel plating is not a walk in the park which is why only a few companies have been able to achieve the feat. There are industries such as automotive, solar and the aerospace that all have a need for the said black coatings especially in order to meet the requisite energy and light absorption properties. Black electroless nickel plating can easily be blackened to meet the demand for 100 percent light absorption while still offering the high-level corrosion protection demanded by the industries.