electroless nickel plating

Shield Against Harsh Operating Environments

High-Phosphorus Electroless Nickel Plating is an advanced coating process where a nickel-phosphorus alloy with 10–13% phosphorus content is uniformly deposited onto various substrates, including metals and plastics. This chemical process is distinct from traditional electroplating as it does not require an electric current. Instead, it uses a water solution containing nickel salt and a phosphorus-containing reducing agent, typically hypophosphite salt, to achieve an autocatalytic reaction. This results in an even metal layer on the substrate, regardless of its geometry.

This nickel coating ensures uniform thickness across all part surfaces, a crucial aspect for components with complex shapes including grooves, slots, and internal cavities. The coating thickness is precisely controllable, catering to applications ranging from thin films for electronic components to thicker layers for corrosion resistance and part salvage.

A Strong Defense Against Corrosion

The Armoloy Corporation continues to help manufacturers worldwide in safeguarding their precision applications with our High Phosphorus Electroless Nickel coating.

The high-phosphorus content confers several key properties to the nickel coating. Due to its exceptional corrosion resistance, it makes the coating highly suitable for components exposed to aggressive or corrosive environments, like those found in oil and gas extraction and coal mining. The hardness of high-phosphorus coatings can exceed 55 HRC, indicating significant durability that rivals the hardness of most heat-treated tool steels. Notably, the structure of these coatings changes with phosphorus concentration. With more than 10% phosphorus, the coating becomes amorphous, as opposed to coatings with less phosphorus that have a microcrystalline structure. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of the coatings diminish as the phosphorus content increases, with coatings having more than 11.2% phosphorus being non-magnetic.

The porosity of the coating decreases with higher phosphorus levels, which in turn enhances its hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. These features make high-phosphorus electroless nickel plating an ideal choice for extending the life and performance of components used in harsh environments, where reliability and longevity are paramount.

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Armoloy High-Phos Electroless Nickel Highlights

High corrosion resistance
Good surface hardness
Enhanced release
Thicker deposit available for tool salvage/repair
Can be combined with TDC for enhanced wear resistance
Uniform coverage of complex geometries
Compatible with most ferrous and non-ferrous metals
Semi-bright appearance

Proven applications

Applying high phosphorus electroless nickel can improve the long-term performance of applications within the following industries, as well as many others:

Plastic Injection Molding
Machined Components
Pumps & Compressors
Food Processing & Packaging
Automation & Linear Motion
Oil & Gas Extraction
Medical
Aerospace
Nuclear

Certifications

Fisher General Specification FGS 8B7, Electroless Nickel Coatings
Fisher General Specification FGS 8B10, Electroless Nickel Coatings
Aerospace Material Specification SAE AMS2404, Plating, Electroless Nickel
Aerospace Material Specification SAE AMS2403, Nickel Plating General Purpose
MIL-C26074 Military Specification, Coatings, Electroless Nickel, Requirements
Aerospace Material Specification SAE AMS2405, Electroless Nickel Plating Low Phosphorous

Performance Characteristics

High Phos Electroless Nickel by the Numbers

10-13% Phosphorus content
Deposit range of .0001” to .003” (2.54 to 76.2 µm)
Up to 67Rc hardness with heat treatment
Corrosion resistance tested per ASTM B-117
Up to 67% reduction in coefficient of friction

Low processing temperature, <200°F (93°C)
Thermal conductivity 0.010 (Cal/cm/sec/°C)
Max working temperature of 400°C (752°F)
Electrical resistivity 75 - 110 (µOHM-cm)
Coefficient of thermal expansion 8 - 10 µm/m/°C

High Phos Electroless Nickel

Features & Benefits

High corrosion resistance

Amorphous nature of deposit eliminates potential for intergranular corrosion

Ductile and malleable

Retains good high temperature properties

Provides long-lasting protection

Against corrosion, even in harsh environments

Improved acid resistance

Suitable for chemical processing industries, resisting a wide range of chemicals

Reduced porosity

Prevents substance seepage, crucial for hygiene food processing applications

Solderability and conductivity

Easily soldered and provides good electrical conductivity

Hardness

Electroless nickel hardness can be increased with heat treatment, making it suitable for hard surface requirements

Lubricious characteristics

Some electroless nickel processes integrate lubricious particles, further decreasing the coefficient of friction

Can be applied in a cost-effective manner

Saves manufacturing costs while still providing high-quality protection

Shiny and reflective finish

Enhances the appearance of the metal

Good wear resistance

Enhanced durability in high-friction applications by reducing wear and tear

Easily applied onto other metals

Including steel, aluminum, and copper

The Science Behind High Phos Electroless Nickel

Armoloy’s Electroless Nickel plating delivers a uniform, hard, and phosphorus-rich nickel alloy coating across a variety of substrates. This innovative plating process, devoid of electrical currents typically used in electroplating, involves the autocatalytic chemical reduction of nickel ions. The result is a consistent, even layer of nickel-phosphorus alloy that significantly enhances surface properties.

This carefully controlled plating process results in a high-quality, durable nickel coating that maintains the integrity of the original dimensions of the components while providing excellent corrosion resistance in harsh operating environments.

Beyond its formidable shield against corrosion, our Electroless Nickel coating imparts a moderate 46Rc hardness to surfaces, further elevating their resistance to wear. Moreover, this coating emerges as a cost-conscious solution in combating corrosion, offering the flexibility of removal and reapplication, aligning with the dynamic needs of diverse applications.

Additional Metal Treatments

Explore All Products

Nickel

Mid-phos Electroless Nickel Coating

For intricate applications susceptible to corrosion, our mid-phosphorus Electroless Nickel coating offers precise, uniform coverage for long-lasting preservation.

Nickel

Nyflon – Nickel Teflon®

A co-deposit of electroless nickel and PTFE (Teflon®), Nyflon is the gold-standard for applications requiring increased corrosion resistance, hardness, and lubrication.

TDC

Nodular Thin Dense Chrome

Our thin dense chrome plating reduces the wear, friction and corrosion of components with a nodular finish.

TDC

Microcracked Thin Dense Chrome

Microcracked thin dense chrome plating offers a proprietary chemistry of pure chromium that increases both hardness and wear resistance.

TDC

Nodular Diamond Chrome XADC

For applications with particularly high wear rates, Diamond Chrome XADC provides a superior option to alternative metal surface treatments.

TDC

Hybrid Coatings (Bi-Protec)

Bi-Protec Nickel Chrome Plating—a combination of our high phosphorus electroless nickel coating with an overlay of Armoloy TDC® or XADC®. Bi-Protec's additional layer provides the best combination of wear and corrosion protection.

TDC

ME-92 Biocompatible Chromium

Biocompatible chromium medical coating, known as ME-92, brings high-precision medical industry solutions throughout the world.

TDC

Microcracked Thin Dense Chrome For Aluminum

AL-COAT ensures premium protection for aluminum alloys by providing a high-chromium coating that is also both dense and non-magnetic.

Passivation

Citric Passivation

Natural and eco-friendly. Citric passivation uses a non-electrolytic finishing process to help industry manufactures worldwide enhance corrosion resistance.

Passivation

Nitric Passivation

Nitric acid passivation is an effective method for increasing the longevity of stainless steel materials.

Services at Armoloy

The Armoloy Corporation is here to support your project from the discovery phase through a successful production launch. Whether coatings are considered during the initial part design phase or a necessity due to product failure in the field, our team can support your needs at any point in the process.

Research & Development

Fully equipped R&D plating lab for test runs, prototyping, and continual development of our plating technologies. Our turnkey approach ensures high-quality outcomes for your project.

Process Engineering & Validation

Support from design to product launch with coating selection, prototyping, testing, PPAP validation, and plating production on any scale. We also support a range of ASTM and AMS test methods with a NADCAP-certified laboratory.

Fulfillment

Armoloy ensures the development of a robust plating process that can be distributed to one of our 16 plating facilities. We’ll handle prototyping, process validation, and much more.

How Metals Fail

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Some of the most common metal failures include:

Armoloy’s different metal coating solutions help industries avoid costly metal failures and unplanned downtime.

Intergranular Corrosion

Rolling Contact Fatigue

Uniform Corrosion

Stress Corrosion Cracking

Erosive Wear

Chemical Resistance

Erosion-Corrosion

Eliminate metal wear and friction from your operations. Meet our group of curious, innovative engineers and learn how we can help improve your industry with science-based solutions.

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