Electroless nickel-plating is a fairly new method of plating that uses electricity to deposit an even coating of nickel on a flat or curved surface. The actual process is rather simple, and there are many different methods, materials and power sources available for electroless nickel plating. Nickel itself is a very strong and ductile metal, which lends itself perfectly to this particular plating method. Many metals can be used as a base metal for electroplating; however, the nickel within the metal usually causes a higher resistance to the application of the plating agent. This means that the amount of plating agent used in the electroplating process depends largely on the strength of the base material.
Electrolysis has long been used as a way of plating, but because it generates a lot of heat when conducting current, it has recently become obsolete. Instead of using the heat generated by electrolysis, electroplated nickel fixtures use a direct current, which provides a much safer and less damaging alternative. Another option is to use a conductive solution. The only downside to this is that it does not offer as wide a plating area as an electrolysis process would. Another problem is that these solutions are costly and are not as common as electrolysis.
Nickel coated plating is not new and has been around for some time. It first became popular as a way of protecting railway tracks from corrosion by zinc. Today, it remains one of the most popular forms of plating. It is important to use a profession company such as Poeton to have your items put through the Electroless Nickel Plating process.
