Session Details

Session 11: Corrosion & Wear Deposit Coatings

Abstract Number:

54

Audience members will learn the benefits of operation of a system ‎controlled steady state operation of electroless nickel baths. By ‎maintaining the by-product concentration in an electroless nickel ‎solution an applicator can achieve consistent, predictable and high ‎quality deposit properties and improve throughput and consistency ‎in their process.‎

Topics:

Corrosion or Wear Deposits/Coatings
General Surface Finishing

Unlike most commercially available electrolytic processes, electroless ‎nickel solutions have a finite operating life which is due in large part to ‎reaction by-product build up in the solution. Consequently the “age“ of ‎an electroless bath can be characterized by the concentration of these ‎by-products. As these species build in concentration not only can the ‎operation of the plating bath be affected, but more importantly the ‎properties of the deposit can change quite dramatically. Some ‎applications that use electroless nickel require very specific deposit ‎properties and therefore require a narrow window of operating age ‎which can be challenging for applicators to meet. ‎

This presentation will serve to illustrate techniques and ‎technologies that can be used to operate an electroless nickel ‎solution virtually indefinitely at a very specific and targeted age of ‎solution. This can help applicators improve deposit quality and ‎consistency and improve yields. Two specific techniques will be ‎compared and contrasted and the advantages and disadvantages of ‎both will be characterized.‎