Analysis of Chemical Nickel-Plating Process

At present, the nickel-electroplating process is commonly used for a variety of manufacturing applications. In general, electroplating improves a wide range of properties not inherently present in the base material. Nickel plating is a method that has many advantages, namely, it prevents corrosion, improves hardness and strength, increases the wear resistance, and gives the aesthetic view of the products. Moreover, the nickel-electroplating process is often used in industrial applications during joining or brazing. The applied coating increases the wettability of liquid brazing on the surface of base material and improves the quality of connection between different materials. In the paper, we present the results of the analysis of setting for nickel electroplating process. Samples for investigation in the form of tubes with variable diameters were prepared from AMS-5510 austenitic stainless steel. The effects of the procedures of nickel plating and current parameters on the quality of the obtained coatings are analyzed. The uniformity and thickness of the applied layers were verified in randomly selected cross-sectional areas by microscopic observations. At least 100 measurements were performed for each sample. The optimized process parameters made it possible to save 100 sec in the nickel-plating process, independently of the tube diameter. The obtained results have a significant importance in the cost saving and elevation of the productivity of nickel-plating process.