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Q: Is it true that nickel plating on a tin-plated base is effective in preventing metal diffusion into electronic components such as contacts and connectors? A: Yes, it is effective. For example, by placing a nickel plating between copper plating and tin plating, the nickel plating can act as a barrier to prevent copper diffusion into the tin plating.

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Q: Is it possible to silver plate an 8m busbar? A: It is possible depending on the conditions. Our proposal for silver plating on an 8m busbar for a large plant was adopted by our customer. However, due to it being a super-large project and a bidding competition worldwide, unfortunately, the customer did not proceed with the order, so the plating using our proposed method was not realized. If there are any projects, please let us make a proposal.

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Q: What are the applications of silver plating? A: Silver plating has excellent properties and is used for decorative items with a beautiful silver-white color, electrical components (conductivity, solderability, bonding properties, high-frequency characteristics), and takes advantage of its excellent thermal conductivity. It is also used for preventing galling in screws and bearings due to its lubricating properties. In terms of chemical properties, it is also adopted in products that utilize its high antibacterial properties.

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Q: Is there a plating that is cheaper than silver and has good conductivity? A: While it has lower conductivity compared to silver, we recommend copper plating, which is the next best metal for conductivity. Our company also offers discoloration prevention treatments that do not reduce solder wetting properties.

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Q: Please tell me about hard silver plating! A: Hard silver plating is a process where organic additives and metal salts are added to silver plating solution to increase the hardness of the deposited plating film. The hardness of the hard silver plating film is suitable for products that require conductivity and wear resistance, such as electrical contact components. Our company primarily focuses on standard silver plating, although we do offer industrial applications as well.

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Q: How thick can silver plating be applied? A: Generally, silver plating can achieve thicknesses of several hundred micrometers, but regardless of silver plating, the risk increases as the plating thickness becomes greater, leading to greater variability in the thickness of the plating film. We can suggest the optimal plating thickness based on your application and purpose, so please feel free to consult with us.

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Q: How does the conductivity of silver plating compare to pure silver? A: Since the silver plating is made of almost pure silver, the conductivity of both silver plating and pure silver is nearly the same.

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Q: Is it true that silver plating is optimal for contact parts that are brazed with brass and silver? A: By silver plating contact parts that are brazed with copper alloy and silver, it is possible to achieve a uniform appearance while maintaining the conductivity and contact resistance of silver, so it can be said that silver plating is optimal.

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Q: Can silver plating be done in matte, semi-gloss, and glossy finishes? A: Silver plating can be done in matte, semi-gloss, and glossy finishes. However, the hardness of the silver plating film changes depending on the gloss level. It is softer in matte and harder in glossy. (Our measured values: Matte 79.1HV, Glossy 217.0HV)

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Q: Can silver plating be done with barrel plating? A: Yes, barrel plating can be done. The size of the products that can be silver plated depends on the shape and base material, but we can accommodate products as small as about 2x2mm. The size limit is approximately up to products the size of a thumb to an index finger. Please feel free to consult with us.

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Q: Is there any electroless nickel that does not contain phosphorus? A: In addition to nickel-phosphorus alloys, there are electroless nickel platings such as nickel-boron alloys, nickel-tungsten alloys, and nickel-phosphorus-boron ternary alloys.

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Q: What materials can electroless nickel plating be applied to? A: Electroless nickel plating can be applied to solid materials. However, it is generally applicable to steel, copper alloys, aluminum alloys, zinc alloys, and plating-grade plastics.

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Q: Please tell me about electroless nickel-Teflon plating, which is said to be smooth and have high lubricity! A: Electroless nickel-Teflon plating, also known as lubricating plating or lubricating nickel, is a plating that co-deposits PTFE within an electroless nickel coating. It combines the properties of the electroless nickel coating with the lubricity and water-repellent characteristics of PTFE, making it widely applicable to sliding components, gears, and more.

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Q: Is it true that electroless nickel-boron (Elp-Ni-B) plating is effective as an alternative to hard chrome plating for molds? A: Electroless nickel-boron plating can achieve a hardness of 600-700 HV without heat treatment, which makes it a potential alternative to hard chrome plating for molds. However, the coating is closer to pure nickel and does not possess the same characteristics as hard chrome plating, so it goes without saying that thorough consideration is necessary beforehand.

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Q: Is it true that magnetic properties change with hardness variation? [Electroless nickel plating] A: The magnetic properties change due to the transformation of the structure of the electroless nickel-phosphorus plating film from a crystalline state to an amorphous state. Generally, increasing hardness tends to make it non-magnetic.

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Q: Does the amount of phosphorus (P) change the characteristics? High phosphorus, medium phosphorus, low phosphorus?? A: Electroless nickel-phosphorus plating is often categorized based on the phosphorus ratio in the alloy: 2-7% is considered low phosphorus, 8-10% is medium phosphorus, and 11-15% is high phosphorus. The lower the phosphorus content, the closer the properties are to nickel metal, while a higher phosphorus content tends to increase corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and hardness. The electroless nickel plating on Silvex's mass production line is of the medium phosphorus type.

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Q: Is electroless nickel without electricity compliant with WEEE and RoHS regulations? [Lead-free electroless nickel plating] A: Lead-free electroless nickel plating complies with WEEE and RoHS directives. Our electroless nickel plating is lead-free, so it is compliant.

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Q: What is Kanizen plating? Is it Kanizen electroplating? What does it refer to? [Electroless nickel plating] A: It refers to electroless nickel plating. Kanigen is an abbreviation for C(K)atalytic (catalytic) Nickel (nickel) Generation (generation), and it is also the name of the Japanese company Kanigen, which was the first in Japan to establish electroless nickel plating. Therefore, Kanigen is recognized as a term that refers to electroless nickel plating in general. Silvec's electroless nickel plating is not from Kanigen, so if the customer does not specify Kanigen's solution, there are no quality issues, and we can fully accommodate their needs.

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Q: With electric nickel, the inner diameter coverage is poor, but is it true that switching to electroless nickel solves this issue? A: There is a high possibility of it being resolved. In electroless nickel plating, nickel metal is deposited through a chemical reaction, allowing for relatively uniform plating even on the inside of tubular products where electricity has difficulty reaching in electric plating.

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Q: Is it true that after electroless nickel, heat treatment can achieve hardness of about 900 Hv with Vickers? A: It is possible. Electroless nickel plating can achieve hardness exceeding 900 HV by heat treating at 400 degrees after plating, which changes the crystal structure.

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Q: Is it okay to have a film thickness of 200-300 μm with electroless nickel plating? A: It requires expertise to achieve a film thickness of over 100 μm with electroless nickel plating. Please consult us.

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Q: What is the maximum effective dimension for processing electroless nickel plating? A: Our company can accommodate sizes up to 200×300×300mm. Additionally, through our partner manufacturers, we can handle lengths up to 4 meters (subject to limitations based on the type of plating).

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Q: Is it true that the friction resistance is lower than that of electroplated nickel? [Electroless nickel plating] A: Electroless nickel-phosphorus alloy plating has lower friction resistance than electroplated nickel. It also has excellent wear resistance.

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Electroless nickel-phosphorus plating has superior corrosion resistance and wear resistance compared to electric nickel plating (glossy). This is due to the fact that the coating of electroless nickel plating is an alloy of nickel and phosphorus, and the crystal structure is different.

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Q: Is it true that the plating is lead-free and hexavalent chromium-free, complying with the RoHS directive? [Electroless Nickel Plating] A: Silvec's electroless nickel plating is lead-free and hexavalent chromium-free. We can provide analysis data for lead and hexavalent chromium compounds in the plating film.

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Q: Plating that achieves a uniform thickness regardless of product shape! 【Elp-Nickel】 A: Unlike electroplating, there is no variation in plating thickness due to current distribution, allowing for relatively uniform plating regardless of product shape. However, pointed areas and parts where the flow of plating solution is poor tend to have thinner plating thickness.

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Q: Is it true that the dimensional accuracy has an error of about 5 to 10%? 【Electroless Nickel Plating】 A: In electroless nickel plating, it is possible to manage the plating thickness within ±5 to 10% for simple-shaped workpieces. Therefore, if the target plating thickness is 5 μm, it can be managed within 4.50 to 5.50 μm.

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Q: Is it really possible to achieve high dimensional accuracy with a uniform plating coating...? 【Electroless Ni plating】 A: At Silvec, we can manage the plating thickness of electroless nickel plating for simple-shaped workpieces within ±5-10%. Therefore, if the target plating thickness is 5μm, we can manage it within 4.50-5.50μm.

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Q: Is it true that a film thickness target can be set according to JIS grades (grades 1 to 7)? A: Yes, it is possible. The grades of electroless nickel-phosphorus alloy plating specified by JIS define the minimum thickness of the plating, so it is possible to manage the plating thickness accordingly.

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Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of electroless plating that does not use electricity? [Electroless Nickel Plating] A: The advantages include relatively uniform plating on both convex and concave parts of the product, and superior corrosion resistance compared to glossy nickel plating. The disadvantages include the accumulation of reducing agents as impurities after they have acted, necessitating the renewal of the plating solution, the plating film not being pure nickel metal, slower plating speed compared to electroplating, and higher costs.

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Q: Is electroless nickel plating lead-free? [Electroless Nickel Plating] A: Silvex's electroless nickel plating is lead-free. However, before the RoHS directive, lead was added to the electroless nickel plating solution to prevent decomposition. Currently, there are products that use lead as an additive and those that use substances other than lead. Therefore, not all electroless nickel plating is lead-free. If you require lead-free, you need to specify that.

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Q: Is it possible to increase the hardness of electroless nickel plating? A: Yes, it is possible. We perform heat treatment (by the supplier) after our electroless nickel plating to achieve the specified hardness (within the lower and upper limits). The Vickers hardness of our electroless nickel is approximately 550 Hv, and there are products that have been treated to over 900 Hv after heat treatment. While heat treatment may cause discoloration of the electroless nickel plating, it does not affect its functional properties such as hardness. If discoloration is absolutely unacceptable, vacuum heat treatment can prevent discoloration; however, we sincerely apologize that we are unable to accommodate this at our company.

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Q: I would like to have a chrome plating finish that resembles a mirror. Is that possible? [Chrome Plating] A: Yes, it is possible. By polishing the material to a mirror finish and applying a glossy nickel plating as a base, chrome plating with a mirror finish can be achieved. In the case of hard chrome (industrial chrome) plating, a mirror finish polishing is performed after plating.

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Q: Is trivalent chromium plating different from trivalent chromate? A: Yes, they are different. The coating of chromium plating is metallic, while the chromate coating is a chemical conversion coating. Trivalent chromium plating is typically applied over nickel plating, and the base material can be any metal that can be plated. However, trivalent chromate is generally applied after zinc plating, but we can also directly apply trivalent chromate to aluminum.

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Q: What is the difference between hard chrome plating and decorative chrome plating? A: Decorative chrome plating generally uses nickel plating as a base and is aimed at improving appearance and corrosion resistance (e.g., car emblems). On the other hand, hard chrome plating, officially referred to as industrial chrome plating, involves applying a thick layer of chrome plating (over 1μm) to achieve hardness, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and release properties (e.g., hydraulic equipment cylinders).

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Q: Can you do matte chrome plating or semi-gloss chrome plating? A: If it is decorative nickel base chrome plating, we can accommodate from matte to semi-gloss and glossy finishes by controlling the gloss level of the underlying nickel plating.

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Q: Can Silvec's chrome plating be applied for decorative purposes at a thickness of over 1 μm? A: Yes, it is possible. However, as the thickness increases, the appearance may become cloudy, so for decorative purposes, there is a possibility that the desired appearance may not be achieved. For decorative purposes, we recommend a thickness of around 1 μm.

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Q: What is the difference from nickel plating? A: Here, I will explain the difference between nickel plating and chrome plating with a nickel base (nickel-based chrome plating). Nickel-based chrome plating has superior corrosion resistance and wear resistance compared to nickel plating, and it provides a unique bluish-silver appearance that nickel does not have. On the other hand, due to the increased processes leading to higher costs, and the fact that chrome plating has poorer adhesion compared to nickel plating, there may be areas without chrome plating depending on the product shape.

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Q: What materials are unsuitable for chrome plating? [trivalent chromium, hexavalent chromium] A: It is difficult to categorically list materials that are unsuitable for chrome plating. By properly selecting and applying pretreatment and base plating, and by adjusting the plating thickness according to the application and purpose, it is believed that chrome plating can be applied to all materials.

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Q: Is there a difference in color between hexavalent chromium plating and trivalent chromium plating? A: Chromium plating derived from hexavalent chromium compounds exhibits a distinctive bluish-silver color. In contrast, chromium plating derived from trivalent chromium compounds contains trace elements other than chromium, resulting in a range of colors from a white similar to chromium to darker shades that can be close to black.

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Q: What are the performance differences between hexavalent chromium and trivalent chromium? Is there a comparison table for coating performance? [Trivalent Chromium, Hexavalent Chromium] A: The comparison table for the coating performance of hexavalent chromium and trivalent chromium is included in our document "Hexavalent Chromium and Trivalent Chromium (What is the difference between chrome plating and chromate?)". Please check it.

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Q: Can chrome plating be done in a barrel? 【 Chrome Plating 】 A: Trivalent chrome plating can be done in a barrel, but hexavalent chrome plating cannot be done in a barrel. Our company performs chrome plating in a barrel using plating solutions that contain trivalent chrome compounds.

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Q: Does it comply with WEEE and RoHS regulations? [Chrome plating] A: Chrome plating is a coating of metallic chromium. The substances regulated by the WEEE and RoHS directives are hexavalent chromium compounds, and zero-valent metallic chromium is not included. The metallic chromium coating does not contain hexavalent chromium. Additionally, trivalent chromium plating is an environmentally friendly plating that does not use hexavalent chromium in the plating solution itself.

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Q: Is it possible to apply chrome plating while retaining the feel of velour (satin) nickel? [Chrome Plating] A: It is possible to chrome plate while preserving the matte finish of the underlying velour (satin) nickel plating. The color tone will be the bluish hue characteristic of chrome plating or the color tone of trivalent chrome plating, which will differ from the color tone of nickel plating.

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Q: I would like to have a mirror finish with chrome plating; is that possible? A: Yes, it is possible. By polishing the material to a mirror finish and applying a glossy nickel plating as a base before the chrome plating, a mirror chrome finish can be achieved. In the case of hard chrome (industrial chrome) plating, a mirror finish polishing is performed after plating. Our company mainly specializes in decorative chrome plating.

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