N°: 000-ENP-REQ

ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING Rev. 4

(ENP) REQUIREMENTS Pag. 1 of 6

INDEX

1. SCOPE

2. REFERENCE STANDARDS

3. APPLICABILITY

4. PROPERTIES

5. PREPARATION OF PARTS

6. SURFACE PREPARATION AND PROCESSING

7. HEAT TREATMENT

8. FINISHING AFTER PLATING

9. APPEARANCE

10. TEST SAMPLES

11. TESTING

12. CERTIFICATION

REVISED PREPARATION A. CARU’ E. LICO

4 08.11.2019 (Electronically signed) (Electronically signed)
OF PARTS
REVISED PREPARATION A. CARU’ E. LICO
3 12.06.2019 (Electronically signed) (Electronically signed)
OF PARTS
REVISED TESTING L. LUCIDO G. CORTI
2 10.11.2015 (Electronically signed) (Electronically signed)
REQUIREMENTS
REVISED CERTIFICATION G. CORTI G. VIGNATI
1 21.11.2012 (Electronically signed) (Electronically signed)
REQUIREMENTS
G. CORTI G. VIGNATI
0 16.04.2012 FIRST ISSUE (Electronically signed) (Electronically signed)

Rev. Date Description Emitted by Approved by

 N°: 000-ENP-REQ
ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING Rev. 4
(ENP) REQUIREMENTS Pag. 2 of 6

1. SCOPE

1.1 This procedure covers the minimum requirements for the Electroless Nickel Plating
(E.N.P.) suppliers.

1.2 The terms ‘plating’ and ‘coating’ are used herein to indicate respectively the process and
the actual deposit.

2. REFERENCE STANDARD

2.1 The following standards in latest edition are applicable to the present document:

• ASTM B733 (Standard Specification for Autocatalytic Nickel-Phosphorus

Coating on Metals)

• ASTM B656 (Standard Guide for Autocatalytic Nickel-Phosphorus Coating

on Metals)

• ASTM B183 (Standard Practice for Preparation of Low-Carbon Steel for

Electroplating)

• ASTM B242 (Standard Practice for Preparation of High-Carbon Steel for

Electroplating)

• ASTM B322 (Standard Practice for Cleaning Metals Prior to Electroplating)

3. APPLICABILITY

3.1 This specification is intend for the high phosphorus EN Plating of carbon steels, alloy
steels and martensitic stainless steels.

3.2 The coating shall be applied after that any heat treatment of the base metal and other
operations such as machining, welding, etc. have been completed.

4. PROPERTIES
4.1 The phosphorus content of the coating shall be within the range of 10-12% by the weight
from plating solutions formulated without brightness and sulphur compounds as
stabilisers.
 N°: 000-ENP-REQ
ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING Rev. 4
(ENP) REQUIREMENTS Pag. 3 of 6

4.2 The minimum coating thickness could be:

• 25 microns minimum or
• 50 microns minimum or
• 75 microns minimum.

The minimum required coating thickness shall be specified on the purchase order.

4.3 Minimum hardness shall be minimum 500 HV100. Different hardness, achieved by heat
treatment, can be specified in Purchase Order.

4.4 The coatings shall normally be as smooth as the base metal was before the deposition,
and shall be semi-bright in appearance.

4.5 The coating shall be smooth and shiny.

4.6 The coating shall be non-porous, according to ASTM B733.

5. PREPARATION OF PARTS

5.1 After any preliminary cleaning to remove the surface contaminants e.g. rust or grease,
the surface shall be made free from harmful defects such as pits, tool marks, and any
other irregularities. (Ref. to ASTM B656).

5.2 After surface preparation, the parts shall be protected from any physical damage and
surface corrosion, unless plating will follow immediately.

5.3 Threaded holes shall be properly protected before coating.

5.4 Protect all “H8” holes during ENP coating.

6. SURFACE PREPARATION AND PROCESSING

6.1 The surface preparation system, shall be include all the necessary pretreatment cycles
for clean and activate the base substrates, in order to assure adequate adhesion of the
coatings.
The employed pretreatment cycles shall be in accordance with standard ASTM B656.

6.2 The minimum following steps shall be included for ENP process:

Carbon Steel
1. Sandblasting (if required to obtain proper anchor profile)
2. Degreasing
3. Anodic cleaning
4. Water rinse
 N°: 000-ENP-REQ
ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING Rev. 4
(ENP) REQUIREMENTS Pag. 4 of 6

5. Acid dip
6. Water rinse
7. Plating
8. Water rinse

Stainless Steel / Nickel Alloy

1. Sandblasting (if required to obtain proper anchor profile)
2. Degreasing
3. Anodic cleaning
4. Water rinse
5. Acid dip
6. Water rinse
7. Cathodic activation
8. Plating
9. Water rinse

6.3 Plating process shall be carried out continuously, and for a time sufficient to achieve the
required coating thickness.

6.4 During plating the operational parameters of E.N. solutions, nickel salt, reducing agent,
PH and temperature shall be maintained within the values of the successful process.

6.5 The plating suppliers shall submit a technical data sheet of employed E.N. solution, and
assure that all the parameters are maintained at values specified for the optimum plating
process.

6.6 Aged E.N. solutions that may produce tensile stress, roughness or porosity on deposit
due to phosphites accumulation, shall not be used.

6.7 In case of re-plating, due to inadequate thickness or to rejection during final inspection,
the original coating will be removed before re-plating.

7. HEAT TREATMENT

7.1 If required, the heat treatment shall be carried out within eight hours from the plating.

8. FINISHING AFTER PLATING

8.1 All the coated parts shall be accurately polished by brushing, to obtain an uniform,
smooth and shine coat.
 N°: 000-ENP-REQ
ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING Rev. 4
(ENP) REQUIREMENTS Pag. 5 of 6

9. APPEARANCE

9.1 All coated parts shall be visually inspected for appearance. The coating shall be smooth,
uniform, semi-bright in appearance, free from blisters, pits, porosity, colour spots and
other surface defects.

9.2 Visual examination shall be performed according to ASTM B733 para.9.2.

10. TEST SAMPLES

10.1 A separate specimen, processed with the parts (i.e. same bath and same heat
treatment) shall be used. The specimen shall follow the entire process of the part.

10.2 The specimens shall be of the same base metal of the plated part (i.e. chemical
composition).

10.3 The number of specimens for each batch shall be adequate to perform all the required
tests.

11. TESTING

11.1 Following tests shall be carried out for each coating batch:

1. Thickness test on specimen according to ASTM B733 para.9.3.5 (weigh-plate-weigh

method). Other thickness test methods (i.e. ASTM B733 para.9.3.1 micrographic
method) can be specified in Purchase Order.

2. Adhesion test on nonsignificant area of plated part according to ASTM B733

para.9.4.2 (impact test). If necessary the test can be carried out on test specimen.
No flaking or blistering of the deposit are acceptable.

3. Microhardness test (Vickers HV100) on specimen according to ASTM B733 para.9.5.

For the above mentioned tests, alternative methods conform to ASTM B733 can be
proposed by the Supplier. These alternatives shall be evaluated for acceptance by
Valbart QA / QC department for each Purchase Order.

11.2 Other test according to ASTM B733 para.9 (i.e. porosity test, bend test, alloy
composition) can be specified in Purchase Order.
 N°: 000-ENP-REQ
ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING Rev. 4
(ENP) REQUIREMENTS Pag. 6 of 6

12. CERTIFICATION

12.1 Certificate according to EN 10204 3.1 for plated components shall be issued, containing
at least the following data:

• Plated part with reference to applicable P.O. and item;

• Base material;
• Type and chemistry of the deposit;
• Heat treatment (if applicable);
• Result of all specified tests.

12.2 Each certificate shall be fully traceable with the relevant batch.