Nickel Plating (Electroplating) Services per QQ-N-290, ASTM B689
Artistic Plating Company has provided quality functional and decorative nickel plating services to QQ-N-290 and ASTM B689 for over sixty years. Our expertise in providing 
precision barrel, rack and vibratory nickel plating services is currently employed in numerous industries including the medical, telecommunications, appliance, power distribution, aerospace and electronics industries.
Artistic offers a wide range of nickel plating services including both Type I “dull” and Type 2 “brightened” deposits. Artistic also has the ability to underplate with copper plating if required and can provide multi-layer duplex systems with an effective STEP voltage to provide the maximum corrosion performance possible (reference What causes metals to oxidize or “rust” in our Plating Topics section).
Nickel Plating Services – Nickel Properties
Nickel is a silvery-white metal with a slight yellow or golden tint. As deposited electrolytic nickel can have either a very bright reflective shine, a satin appearance or a full-dull flat luster. Nickel is one of the four ferromagnetic materials at room temperature and is a fairly reactive element. However, nickel deposits are slow to react in standard atmopsheric environments due to the formation of a protective, oxide surface providing excellent corrosion performance on most products.
For applications requiring a bright appearance, bright watts nickel should be selected. For products of high deposit thickness that will be flexed sulfamate nickel is generally prefered as it has the best ductility of all electrolytic nickel deposits. Artistic does offer a very sophisticaed bright watts nickel system that provides excellent ductile bright deposits in thicknesses up to and exceeding 0.0005”.
For the solderable applications, sulfamate (dull) nickel deposits are recommended. As a general rule, unbrightened watts or sulfamate nickel deposits provide the best corrosion resistance as codeposited inorganic compounds degrade corrosion performance. Minimal corrosion protection is provided in thicknesses less than 0.0003”, whereas good corrosion performance generally occurs between 0.0005-0.001” in thickness.
Nickel Plating Services –Nickel Specifications
The two most common nickel plating services certified by Artistic Plating are QQ-N-290 ASTM B689. Artistic Plating also can certify our nickel plating services to ISO 1458, AMS 2423 and AMS 2403 well as most company-specific nickel specifications. A summary of the nickel types per the ASTM and MIL specs is as follows:
Nickel Plating to QQ-N-290
Class 1 – Corrosion Protective Plaiting
Class 2 – Engineering Plating
Grade A – 0.0016 Min Thickness Plating
Grade B – 0.0012 Min Thcickness Plating
Grade C – 0.0010 Min Thickness Plating
Grade D – 0.0008 Min Thickness Plating
Grade E – 0.0006 Min Thcickness Plating
Grade F – 0.0004 Min Thickness Plating
Grade G – 0.0002 Min Thickness Plating
QQ-N-290 Class 1 Categories:
SB – Single Layer Bright Nickel Deposits
SD – Single Layer Dull or Semi-Bright Deposits
M – Multilayer Nickel Deposits
Nickel Plating to ASTM B689
Type 1 – Nickel Deposits Plated from Solutions Free of Brighteners Hardeners or Stress Control Additives
Type 2 – Nickel Deposits Plated from Solutions Containing Sulur or Other Codeposited Additives
Type 3 – Nickel Deposits Containing Dispersed Submicron Particles such as Silicon Carbide, Tungsten Carbide or Aluminum Oxide to Increase Hardness or Wear Resistance
Classes – Class indicates minimum deposit thickness in microns (um). E.g. Class 5 is a deposit of 5um minimum thickness.
Nickel Plating Services – Why Artistic Plating?
Artistic Plating provides expertise in nickel plating services to fulfill even the most demanding applications. From prototyping and PPAP qualification to full production processing – it is Artistic’s dedicated effort to exceed your expectations. The following points highlight why Artistic Plating is a leader in nickel plating services:
- Ductile Bright Nickel: As a result of extensive work in the ammunition industry, Artistic Plating employs a proprietary bright watts nickel chemsitry that facilitates crimping and flexing of high thickness deposits.
Diversity of substrates: Artistic Plating provides nickel plating services on nearly any metallic substrate including copper & copper alloys including beryllium and tellurium coppers, hardened and alloyed steels, stainless steels, Inconels, Hastalloys, Monels, ductile & cast iron and metalized plastics.- Delicate and Difficult Geometries: Artistic Plating specializes in nickel plating services on delicate parts employing specialty oscillating, rock-and-roll, compartmentalized, vibratory and minimum part movement barrel technologies as well as custom-engineered rack fixturing when required to ensure even the most delicate parts are handled properly. Artistic has a working R&D relationship with several tooling manufactures that has lead to several patented designs.
- High Production Barrel Capacity: Artistic Plating has one of the largest barrel nickel lines in the northen midwest utilizizing ultra-high capacity spray-thru barrel technology.
- RoHS and REACH Compliance: Artistic is at the forefront of environmental legislation and can certify our nickel plating services as needed to the current RoHS, EVL and REACH regulations.
- Competitive Pricing: Artistic Plating has been providing quality nickel plating services for over sixty years. Competitive pricing in nickel plating services is paramount to gaining and maintaining our customers in today’s competitive global marketplace.
- Lean Lead Times: With inventories leaner than ever, rapid turn around is a core competency that we highly value ensure the service our customers need.
- Value Added: Artistic prides itself on meeting the customer’s needs. Whether it’s custom engineering packaging, vacuum or nitrogen sealed packaging to enhance storage, Kanban inventory management, light subassembly or multiple finishing combinations – Artistic will work with you to ensure we meeting your needs in nickel finishing services.
- Extensive in House Analytical and Quality Lab Services: SPC is employed in all wet-lab work surrounding our nickel plating services to ensure baths are analyzed and adjusted at optimum frequencies to ensure operation between critical upper and lower control points. Our quality lab employs the latest in x-ray, coloumetric and spectrophotometer technologies to inspect your parts and will work to your requirements to provide testing as needed. Our quality lab can certify salt spray performance to ASTM B117, adhesion to ASTM B571 and solderability to ASTM B678. Mounted cross sections of parts are also available.
