Emmebi Nitek

Electroless Nickel Plating is a treatment that gives metal high resistance to abrasion, attack by corrosive substances and wear over time.

EMMEBI S.r.l. applies to the base-metal its coating process “NITEK” (Electroless Nickel Plating). This is a chemical nickel plating process using a proprietary formulation of the working solution based on the red-ox effect, in absence of electric current. Nickel deposition is solely due to the chemical interaction between solution and metal and gives the metal coating a high degree of uniformity, regardless of the complexity of the surface, unlike other galvanic platings.

NITEK coating thickness, is precise and uniform and can be defined according to the customer’s mechanical and technical requirements. Standard coating thicknesses depend on the end use and vary between 5-10 microns for non-heavy duty, 25-50 microns for medium-heavy duty, and 70-100 microns for very heavy duty.

Technical characteristics

The merits of NITEK coating are many, starting with its chemical resistance, uniformity, and versatility. Let's examine them in detail.

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Applications

Chemical nickel plating applies to all areas where metallic materials need to be coated to make them more durable, whether large pieces or high-precision micro-components.

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Quality

We are distinguished by the craftsmanship of our processes, which translates into quality excellence. All the processes are carried out in accordance with precise standards, monitored and certified regularly.

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Technical characteristics

NITEK coating has an amorphous crystalline structure and consists of a thin, uniform, strong and adherent coat, applicable to almost any type of metal, and is, in addition, very ductile, as it adapts to the part to be coated. As said, chemical nickel plating is applicable to almost all types of metal, except Zinc, Lead, Tin, Zamak-type alloys and some light alloys with a high percentage of Magnesium.

Unlike galvanic treatments in general and particularly chrome, NITEK coating has unique characteristics and entirely different behaviors. In particular, the uniformity of the treatment is the ideal solution for excellent protection of internal areas, such as threaded, blind or through holes without necessarily requiring final grinding operations.

EMMEBI S.r.l. has chosen to formulate a proprietary chemical bath with a high Phosphorus content and, for this reason, defined as “slow deposition”, which adds to the standard characteristics of chemical nickel plating a higher corrosion resistance and an improved coefficient of friction. Our Nickel is between 87 and 90% and Phosphorus content between 10 and 13%.

Uniformity of reported thickness

NITEK coating is uniform and homogeneous regardless of the shape and complexity of the part geometry, so that post-deposition grinding is eliminated.

Precision of reported thickness

The thickness of NITEK coating is variable according to requirements and is usually between 10µm and 75µm, with a controlled process that guarantees an accuracy of ±10% of the reported thickness (on 10µm the accuracy is about 1-2µm) while meeting the required tolerances.

Adhesion

The adhesion of the Nickel layer to the underlying metal is superior to that of electrolytic coatings, such as chrome plating.

Resistance to corrosion

The NITEK (ENP, high Phosphorus) coat, due to its high percentage of Phosphorus (greater than 10% by weight), minimizes the porosity of the base material to which it is applied, seals it and preserves it from corrosion.

Hardness and wear resistance

The basic hardness values of NITEK’s deposit are 550-650 HV (52-58 HRC), equal to those of the best hardened steels. It is possible to further increase the hardness by performing heat treatment of the coated part with temperatures from 300°C to 500°C, achieving up to 1200 HV (72 HRC).
Dehydrogenation and heat treatment can be declined according to the requirements for improving adhesion and hardness of Nitek on different base metals.

Nitek Applications

Chemical nickel plating can be applied to all areas where metallic materials need to be coated and made highly resistant.

EMMEBI S.r.l. subjects mainly medium and large components to chemical nickel plating, but it is also able to process high-precision microcomponents and rotobarrel small parts. Processing operations include degreasing, pickling, micro-sandblasting, masking of parts to be protected, polishing up to 0.2 Ra, dehydrogenation, and hardening heat treatments.

Worn parts recovery

Chemical nickel plating enables the recovery of even severely worn, corroded or abraded metal parts; such parts are subjected to decoating if originally coated, degreasing, pickling and Nitek Coating again, extending their service life by up to 10 years.

Recovery of parts
with incorrect tolerances

The technical characteristics of the proprietary solution adopted means that the NITEK coating, has deposition timings that allow the coating thickness to be controlled with extreme precision, within the required tolerances.

Coating large
workpieces

Nitek Coating is mainly applied to medium and large components, but also on high-precision micro-components and rotobarrel small parts.

Coating of aluminum
and ductile alloys

Nickel is an excellent technical solution for lending surface hardness to metals and alloys with special ductility and lightness characteristics.

OUR

Quality Policy

procedura

General internal process
of procedure qualification.

In its manufacturing and production processes, EMMEBI S.r.l. complies with the main national and international standards, especially UNI EN ISO 4527, ASTM B733, ROHS and REACH.

All EMMEBI S.r.l. personnel are engaged in continuous training in the areas of safety, study of available products and use of new machinery.
We also spend a lot of resources and energy on research and development, to experiment with the most innovative products in each area and put the products we routinely use to the test of their performance.

To ensure the least possible downtime for the customer, we take over the maintenance of our machinery directly, instead of contracting it out.

Our company’s many years of experience in the chemical nickel plating industry has consolidated the technical know-how of our staff, a feature that enables us to provide preliminary advice on the requirements needed for each type of request, along with the ability to establish the feasibility of a particular process before accepting a job order.

The solutions we offer are, therefore, tailored to the needs and specifics of each customer and the materials to be processed, to ensure the construction of the mechanically compatible part at the optimal cost and the realization of a product of the highest technological value.

chemical (1)

Chemical analysis tools
and metrology

We monitor each processing step in real time, from washing to degreasing, from sandblasting to tank inlet.

We regularly subject finished Nickel to laboratory tests to test its hardness, thickness, porosity (Ferroxyl test), adhesion (punch tests) and abrasion resistance (Taber test). Some of these tests are performed in-house, others in highly specialized laboratories, which certify the results obtained. We are particularly proud of the results obtained in salt spray corrosion tests, as our Nitek is able to pass them in just under 1,000 hours, demonstrating excellent performance.

We retain each customer’s nickel plating bath specimens so that product characteristics can be checked periodically and audits can be conducted.

Base materials are also subjected to rigorous testing, such as visual inspection of incoming parts for suitability for machining, measurement check on tolerances, roughness checks, and verification of the magnetic characteristics of the metal.

Finally, measuring equipment such as probes are regularly checked, maintained and certified by external laboratories. For the most sensitive measurements, we hold the certified primary samples to ensure the effectiveness of our workings.

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