WHAT'S NEW at APC?

Artistic Plating Featured in Products Finishing Magazine for Expansion in Medical Industry
Artistic Plating was recently featured in a cover story of Products Finishing Magazine…

Artistic Plating to once again Exhibit at 2012 Medical Design and Manufacturing Show in Minneapolis, MN
Artistic Plating will be exhibiting in booth 1436 at the upcoming 2012 MD&M Minneapolis show in Minneapolis, MN October 31st through November 1st…

Artistic Plating Launches Expansion of Precision Tin/Lead and Lead Plating Lines
Artistic Plating recently tripled the capacity of precision tin/lead and lead plating services due to recent growth in plating within the bearing, power distribution/transmission and energy sectors…

Artistic Plating Expands with New Flagship Heavy Build Copper Plating Line
Artistic Plating recently launched its newest plating line, which was designed to offer expansion in heavy build copper plating. "This line is truly a state-of-the-art machine that combines over sixty years of plating experience with today’s most modern PLC and SCADA controls…"

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CERTIFICATIONS

Sulfamate Nickel Plating per MIL-P-27418 & AMS 2424

Artistic Plating Company offers low-stress, 99.9% high-purity sulfamate nickel plating to MIL-P-27218 and AMS 2424 as a subset of our functional engineered applications in nickel plating.  Sulfamate nickel plating excels where a highly ductile, low-stress nickel deposit is preferred such as flexing or crimping applications as well as joining functions such as soldering, brazing, epoxy bonding or welding. 

Artistic Plating currently services a wide range of industries in sulfamate nickel plating including the medical, power transmission, defense, electronic and telecommunications markets.  Artistic can precede the sulfamate nickel deposit with an underplate of copper plating if required and can provide sulfamate nickel plating as an underplate to final nickel deposits such as bright nickel plating or electroless nickel plating for duplex applications.  Sulfamate nickel plating also serves as an excellent underplate for tin plating, silver plating and gold plating.

Sulfamate Nickel Plating –  Background & Properties

Sulfamate nickel plating is an electrolytic plating process first developed by Piontellil and Cambri in 1938.  The primary difference in the sulfamate nickel plating bath is the use of nickel sulfamate rather than the nickel sulfate as is used in the traditional Watts nickel plating solution developed by Oliver Watts in 1916.  It wasn’t until the mid 1950s and into the 1960s that sulfamate nickel plating became a commercially viable alternative to traditional Watts electrolytic nickel plating systems. 

Sulfamate nickel plating produces a 99.9% pure deposit devoid of organic brighteners or levelers.  The high purity of the deposit affords temperature resistance up to the 1400C+ melting point of pure nickel.   The deposits have a full matte appearance with a slight yellow or golden cast not known for decorative appeal.  The deposits have extremely low deposit stress that can be in the compressive range.  The low stress of sulfamate nickel plating yields nickel deposits with ductility, elongation and machinability far superior to other nickel deposits.

Sulfamate nickel plating excels in joining applications including brazing, soldering, over molding, epoxy bonding and welding.  The high purity and lack of codeposited organics improves the wetting of the nickel deposit when soldering and makes sulfamate nickel plating the preferred underplate and diffusion barrier when tin plating, silver plating or gold plating for solderability or brazing.  In addition, the unleveled matte surface makes sulfamate nickel plating the choice for adhesion in over-molding or epoxy bonding applications.      

Sulfamate Nickel Plating – Specifications

The two most common sulfamate nickel plating specifications certified by Artistic Plating are MIL-P-27418 and AMS 2424.  Artistic Plating also can certify our sulfamate nickel plating to QQ-N-290, ASTM B689 (Type 1) and ISO 1458 as well as most company-specific nickel specifications.  A brief summary of some of the key aspects of sulfamate nickel plating per MIL-P-27418 and AMS 2424 is provided below:

Sulfamate Nickel Plating to MIL-P-27418

Plating, Soft Nickel (Electrodeposited, Sulfamate Bath)

3.3.3 Unless Otherwise specified, the plating shall be electrodeposited in an all-sulfamate, chloride-free nickel bath.

3.4.1 Plating Thickness: Unless Otherwise specified, the plating shall be 0.002” +/- 0.0003” thick on all surfaces that can be touched by a ball 1/16” in diameter.

3.4.3 Knoop hardness of the plating after annealing shall not exceed 150 with a 500-gram load (300 Knoop before annealing).

Sulfamate Nickel Plating to AMS 2424

3.2.1 Nickel shall be plated from electrodeposition of nickel from a sulfamate solution or other suitable plating solution containing no additional agents….  Except as permitted by 3.2.1.1 nickel shall be deposited directly on the basis metal without a prior flash coating of metal other than nickel.

3.2.1.1 Allows for preliminary underplates or strikes on “difficult alloys” such as corrosion resistant stainless steel, beryllium and their alloys or other similarly passive metals.

3.4.1 Thickness shall be as specified on the drawing

3.4.1.1 Where “Nickel Flash” is specified, plate thickness shall be approximately 0.0001 inch.

3.4.1.2.1 If internal surfaces are required to be plated to meet a thickness requirement, the drawing shall specify

3.4.2 Hardness shall not be higher than 300 HV100 or equivalent.

3.4.3 Residual stress shall be within the range of 5ksi in compression to 15 ksi in tension.

Sulfamate Nickel Plating – Why Artistic Plating? 

Artistic Plating provides expertise in sulfamate nickel plating 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:

• Diversity of substrates:  Artistic Plating provides sulfamate nickel plating on nearly any metallic substrate such as copper & copper alloys including beryllium, chromium 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 sulfamate nickel plating 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 plating lines in the northern Midwest utilizing ultra-high capacity spray-thru barrel technology. 
• RoHS and REACH Compliance:  Artistic is at the forefront of environmental compliance and can certify our sulfamate plating as needed to the current RoHS, ELV and REACH regulations.
• Competitive Pricing:  Artistic Plating has been providing quality sulfamate nickel plating for over sixty years.  Competitive pricing in sulfamate nickel plating 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 value highly to 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 sulfamate nickel plating.
• Extensive in House Analytical and Quality Lab Services:  SPC is employed in all in-house analytical lab work surrounding our sulfamate nickel plating to ensure baths are analyzed and adjusted at optimum frequencies to maintain 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.