Nickel

Nickel Plated Roller
(0.002" and polish)

Nickel is an ideal coating to apply to mild steel for corrosion prevention.

Nickel plating prior to chrome is becoming very popular as a method of prolonging the life of chrome plated rollers, cylinders and shafts. The thicker the deposit the better the protection. Items that are working in damp salty environments required a minimum of 125 microns (0.005") deposit, ideally 250 microns (0.010"). Items not subject to salt may have a thinner deposit, with 50 microns (0.002") being the minimum recommended.

A minimum of 50 microns (0.002") nickel deposit is recommended as a protective coating to steel rollers prior to ceramic coating.

Anilox Roll
(enlarged section)

There are some items where 50 microns (0.002") would be impractical such as anilox rolls. These rolls have very small cells and any deposit over 7.5 microns (0.0003") could fill in these cells.

The requirement for anilox rolls to be nickel plated prior to chrome has come about in recent years, due to the shift from the use of solvent based inks to those which are water based. This is due to increasing environmental regulations and Health & Safety concerns over solvent use. Water very quickly penetrates the chrome, attacking the base (usually copper or steel). An under coating of nickel greatly extends the life of the engraving.

Maintained by Michael Oates
Last updated 25 January, 2005