2020 Vision: Electroless Nickel

The year 2020 will be here before you know it, signaling the beginning of a new decade and bringing changes to the world as we know it, but what can be expected in the world of finishing and coatings? Plenty, if you listen to the experts that Products Finishing magazine asked to predict what will drive the plating, painting, powder coating, anodizing, electrocoating and vacuum coating industries by the time the next decade rolls around in 2020.

Bill Fields, CEO, Palm International

Electroless nickel is a very mature product and continues to find new applications, but has stayed fairly consistent in North America over the last decade. There are less then 1,000 EN plating facilities in North America. About two-thirds are job shops, and one-third are captive facilities of manufacturing plants.

The largest users were automotive applications at 27%, then the oil/chemicals industry with 19% of the total, then the electronics industry consuming about 14% of the EN produced in the U.S.

Back when nickel was around $4 a pound, that prompted global mine closures which lead to a 20% cut in the worlds’ capacity for nickel metal. This caused the price to rise in line with the supply. Then on 2008 through 2010 unplanned disruptions in the supply of nickel metal prompted further tightening. There is about 123,000 tons of nickel inventory on the LME, down almost 25% from record levels reached in the first few months of 2009. Prices have risen generally about 25% in value from levels seen at the end of 2009.

It’s predicted the global nickel demand will grow by 4% a year over the medium term, reaching 1.9 million tonnes by 2015. China will be the primary driver, with little growth elsewhere over the period. By 2015, China will account for around 40% of world nickel consumption.

Matt Sisti,Chief Business Development Officer , Coventya, Inc.

There are primary directions EN technology can move and, in all likelihood, all will move in parallel: Optimized or unique deposit characteristics; Optimized bath performance; Eco-responsible technology.

Optimized deposit characteristics would likely be a result of advancements in formula and operating conditions. New additives that modify structure could lead to reduced porosity or increased resistance to chemical attack. Although ternary alloys have never caught on in commercial applications due to poor cost/benefit ratios, this potential is always there.

We are already seeing the first few signs of anti-counterfeit technology embedded as a composite promoted by a handful of companies. This may provide a boost to the existing EN composite market that has never quite lifted off the ground.

Optimized bath performance to increase bath speed and tank stability are currently being evaluated and would have a direct impact on customer’s productivity. EN bath life extension technology is also under continuous evaluation. Electrodialysis is readily available from several suppliers but there are even simpler technologies that show promise for removal of reaction by-products.

Eco-responsible technology, because green is no longer just the color of an EN bath. It’s a social mindset and it is only going to become further engrained. Technology to extend EN bath life mentioned above is certainly part of this but there are other opportunities to make an EN process “greener”. EN baths that operate at lower temperatures offer obvious benefits and reducing emissions with certain novel additives shows certain surprising benefits.

Our mature industry is at a crossroads. In order to pursue and commercialize the innovation mentioned above it is important that we collectively view today’s challenges as tomorrow’s opportunities.