Electroless Nickel (EN) plating is an advanced plating process, where a nickel-phosphorous alloy is deposited onto a metal or plastic substrate as a result of a controlled chemical reaction. This plating process is often preferred for certain applications because of the resulting mechanical properties, stability and brightness of the plating. The EN plating process is an autocatalytic process, where the nickel alloy layer is deposited onto a metallic or non-metallic surface without the use of an electrical current or without use of an external electrical power supply.
New developments in microspot XRF allow for coating thickness and composition measurement of EN plating on automotive, aerospace and PCB components.