Electroless nickel (EN) is industry’s most common plated finish. It’s widely used for applications that demand wear resistance, hardness and corrosion protection—particularly if parts have complex geometries. It is also used in PCB manufacturing within a process known as ENIG, electroless nickel immersion gold.
EN is most valued by manufacturers because it is electro-less—and thus does not need electricity to run—and because deposits are highly uniform: EN plates evenly regardless of substrate shape. This is an important advantage over electroplating, which is subject to flux-density issues due to the electromagnetic field, which shifts with surface profile. It also has a wide deposition window: from 10 microinches to about 4 mils.