Innovation and technology meet in AlfaTech's new chemical nickel plating plant, the most advanced in Europe.
A project created with the aim of redefining the standards of chemical nickel plating surface treatment through the integration of intelligent monitoring systems and state-of-the-art engineering solutions.
The plant is designed to treat iron, brass, copper and aluminium in compliance with the most stringent standards, including aerospace. The production cycle is fully automated, monitored in real time and interconnected to company systems, ensuring absolute uniformity and repeatability in every treatment.
One of the distinctive elements of the plant is the intelligent supervision system, which constantly monitors:
With this data, the system generates detailed graphs and predictive analyses, automatically intervening to correct any deviations. If anomalies are detected, the process is immediately stopped, avoiding waste and guaranteeing maximum quality at all times.
Chemical nickel plating is a complex process, but the new AlfaTech equipment makes it more efficient than ever.
The treatment starts with degreasing, which is necessary to remove machining oils, and can also be carried out with ultrasound to remove oils and impurities in depth. This is followed by thorough pickling, with dedicated chemical formulations for each type of material, which is essential to prepare the metal surface and ensure perfect adhesion of the coating.
One of the most significant innovations is the intelligent management of the nickel plating bath, in which an advanced heating system guarantees uniform heating of the solution, avoiding deterioration points in the bath due to temperature peaks, a common problem with classic heating element or immersed coil systems. This results in a homogeneous and faultless deposit, which is essential for high-precision applications.
On leaving the plant, the items go through multiple washes, connected with an ion exchange purification system, and can be subjected to final treatments such as passivation, dehydrogenation to eliminate hydrogen embrittlement, or heat treatments to increase hardness, depending on the specifications required.
The electroless nickel plating tanks are equipped with an advanced filtration system, which ensures the removal of impurities and suspended particulates down to 1 micron, with a complete solution change every 6 minutes. This process improves the quality of the deposit and extends the operating life of the tank, optimising raw material consumption.
With these innovations, AlfaTech has created a plant that is unparalleled in Europe. The combination of intelligent automation, predictive control and process optimisation enables high treatment quality, while reducing operating costs and environmental impact.
This is more than just a nickel plating plant: it is the future of advanced metallurgy, designed to deliver superior performance and meet the needs of highly specialised industries such as aerospace, automotive and precision engineering.
AlfaTech has taken chemical nickel plating to a new level. And we are just at the beginning.
