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Problem with plating cracking Stainless Steel - help needed

September 16, 2008

I've got a small deep drawn product made from 3/4 hard, 304 Stainless. I need it to be black and the surface needs to be electrically conductive.

Our vendor suggested using a process they refer to as "black nickel strike". Unfortunately when the parts go through the blackening process they crack in the corners where the residual stresses are at their highest.

Can anyone suggest an alternative plating process which will give me a black, conductive surface with no cracks?

Thanks.

Eric Christison
design engineer - Edinburgh, UK

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Hi Eric,
Just a thought: if no one comes up with an alternative black and the black nickel meets your other requirements, is it practical to anneal the stainless steel before processing?
Harry

Harry Parkes
- Birmingham, UK
September 21, 2008