Electroless Nickel University
Tuesday, September 30
*Electroless Nickel University requires additional registration fee*
8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Opening Statements and ENC 2025 Overview
Speakers: Brad Durkin, Conference Technical Director
Todd Luciano, VP of Finishing & Valve
8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
EN The Development Story: From Lab Curiosity to Prime Finish - How EN Evolved
Speaker: Boules Morcos, Plating Engineer | Dipsol
The history of electroless plating begins in 1946 at the 34th Annual AES Meeting, when Abner Brenner and Grace Riddell of the National Bureau of Standards disclose results of their studies on experimental nickel electroplating baths. Since then, EN technology has evolved, been re-invented and today provides deposits that have many beneficial properties for many types of applications. This presentation will be a historical review of the key events of how EN solutions and their chemistries have been developed resulting from these early pioneers.
8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
EN Properties: Help me Choose the Best EN Deposit for the Application
Speaker: Matt Sisti, Technical Advisor | MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions
Electroless Nickel, specifically Nickel-Phosphorus alloys offer a wide range of performance properties associated with the phosphorus result in the deposit. The presentation will cover the types of EN deposits, their core properties including hardness, wear, corrosion and other attributes that are associated with why given deposits are selected for different applications.
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
EN Chemistry: Balance and Proper Feeding
Speaker: Boules Morcos, Techical Advisor | Dipsol
This presentation is a comprehensive, up to date review of the important chemistry constituents in a working solution. The ability to understand the function of the different bath components and how the proper feeding replenishment to the system is critical toward the chemistry balance will be discussed. Variables with the chemistry that impact performance will also be covered in the module.
Refreshment Break
10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
EN Equipment: Choosing the Right Equipment = Success
Speaker: Charles Johnson, President and Co-Owner | Palm Technology, Inc.
​The choices for the equipment utilized with EN chemistry do make a difference when it comes to providing a quality deposit. This presentation will provide a good summary and overview of important equipment options that will impact the performance of any EN chemistry.
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
EN Bath Control: Important Considerations
Speaker: Boules Morcos, Technical Advisor | Dipsol
Now with an understanding of the EN chemistry and the knowledge of the impact of different constituents on the solution operation, the control of any EN chemistry is another important factor in the overall success of the solution viability for applications. All the potential variables that affect the solution’s life and how the solution operates over time will be discussed during this module.
Lunch with the Experts
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Pretreatment: Strategies for the Best Activation and Application of EN on Various Substrates
Speaker: Brad Durkin, Conference Technical Director
The successful application of any plated deposit begins with an understanding how the surface preparation process must be properly “married” to the type of substrate. Additionally, the surface condition of the substrate becomes very critically important for the resulting quality output from Electroless Nickel. The prep sequences and activation strategies for many types of common substrates will be reviewed.
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Troubleshooting: Strategies for Your Process
Speaker: Boules Morcos, Technical Advisor | Dipsol
Knowing how to identify and resolve issues with EN processing before they become problems is an important factor in a successful operation. With more than 40 years of experience in solving problems, this module will assist attendees with understanding practical approaches to overcome situations often encountered with EN plating operations.
Refresment Break
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
What Technical Support Do EN Platers Really Need?
Speaker: Michael Feldstein, President | Surface Technology, Inc.
This presentation will discuss what questions EN platers really have. It will include actual questions from platers from around the world. In order to help platers accel in EN, it is important to know what help they actually need. The information will be taken from the new free EN helpline available on www.en-247.com. The helpline was launched in January 2025. These questions are submitted by platers in a private chat feature on the helpline, not an open forum, so platers can be very open and detailed about the issues they face. The answers come from a team of EN experts around the world that are able to respond to the questions in real time in any time zone. The presentation will also cover the wide range of states and countries where the questions are submitted in the first nine months of this new resource for EN platers.
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Deposit Defects: Why Do I Have Deposit Corrosion Failures? Myths & Facts
Speaker: Brad Durkin, Conference Technical Director
EN deposits provide excellent corrosion resistance and offer corrosion protection in many environments as data of the past by Duncan, Parker, Mallory and many others have been presented. But why then do failures with corrosion performance occur in some cases? The myths and facts associated with all factors impacting how your EN deposit functions will be discussed.
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Electroless Nickel Corrosion Protection: What is the Best Test to Evaluate Performance?
Speaker: Paul Madden, North America Sales Manager | Metal-Chem
Electroless Nickel, among its many attributes, is commonly selected for the strong barrier corrosion benefit. Depending on alloy composition and formulation, deposits of electroless nickel provide varying degrees of corrosion protection. Many accelerated tests exist to predict service life of coatings and components. The data presented in this study aims to answer the question: “Are we using the right corrosion test?” Metal Chem will present corrosion data from various methods including ASTM B117 Neutral Salt Spray, ASTM G85 Modified Salt Spray, ASTM G87 Kesternich Test, Immersion/Vapor HCL testing, and more. Find out how to meaningfully evaluate your coatings performance potential.
Instructors / Advisory Committee Q&A Panel