Electroless Nickel Papers
Ron Duncan served as Vice President of Palm International, Inc., where he led the company’s technical and educational initiatives. Prior to joining Palm, he was Director of Research at Elnic, Inc., focusing on electroless nickel formulation and materials research.
Before entering the metal finishing industry, Ron spent 12 years in the oil sector with Exxon and Caltex Petroleum Corporations, tackling materials and corrosion challenges. His work took him across the globe—including the United States, Middle East, Europe, South America, and Africa—where he developed a reputation for his deep expertise and practical problem-solving.
Ron held a BE in Mechanical and Metallurgical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. He was a Registered Professional Engineer and a certified Corrosion Specialist through NACE. A leader in technical standards, he chaired NACE task groups T-1G-19 and T-6A-53, contributing to authoritative reports on electroless nickel and other metallic coatings. He also served on the AESF’s Electroless Committee.
Throughout his distinguished career, Ron authored more than fifty technical papers on corrosion, coatings, and electroless nickel. His work appeared in Materials Performance, Plating and Surface Finishing, Metals Progress, Products Finishing, and Finishers Management, as well as in numerous industry conferences. He was the principal author of the electroless nickel chapter in Volume 5 of the Metals Handbook and was honored with the AESF Gold Medal in 1996 for the best paper published in Plating and Surface Finishing.
Ron also directed the Electroless Nickel School, a comprehensive four-day seminar presented by Palm, which educated professionals in all aspects of electroless nickel technology.
Ron Duncan passed away on December 15, 2006. He is deeply missed by his family, colleagues, and the broader surface finishing community. His legacy of innovation, mentorship, and integrity continues to inspire all who had the privilege of working with him.
The Effect of Solution Age on Corrosion Resistance in Electroless Nickel Deposits
This paper describes the results of tests, conducted to quantify how the age of the plating solution affects the corrosion resistance and other properties of a high phosphorus, electroless nickel deposit. Specifically, the composition, internal stress, ductility, corrosion protection and chemical resistance of the coating were investigated, along with the bath’s plating and contaminant buildup rates. The paper also describes tests conducted to establish the effect of orthophosphite and sulfate accumulation and suggests possible causes for the changes observed.
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PERFORMANCE OF ELECTROLESS NICKEL COATINGS IN FOOD PRODUCTS
High phosphorus, electroless nickel coatings have excellent resistance to corrosion in most of the environments present in the food industries. The results of tests to characterize the performance of this coating to a broad range of foods and beverages and to compare its resistance to that of other common materials of construction are reported.
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Hardness and Wear ·Resistance of Electroless Teflon Composit Coatings
Teflon is one of the most lubricioμs materials presently available. Unfortunately, it is also quite weak and has poor resistance to wear. The combination of the polymer, however, with a strong, supporting matrix of electroless nickel,helps overcome these problems and provides a composite with excellent frictional properties.
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The Effect of Heat Treatment Upon the Hardness and Abrasion Resistance of EN Coatings
This paper describes the results of tests conducted to quantify the effect of different heat treatments upon the hardness and abrasive wear resistance of a high phosphorus, electroless nickel deposit. It also discusses why changes occur and how the period and temperature of the treatment may be varied to suit the intended application.
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