Considerations for digitalisation of nickel electroforming

This paper is a ‘follow-on’ from a paper previously published in this journal dealing with the laboratory to pilot scaling up approach using Industry 4.0 manufacturing methods. In particular, the paper reports a strategy for developing a model for the electroforming of nickel from a sulphamate electrolyte at laboratory scale which could subsequently provide an educated approach for transferring the process to a larger scale. At the laboratory scale, a rotating disc electrode assembly was used, which is a standard instrument to determine electrochemical parameters. Thereafter, small scale nickel discs were electroplated using this equipment, and a model of this process was developed and validated against those experimental results. These parameters were then used to actually produce electroforms in a prototype, 18 L tank system. Cross-validation between practical experiments and simulations followed which allowed for fine-tuning the model until it was consistently predicting the real process results within an acceptable error. Overall, it was found that a secondary current distribution model could be used for reasonably accurate description for the electroforming process, and could provide a quick virtual tool at a production facility.