BP 760 is a two-component bright nickel plating system for barrel lines: a brightener and a softener dosed into a nickel sulfate–chloride–boric acid bath. It is the additive side of the metal plating process — the part that decides how bright, how even and how ductile the nickel layer comes out once the base chemistry, the temperature and the current are set correctly.
What it is made to plate
Small machined components — screws, pins, bushes, connector shells, small housings and similar parts — run in bulk. Those are the loads that define a barrel line: every part sees a different current density as the barrel turns, and the parts are handled, tumbled and often machined again after plating. A bright deposit on its own is not enough for that kind of work.
Where it sits on the line
After pretreatment and activation, before rinsing, drying and any post-treatment. Most shops buy the base salts to a standard specification; the brightener system is the part that gets matched to the barrel size, the part mix and the finish the end customer has specified. Both are electroplating chemicals that are chosen together for that reason.
Who runs it
Job-shop plating plants, in-house finishing departments at component manufacturers, and distributors who supply nickel plating companies in their own market. Some sites run it as their only bright nickel process; others keep it on the barrel line while a different system covers rack work.
What it replaces
An earlier brightener and softener pair in a sulfate–chloride bath. The tank, the barrel and the filtration loop stay as they are — nothing about tank material, rectifier or exhaust has to change for the additive to go in.
| Formula and operating condition | Range |
| Nickel sulfate (NiSO4·7H2O) | 180~250 g/L |
| Nickel chloride (NiCl2·6H2O) | 45~55 g/L |
| Boric acid (H3BO3) | 40~50 g/L |
| Brightener BP 760A | 0.2~0.4 ml/L |
| Softener BP 760B | 6~10 ml/L |
| Temperature | 50~65 ℃ |
| Cathode current density | 2.5~8.0 A/dm² |
| Anodic current density | 1.0~3.0 A/dm² |
| Filtration | Continuous recycle filtration |
| Bath base | Sulfate–chloride nickel with a boric acid buffer |
Precision machined parts for automotive, aerospace and electronics. Bushes, pins, connector shells and small housings that go back into a machining cell after plating. The ductility of the deposit is what lets a shop hold its tolerances without worrying about nickel lifting at a chamfer.
Job shops running mixed barrels. Three part numbers in two sizes in one barrel is normal work, not an exception. The bath absorbs that variation and still delivers a matching finish, so a small order does not have to be split into separate runs to keep the colour consistent.
Captive finishing departments plating their own fasteners and fittings. The plated part disappears into an assembly and nobody inspects it again, so consistency is the entire value. A stable bright nickel plating bath that runs on the same settings week after week takes one variable out of the production plan.
Decorative work finished by brushing or satin finishing. A bright layer is the base for a brushed or satin look — the mechanical finish goes on top of the nickel, not instead of it. Builders' hardware, appliance trim and similar parts rely on a defect-free layer underneath so the brushed surface reads evenly.
High-volume lines with a recycling filter. Continuous production with a filter loop running is the environment the additive was built around. Chemistry stays in range while the barrel turns, which is what keeps unplanned downtime out of a busy schedule.
A nickel plating company moving off an older additive. A brighter, more ductile barrel finish without rebuilding the line: the tank, barrel and rectifier stay, and only the additive system and its dosing change.
Distributors assembling a nickel package for their own market. One brightener and softener pair covering barrel work is easier to stock and to support than three overlapping electroplating chemicals, and it gives the technical contact a single system to learn.
Changeover does not mean emptying the tank. The procedure is written for a bath that is already running a different brightener and softener pair, and it is deliberately short.
Stop the old additions. From that point the previous system is no longer being replenished and it fades out of the plating solution as the bath is worked. Nothing is dumped, and the process of electroplating carries on through the change.
Pick one of two routes. Either top up with make-up solution in proportion to the volume of the tank you are running, which restores the base chemistry without overloading the additives, or dose the new brightener and softener at a 1:1 ratio to establish the system quickly.
Check four things before the first production batch. Bath temperature at working level, cathode current density inside the recommended band, the filter loop running and returning clear solution, and the pH sitting where your nickel bath normally runs.
Run a small barrel first. A short run of the parts you plate most often says more about brightness and coverage than a bath analysis will, and it costs an hour instead of a shift.
Write down the first week of additions. The old additive is still present in the tank in diminishing amounts, so the first additions of the new system behave a little differently from the steady state. A simple log of dose, temperature and result makes the second week predictable.
What to tell us before you switch. Tank volume, the brightener and softener you run now, the substrate and part mix, and the finish target. That is enough for the technical team to say whether a straight 1:1 start or the make-up route suits your bath. Most lines settle into a steady pattern within the first two or three barrels on the electro nickel plating line.
Choosing the right match is where most sourcing decisions stall. As a trading supplier, we keep one point of contact from first enquiry to after-sales: tell us what you are making and the conditions you work under, and we shortlist the closest matches from our supplier network, compare specifications and arrange samples before you commit to a bulk order. If something does not behave as expected, we work with the supplying partner on the cause and a practical fix, and stay with the case until it is settled. Email, WeChat or WhatsApp enquiries get a reply within 24 hours.
Temperature is the one to hold first: the bath runs at 50~65 ℃. Cathode current density sits between 2.5 and 8.0 A/dm² with an anodic current density of 1.0~3.0 A/dm², and the plating solution recycles through the filter continuously. The salt concentrations and the two additive doses are listed in full in the operating parameters table, and they are worth checking against your own bath analysis before a fresh make-up.
Yes. The process is designed around continuous recycle filtration rather than batch clean-ups, so the loop you already run on a nickel bath can normally stay in place. Two things are worth checking before the first run: that the pump returns a steady flow at working temperature, and that the filter housing and lines are clean, because a loop that has sat idle will carry debris straight into a new bath. If your loop runs intermittently, tell the technical team your tank volume and turnover and they will say whether that is enough for an electro nickel plating line.
Stop adding the old brightener and softener — the bath does not need to be dumped, and the process of electroplating can carry on while the change settles. Then either top up with make-up solution in proportion to the tank volume you are running, or dose the new brightener and softener at a 1:1 ratio to establish the system quickly. Run a small barrel first and keep a note of the additions for the first week, because the old additive is still in the tank and fades out gradually.
Yes. Barrel loads vary in weight, part size and hole pattern, so the additive concentrations, current density and operating conditions are set for your case rather than issued as one sheet for every nickel plating company. The technical team works from your bath volume, substrate and finish target, and the pilot test laboratory can check an adaptation before it goes onto a production line.
The brightener carries gloss and levelling; the softener governs the mechanical side of the deposit — stress and ductility — which is what keeps the layer flexible enough for downstream machining. They are dosed separately because those two jobs are balanced against each other: when the finish drifts or parts start to crack at an edge, the ratio is usually the first thing to look at, not the total dose.
No. The make-up is nickel sulfate, nickel chloride and boric acid, with the brightener and the softener as the two additive components; neither cyanide nor hexavalent chromium is part of the formulation. For your compliance file, request the current SDS and the declaration that applies in your market, and check them against your own customer's requirements before the first shipment.
