Nickel foam is an open-cell metal structure with interconnected ligaments and spaces through which fluids can move. Understanding how that structure is produced helps explain the differences between foam grades and between foam, fiber felt and woven mesh.
One established industrial manufacturing route builds a nickel layer on a temporary polymer foam template. The template is later removed, leaving a porous nickel framework. The outline below describes this documented route rather than a single recipe for every nickel foam product.
The template and electroplating route
A published technical description of a nickel foam manufacturing process provides a clear example:
- Start with an open-cell polymer template. The connected foam structure provides the shape on which the metal framework will be formed.
- Make the surface conductive. A conductive treatment allows the polymer template to receive an electroplated metal layer.
- Deposit nickel. Electroplating builds nickel over the template’s network.
- Remove the temporary template. Heat treatment removes the polymer. A subsequent reducing treatment addresses nickel oxide formed during processing.
The result is a metal network based on the original template. The published example explains the process principle; its particular operating conditions and product specifications belong to that manufacturer’s process.
How finishing changes the supplied form
After the porous framework has been made, operations such as cutting and rolling can produce the required sheet dimensions and finished thickness. Published nickel foam product information illustrates several of these finishing methods, including precision rolling and cutting.
It helps to distinguish the stages. Electroplating deposits metal onto a surface. Heat treatment changes the material through a controlled thermal process. Rolling and cutting change its dimensions or shape.
Connect the process to material specifications
A useful description of the finished foam includes its composition, thickness, pore structure and mass per unit area. Each describes a different feature of the supplied material.
- Thickness describes the sheet dimension through its depth.
- PPI means pores per inch, a linear pore-count description. A supplier may also report cell count and measured pore size separately.
- Porosity describes the fraction of the overall volume occupied by voids.
- Areal mass describes the mass associated with a unit of sheet area.
Cell count, pore size and porosity are separate quantities. A foam’s manufacturing description can explain its structure, while the product specification describes the particular material being supplied.
Foam, fiber felt and woven mesh
Nickel foam, nickel fiber felt and woven nickel mesh all provide porous nickel structures, but their construction differs. Felt is assembled from fibers, and woven mesh from interlaced wire. Keeping these material names clear makes drawings, sample comparisons and technical discussions easier to follow.
Explore HuiRui’s nickel foam range for available product forms, or contact HuiRui for product information and a quotation.