Overview

A nickel perforated metal mesh is a thin nickel foil or sheet carrying a dense, uniform, burr-free array of micro-apertures that conducts, vents or filters through the holes themselves rather than through the crossings of woven wire. Two routes serve different scales. In photochemical etching, the aperture pattern is imaged from film onto both faces of the foil, developed, and the unprotected metal dissolved in an etchant matched to nickel to leave a one-piece mesh with consistent hole size. When the mesh must be thinner, finer or have nearly vertical hole walls, precision electroforming deposits nickel onto a conductive mandrel patterned with the resist image, then releases a low-stress, clean-edged foil.

Electroformed stock reaches 0.01 mm thickness and apertures of a few tens of micrometres, well below the practical etching limit. Because hole diameter, pitch and open area are set by the artwork, a nickel perforated metal mesh repeats identically from first article to volume, so flow resistance and current distribution can be calculated in advance. Typical materials are Ni200/201, nickel-iron alloy, 316L stainless steel or copper from 0.02 mm to 0.3 mm, with hole diameter tolerance around ±0.01 mm. These meshes serve alkaline electrolyser electrodes, battery current collectors, fuel-cell gas diffusion layers, precision filtration, EMI shielding and acoustic covers, supplied as sheets or on reels.

Parameter Window

• Available Materials: pure nickel Ni200/201, nickel-iron alloy, 316L stainless steel, copper
• Material Thickness Range: 0.02–0.3 mm (electroformed nickel down to 0.01 mm)
• Tolerance: ±0.01 mm on hole diameter, ±0.02 mm on pitch
• Minimum Feature: 0.05 mm aperture, 0.04 mm web width (0.03 mm by electroforming)
• Surface Options: anneal, Ni/Au plating, passivation, blackening, catalyst coating
• Compliance: ISO 9001 process control, RoHS/REACH material traceability

Manufacturing Process / Workflow (8 Steps)

1. Artwork & DFM Review — Convert the hole layout into vector artwork and check aperture, web and open area against the chosen thickness and route.
2. Material or Mandrel Prep — For etching select and flatten Ni200/201 foil; for electroforming prepare a conductive mandrel and apply the resist image.
3. Cleaning & Lamination — Degrease the foil and laminate dry-film photoresist on both faces under controlled heat and pressure.
4. UV Exposure — Expose the aperture array through high-resolution film registered to the sheet datum for panel-level accuracy.
5. Development — Wash out unexposed resist to open every aperture, then inspect the finest holes for residue.
6. Controlled Formation — Etch in chemistry matched to nickel with depth held by time and temperature, or electroform to target thickness by current density and time.
7. Release & Finishing — Peel the electroformed mesh from the mandrel or strip the etched resist, then anneal, passivate or plate and blacken if specified.
8. Inspection & Packaging — Verify aperture, open area and flatness against the approved first article, then pack flat or in rolls.

Core Advantages

1. Burr-free holes: Chemical or electrochemical formation leaves no sheared edge, so stacked layers are not scratched during assembly.
2. Uniform open area: One artwork images every hole, giving consistent flow resistance and even current distribution across the sheet.
3. Nickel durability: Nickel resists alkaline corrosion, conducts and welds well, and does not crumble during long electrolyte service.
4. Ultra-fine capability: Electroforming reaches 0.01 mm foil and tens-of-micrometre holes beyond the etching limit, with tunable porosity.
5. No hard tooling: A new pattern is only a new film or mandrel, keeping prototypes and multi-spec small batches economical.
6. Documented supply: Sheets and reels run on one line with aperture and open-area data issued per lot — what a nickel perforated metal mesh buyer needs for electrode stacks.

Typical Applications

• Alkaline electrolysers: Nickel mesh electrodes for hydrogen production, corrosion-resistant with open area tuned to gas release.
• Battery current collectors: Collector skeletons for Ni-MH and lithium cells with uniform holes and even current spread.
• Fuel cell diffusion: Thin, flat micro-porous nickel layers for gas diffusion and flow distribution.
• Precision filtration: Micro-hole discs for chemical and pharmaceutical filtering with repeatable apertures that resist wash-back distortion.
• EMI shielding: Thin continuous shielding meshes for RF modules that still pass air for cooling.
• Acoustic covers: Microphone and speaker guards with fine, even holes and low sound attenuation.

Design Notes & Process Considerations

1. Web versus thickness: Keep the minimum web at or above the foil or deposit thickness so narrow ribs do not lift or break.
2. Hole geometry: Specify diameter, pitch and open area; round entries resist stress concentration and dense zones need support webs.
3. Route separation: State different tolerance bands for etching and electroforming, since wall taper and edge verticality differ between the two.
4. Flatness and tension: Call out flatness and reel tension, because bowing causes poor contact or seal leakage in electrode stacks and filter cartridges.
5. Anneal and plating: Name the temper and coating thickness, as heat treatment changes stiffness and plating narrows holes and shifts resistance.
6. Panelization: Group several specs on one sheet or mandrel with shared registration marks to cut handling cost on repeat nickel perforated metal mesh orders.