Nickel engravers

Uses. The metal is used in electroplating, in solder for aluminum, as a constituent of easily fusible alloys, as a deoxidizer in nickel plating, in process engraving, in cadmium-nickel batteries, and in reactor control rods. Cadmium compounds are employed as TV phosphors, as pigments in glazes and enamels, in dyeing and printing, and in semiconductors and rectifiers. 

Electroformed molds are produced by a process derived from standard electroplating. The metal (usually nickel) is first dissolved and then reassembled electrolytically around a model. By this means a very dense non-porous metal shell is formed, exactly conforming to the three-dimensional contours of the model and, at the same time, able to reproduce fine surface detail, such as textures or engraving. After forming, the shell (which may be up to 10 mm thick) is removed from the model and engineered into a finished mold by various methods, according to the molding process in which it will be used. 

These molds are usually made from aluminum, often with engraving. For high production rates and intricate surface configuration, electrodeposited shapes (nickel/ copper) backed with cast aluminum are used. 

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