These applications account for about 11 per cent of the market for primary nickel. These alloys either contain no iron or less iron than nickel. They are used in applications such as coinage, marine engineering, electronics, aircraft engines and gas turbine components. Alloys containing Inco nickel have played a major role in the aviation and space exploration industries, from the earliest aircraft at Kitty Hawk to the space shuttle and beyond. Those giant valves used at power plants and refineries or in the massive propellers that drive cruise ships are typical castings made from metal containing nickel.
Castings represent about four per cent of primary nickel utilization.
This sector includes the most diverse applications of nickel, from nickel powders used in such applications as the manufacture of sintered parts and nickel rechargeable batteries to nickel for electroplating applications. The shiny metallic finish on your bicycle spokes, the bumper and trim finish on your automobile and the handle on your refrigerator door are all examples of products that have been electroplated. Other uses for nickel include catalysts in the petrochemical industry, welding electrodes and specialized applications such as electromagnetic shielding for the computer and telecommunications industries. This segment uses about 14 per cent of primary nickel demand, of which more than half is used for electroplating applications.