Starting with Trident 300³ batch 2, V2.4 300/350 batch 4 and all future Voron kits, we are replacing the surface treatment of all our carbon steel fasteners with black nickel plating.

Previously, we’ve tried black oxide and then black zinc-nickel plating in our fastener kits. Black oxide has poor corrosion resistance and many of our users from humid locations reported that these screws rusted very quickly. Black zinc-nickel plating on the other hand has very strong corrosion resistance. However its coating is relatively thick, causing undersizing issues with the hex sockets in our M3 screws.

Why don’t we use 304 stainless steel fasteners? Well it’s not a cost issue. stainless steel fasteners cost nearly the same as the carbon steel. The main consideration is strength, the carbon steel fasteners we use are either grade 10.9 or 12.9. These fasteners have much higher tensile strength compared to 304 stainless steel. Some people also dislike the white silver look of stainless steel fasteners.

We believe black nickel plating is a very good alternative to these two other coatings. While not as corrosion resistant as zinc-nickel, black nickel is nonetheless very corrosion resistant. Meanwhile, its plating thickness is relatively thin – so it has no socket sizing issues. Not to mention the dark metallic look of black nickel is really cool!

Check out more comparison photos we made below: