An innovative composite plating apparatus for cylinders is firstly proposed. Ni-SiC coatings are prepared using the circulating-solution co-deposition technique. The coatings are deposited on cylinder inner surface while the outer remains intact. The deposition rate of Ni-SiC composite coating is 83 μm/30 min. Ni-SiC coatings show superior hardness and wear resistance in terms of Ni coatings.