CHEMICAL ETCHING

In the world of high-tech manufacturing, the demand for smaller, more complex, and more accurate metal components is higher than ever. Traditional methods like stamping or laser cutting often fall short when dealing with delicate designs or specialized metals. This is where Chemical Etching—also known as photochemical machining—comes into play as the superior choice for precision engineering.​

​

What is Chemical Etching?

 

Chemical etching is a sophisticated subtractive manufacturing process. Unlike traditional machining that uses physical force to cut metal, chemical etching uses a controlled chemical reaction to dissolve unwanted material. This allows for the creation of incredibly intricate and highly accurate components from almost any metal, without the stress or heat damage associated with other methods.

​

How Does it Work? The Art of Precision

 

The process is a perfect marriage of photography and chemistry. Here is a simplified breakdown of how a flat sheet of metal becomes a high-precision part:

​

1. Cleaning: The metal sheet is meticulously cleaned to ensure a perfect surface.

2. Lamination: A light-sensitive material called photoresist is applied to both sides of the sheet.

3. Printing: Your specific component design is "printed" onto the photoresist using UV light.

4. Developing: The areas of photoresist not exposed to light are washed away, exposing the raw metal underneath.

5. Etching: The sheet is sprayed with a chemical etchant. The exposed metal is dissolved away, while the protected areas remain, forming your part.

6. Stripping: The remaining photoresist is removed, leaving behind a clean, burr-free component.

 

Why Choose Chemical Etching?

 

By leveraging photochemical technology, we offer a cost-effective way to shape and enhance parts for precision applications. The benefits are clear:

​

• Stress-Free Production: Because there is no mechanical force or heat, the metal’s properties remain unchanged. There are no burrs or heat-affected zones.

• Infinite Complexity: Unlike traditional tools, complexity doesn't increase the cost. Whether you need one hole or ten thousand, the price remains the same.

• Low-Cost Tooling: Instead of expensive steel molds, we use digital "phototools," making it easy and cheap to modify designs.

 

A Comprehensive Range of Materials

 

Chemical etching can be applied to virtually any metal, regardless of its hardness or temper. Every year, we process over 100 tonnes of sheet metal across more than 2,000 metal types. This scale allows us to provide our customers with significant purchasing economies and ensures that a wide variety of metals are always in stock and ready for your project.

​

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

What are the size and thickness limits?

 

We typically process sheet metals between 0.010 mm and 2.5 mm thick. The maximum sheet size we can accommodate is 600 mm x 1500 mm. While we can etch thicker metals, it often becomes less economical due to the longer time required to dissolve the material.

​

How accurate is the process?

 

Chemical etching achieves exceptional accuracy. Our standard tolerances are ±10% of the metal thickness or ±0.020 mm, whichever is greater. To push these boundaries even further, we recommend involving our engineers early in your design phase to customize the process for your specific needs.

​

What level of detail can be achieved?

 

We can achieve a standard etched opening as small as 0.1 mm. For depth-etched features, such as microfluidic channels used in medical or green-tech applications, we can go as fine as 0.020 mm.

​

What are the minimum and maximum quantities?

 

There are no limits. Chemical etching is uniquely flexible; we are just as efficient producing a single prototype for testing as we are producing millions of units for global supply chains.

​

How much does it cost?

 

The cost is primarily influenced by:

​

1. Material Type: Rare or specialized alloys cost more.

2. Thickness: Thicker sheets take longer to etch.

3. Size: How many parts can fit on a single sheet of metal.

​

How long does it take?

 

Speed is one of our greatest strengths. While traditional machining can take weeks or months to set up, chemical etching lead times are measured in days. Our typical supply time is less than two working weeks, and we offer expedited services for urgent requirements.

​

​