Photo Chemical Etching

Through a process of masking unwanted areas, one can selectively etch specific areas of the part. The aerospace industry regularly uses this type of etching to remove shallow layers of material from aircraft components and missile skin panels. The amount of material that can be removed can vary; one could remove anything from 10 microns (0.0004”) to over 0.5mm (0.020”).

For thicker requirements, Photofab can offer laser cutting. All of these metals etch at a different rate depending on their chemical composition.

Why use Chemical Etching?

For tooling

With chemical etching, tooling production doesn’t require the same long-winded, expensive mechanical processes as other methods. Bespoke tooling can be created quickly via CAD – and in the unlikely event of the tooling wearing out, a replacement can be just as quickly created and supplied, free of charge. Contact us for a quote to see how our low-cost tooling can make a huge difference in your production.

For prototyping

Prototyping is often a painstaking process of trial and error – even minuscule design changes can cost valuable time and money. Chemical etching drastically reduces the cost and time consumption of these experiments. Rapid prototyping is possible, ensuring that you can easily implement cost-effective improvement. See our Rapid Turnaround Service for more details.

Our tools can accommodate more than one design on a single sheet of metal. This means that you can trial two or three options on the same sheet of metal, making the process even more efficient while further reducing the costs.

Chemical etching bridges the gap between prototyping and full production, as you can use the same tooling to make one part or a million. We’d be happy to discuss how we can bring your ideas to life, so you can see a return on your hard work. Send us your spec to get a quote within 24 hours.

For everyone

One crucial aspect of the chemical etching process is that it produces burr free components – completely eliminating expensive and time-consuming deburring from the production process.

Chemical etching also carries the unique advantage of leaving the internal structure of the metal unchanged. This means leaving the metal unaffected with regard to hardness, grain structure, or ductility.

Company logos, part numbers or other identifying marks can easily be etched into the surface during manufacture, allowing you to produce branded components at no extra cost.

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Why work with Photofab?

We are world leaders in the development of photochemical technology to produce intricately shaped components. We have produced over 70,000 different components at the request of our clients over the years. When you work with us, this experience is at your disposal; at all stages of the chemical etching process, our engineers at Photofab will offer advice to improve the product and reduce the costs.

Our knowledge and experience allow us to control the etching speed and produce metal parts with both high accuracy and high quality. We carefully review the component usage to ensure that the correct metal has been selected both from a performance and cost perspective.

In addition to our etching services, we have the facilities to offer forming solutions in-house, meaning that we can take care of an additional stage of your process and eliminate unnecessary admin time. Read about how we can provide Formed Components for your project.

To ensure excellent customer service, we include:

• Dedicated account managers
• Quotes turned around within 24 hours
• Technical advice using our wide manufacturing experience
• Rapid product turnaround and delivery

In addition, Photofab offer a full manufacturing solution for all your metal product needs – from washers to complex formed springs and screening cans, we can also form, heat treat, and plate as required.