Photo Etching / chemical milling / chemical machining / metal etching
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The Photo Etching technology is also known as metal etching, chemical milling, chemical etching, photo chemical machining and chemical machining. Photo Etching is a chemical process where metal is eaten away by acids. The trick is to apply a protective coating to the parts of the metal that you want to keep. The most common Photo etching materials are copper and stainless steel, but also special material can be etched on demand. The photo etching technology is ideal for machining thin metals and foils. Parts with very precise and complex designs can be produced without difficulty. Photo etching or Chemical machining is widely used in the electronics and aerospace industries. Common applications of photo chemical machining include integrated circuit lead frames, surface mount paste screens, optical attenuators, encoder disks and meshes. The photo etching (or chemical milling) technology offers considerable advantages compared to punching, laser-cutting and wire-erosion. These advantages include:
Photo etching is a highly cost-effective method for prototyping, small and (very) large series. The animation below describes the process.
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