Chemical Etching Guide: Photochemical Machining & Micro Parts

Chemical Etching Guide: Photochemical Machining & Micro Parts

Short answer: Chemical (photochemical) etching dissolves unprotected areas of a thin metal sheet in an acid or alkaline bath through a photoresist mask, producing complex, burr-free flat parts with no heat, no stress and no tooling cost. It is ideal for foils and shims, meshes,_encoder wheels, lead frames and decorative panels where stamping would distort the material or where low volumes cannot justify a die — holding tight tolerances across thousands of features at once.

At a Glance

Chemical Etching Guide: Photochemical Machining & Micro Parts chart
Figure 1 – Chemical Etching Guide: Photochemical Machining & Micro Parts overview.

Etch vs Other

Etching pairs with Metal Pickling Guide ve Metal Surface Treatment Guide; compare Metal Edm Guide ve Metal Laser Welding Guide.

Kalite

Tolerance and edge checked per Metal Tolerances Fits Guide, certified by Mill Test Certificate Guide. Inspect by Metal Ndt Guide.

Supply & QA

Start from Metal Foil Supplier ve Metal Degreasing Guide; protect via How To Prevent Metal Rust. HXSCO supplies etch-ready foil.

Get a Quote

Tell HXSCO your requirements and we will respond with a competitive quote and lead time.

Sıkça Sorulan Sorular

What is chemical etching?

Masked acid dissolution of thin sheet to shape parts.

Etch vs laser cut?

Etch is burr-free, stress-free; laser adds heat/affects edge.

What thicknesses work?

Foil to ~1.5 mm sheet in most metals.

Is it tooling-free?

Yes — only a phototool; ideal for prototypes and low volume.

Do you supply etch stock?

HXSCO supplies stainless, copper and nickel foil for etching.

Source Etch-Ready Foil from HXSCO

HXSCO supplies stainless, copper and nickel alloy foil suited to photochemical etching. Send your alloy and thickness for a quote.

Request a Quote