Photo etching is part of a spectrum of metal fabricating processes that include stamping, CNC punching, laser cutting, water jet, and wire EDM.

A quick view of key differences:

Key Features

Stamping utilizes hardened steel dies in the exact shape of the part and creates the part in a single strike of the die.  The die costs can run from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars and may take months to build.

CNC Punching utilizes standard die sets in a variety of configurations under computer control to create various features of a part.  It may take a number of automated tool changes and a multiple of strikes to produce the part.  Individual dies are generally less than a thousand dollars, but many may be needed.  Generally, dies are available in a matter of days to weeks.

Photo Etching utilizes a film based phototool to transfer the images of the parts on to metal.  All of the features of the part are created simultaneously in a single pass through the etching machine.  It takes exactly the same amount of time to produce a simple part like a washer as it does to produce a complex part like a screen. Phototools are typically less than $500 and can be created in a day.

Laser Cutting utilizes a guided beam of high-power coherent light to burn through the metal.  The laser beam traces each feature of a part, just as you would with a pencil.  Depending on the material and thickness, typical lasers will cut 200-300 linear inches per minute.  The time to produce a part is determined by the complexity of the design.  There is no tooling required but the parts must be programmed into the laser.

Water jet cutting is very similar to laser, however the rate is slower and the cutting agent is a high-pressure slurry of water and abrasive.

CNC Wire EDM utilizes a copper wire electrode to burn through metal by arcing an electric current between the electrode and the work object.  Typically, multiple layers of metal are clamped together so multiple parts can be cut.  This is a relatively slow process, particularly compared to laser and water jet.  No tooling is required, but programming is.

Versatility of Etching

Range of Metal Gauges

Etching is particularly suited to very thin gauge metals, routinely to .001″, that are less easily handled by other methods.  We can also etch ferrous alloys up to .040”, cuprous alloys to .065” and aluminum to .080”

Includes Specialty Alloys

Alloys, including aluminum and copper, that are not readily processed by lasers are routinely processed by etching.  We also etch molybdenum, indium, manganin and a wide variety of nickel alloys, including iron-nickel-cobalt used in glass-to-metal sealing applications.

Complexity and Fine Detail Made Easy

Etching handles complex geometries and multiplicities of holes far more efficiently than punching, laser or EDM.  In etching, all of the features happen simultaneously.

Very fine details and very small holes are possible in etching.  The minimum limits of feature and hole size are determined by the metal thickness.  Holes must be at least 110% of the metal thickness and minimum metal features must be at least equal to the metal thickness.

Fast and Inexpensive Tooling

Tooling is very inexpensive, generally less than $500, and can be produced in 24 hours.  Quantities can run from a few to tens of thousands.  We routinely work with projects that are destined for stamping, and we may produce 100,000 parts before the conversion.

Full Service Supplier

Conard also provides a full range of services that may include forming, welding, heat treating, and a complete selection of metal finishing options as may be needed.  We are AS9100/ISO 9001 and ITAR registered.

Contact Us for More Information

Conard Corporation

101 Commerce Street

Glastonbury, CT 06033

860-659-0591

860-659-8705 (fax)

sales@conardcorp.com

In a thoughtful and provocative HBR blog (http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/10/corporations_must_become_socia.html), Ron Shaich, CEO of Panera Bread, advocates that businesses must be good citizens, too.  Shareholders are not the only stakeholders and profits in and of themselves are not the only value a business can create.

I believe that the significant majority of businesses large and small are already good citizens in terms of their contributions to and support of their communities.  According to the Foundation Center, just the top 50 corporate givers donated about $2.5 billion in 2009.  Direct corporate giving exceeded $15 billion in 2010. There are some 10,000 corporate and individual charitable foundations which administered over $40 billion in grants and aid in 2010 as well.

While the “Occupy” movement seeks to vilify the entirety of the corporate world, it is really just another case of a few bad apples.  And, I can agree that, clearly, not enough has been done to rectify the excesses and effectively regulate the financial industry.  But, the rest of corporate America should not be tarred with the same brush.

The bigger problem is the 535 people we’ve sent to Washington. They still don’t get it, even though they are all talking about it now.

Manufacturing is the most effective  lever on the planet for creating and sustaining economic growth.

535 people in Washington need to take off their party hats and listen to the voices of intelligence and reason (none of whom hold elective office.)  We need an industrial policy that encourages investment, that reduces taxes and unreasonable regulatory burdens, and promotes development.  And, we need it yesterday.

The national conversation about the renaissance of American manufacturing continues to gain momentum.  Momentum is good.  Action is better. However, the confederacy of dunces we’ve sent to Washington is not likely to have the ability, let alone the will, to develop a thoughtful, effective, and practical approach to promoting and supporting manufacturing initiatives.

A CNN poll released Friday ( http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/21/poll-americans-agree-its-a-do-nothing-congress) asserts that nearly 7 in 10 Americans regard Congress as ineffective.  The American Jobs Act, which is mostly about extending Bush era tax cuts and providing tax credits and incentives for hiring, job creation and capital investment — can’t get through Congress.

So, the reality is that we’re going to have to do it ourselves, regardless of what Congress does… and possibly in spite of them.

ChangetheEquation.org is promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education intiatives with the support of more than 100 American corporations.    STEM programs around the country are graduating students who have the basic skills needed for high tech manufacturing.  It’s a huge task.  Recent studies reveal that less than half of high school graduates are prepared for college-level math and less than a third are prepared for college-level science.  (http://www.changetheequation.org/clientuploads/pdfs/DataSources.pdf)

Change the Equation is promoting partnership between the business communities and both public and private education to develop and deliver the skills and training that are needed by employers in the 21st century.

It really is up to us to get the job done.

I have a nifty piece of software that lets me monitor traffic on our website in real time.  I can follow the navigation of individual visits.  I can see how and where visitors arrive, search terms, landing pages, referrers and so forth.  This information has been very useful in tuning up content and keyword lists.

One of the things that was apparent pretty quickly was that a lot of visitors want to know “how much etching costs.”  So, we put a “Live Help” feature out there, thinking that people would use that avenue to get a quick idea of what their project might entail.  (This, of course, is in addition to the toll-free number, email links, and contact forms that appear on every single page of the site.)

Even as I watch visitors wander around the site –with at least four ways on every page to reach us– I watch them leave without getting an answer.  I have to tell you….it’s frustrating.  I’m sitting right here. Ready to answer your questions.   I try to send out mental energy, saying “come on… ask me….click, call, do something.  I promise, we’ll answer.”

Well, we’re doing one more thing.  We now have a great big red button — it’s right there below the toll-free number, the email link, the Twitter link, and the Live Help link…on every single page.  The button is called “How much does my part cost? All you have to do is give us a little info about your part: length, width, thickness, alloy, quantity and an email, and we will have an estimate back to you very quickly….in many cases just minutes.

So, no more excuses for leaving without what you wanted to know.  Push the button!

The lead story in the Hartford Courant this morning covered the impending layoffs of 200-some senior machinists from a major local aerospace manufacturer.  And, although I can empathize with those who will be affected– having had a similar wrenching experience a decade ago– I can’t help but see this as a “proble-tunity.”

There are vigorous and urgent discussions about the need to develop a “21st century” skilled workforce in the US.  And there are a host of programs in Connecticut and throughout the country that aim to train young people in the skills needed for high tech manufacturing.

In CT, organizations like CCAT, and ITDB and a variety of technical colleges are working to engage people, starting in high school, in pursuing skilled trades educations.

In addition, I have heard from others in the aerospace supply chain that finding skilled people is very difficult.

It just seems to me, that a sudden availability of a goodly number of highly skilled technical people might be a tremendous catalyst to help move these efforts along.

I know that no one living under the impending layoff cloud wants to hear this right now.  But, the people involved with the training programs might want to think about extending bridges to a new pool of prospective teachers.

You can now find me on Twitter @conardcorp.   I resisted this for years because, as Betty White said about Facebook on SNL, “it seems like such a huge waste of time.” And, besides, how much could I possibly share about photo etching…

But, the reason I decided to do this is that there is lots of interesting stuff going on all over the place and Twitter creates a really quick way to share some of the ideas, events and people that capture my attention.

You’ll likely find that I tend towards geeky.  Science and technology have always interested me.  Though I am saddened by the incipient end of the Space Shuttle program (only two more missions),  NASA is still doing really cool stuff.  I will be following Robonaut 2 and Project M with great interest.

Creativity and innovation intrigue me as well.  So, I am keeping an eye out for for small companies doing cool stuff.

And, yes, I will over-use the word cool.

I hope you will let loose your inner geek and share stuff you think is cool, too!

As if space wasn’t cool enough, just wait til you see what NASA is working on next!  Here’s Project M  (the white paper) http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/future/

If you are not enough of a geek to read the paper, try the video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFPNcWN7QnM

You gotta love the whole concept and the gung-ho challenge involved.   Put a humanoid robot on the moon in 1000 days!

I remember the original race to the moon.  It was a very prominent feature in our lives and our educations.  It was exciting!  We drank Tang! Our parents drank freeze-dried Folgers…from crystals! We had assemblies at school to watch the Apollo missions on TV!  We had astronaut Halloween costumes!  It was a big deal!

The point here is to get excited about science and technology and exploration again…. For all of us.  And, especially for everybody who missed it the first time around (meaning everybody born after, say, 1965…)

With all the hand-wringing about…jeez, so many things…it sure would be great to have something energizing and forward looking to engage with.  I’m definitely on board for this.

Watch this space for more!

Later today (2/24/11), the Space Shuttle Discovery will lift off on its 39th and final mission.  A namesake for the ships sailed by Henry Hudson (guess which river) and James Cook who discovered the Hawaiian Islands, Discovery will have traveled more than 150 million miles in its career.

Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit and was the first to launch after the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Discovery’s payload on this mission includes the “EXPRESS Logistics Carrier module and Permanent Multipurpose Module” (…I think it’s a digital lunchbox and programmable playground…), critical spare parts, and Robonaut 2.

Robonaut 2????, you say.  Really?  Yeah, really.  How cool is this:  http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/default.asp

I wonder if they’ll call it “Robby.”

The news is brightening all around.  Ford has announced planned hiring of 7000 people over the next two years, most of them in manufacturing.  The Institute for Supply Management is reporting that December 2010 delivered the 17th consecutive month of growth in manufacturing output.  Red Wing Shoe Company, a work boot manufacturer and something of a bell weather for industry,  reported strong sales growth in 2010.

Even in our little patch, things have been hopping.  We quoted 18% more line items in 2010 than 2009 and 30% more than 2008.  December,usually a quiet month, had double the  quote activity of previous years. Customers and suppliers I talk with are feeling a little breathless with the pace of activity.  And, trust me, no one is complaining.

The recovery hasn’t reached very deep into the labor market yet.  Only about 136,000 manufacturing jobs  were recovered in 2010.   There is a long way to go in that regard.  But, it is starting to happen.

The thing I like best about all of this is that people are starting to realize, again, how important manufacturing is to our economy and to our society.  Made in the USA means something.  Manufacturing is what made this nation the wealthiest on the planet.  And, IMHO, we need to reclaim not only the work ethic of manufacturing but also the pride of accomplishment.

And, we need to instill that in a new generation of people.  There was a time when “good factory jobs” were highly desired and seen as a path to a secure future.  I think another era like that is returning.

Technologies continue to evolve in high-growth fields that will require many thousands of highly skilled and specialized workers.  The diversity of activities in the energy arena alone will the drive creation of new manufacturing processes that will require technically skilled workforces.

Somehow, we need to encourage the newest generations of young people who have never known life without computers to see that they must be part of the solution.  Solar cells, wind turbines, high-performance batteries, fuel cells and other energy systems won’t build themselves.  Nano-scale technologies for scientific and medical applications will require extensively trained operators for highly complex production systems.

Maybe it’s time to take our kids to work again.

In 2011, the NASA Space Shuttle Program will end after 30 years and more than 130 missions.  And, I suspect, most people won’t notice.   After all, it’s been nearly 50 years since the first human went into space  (Cosmonuat Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.  Astronaut John Glenn followed on May 5th.)  I mean, really, it’s so ho-hum these days.

Well, it shouldn’t be.  Exploration drives discovery and innovation.  If you don’t believe me, check your phone.  Remember where you first saw something like that? That’s right. “Star Trek” communicators, circa 1966.

Space exploration required solutions for new problems and drove the development of new technologies.  Some of the “trickle down” technologies developed for space include scratch-resistant lenses, cordless power tools, “athletic” shoes (not just sneakers anymore), and freeze-dried food (perhaps not the most glamorous, but certainly useful.)  CAT (the “T” originally stood for “topography”) and MRI imaging technologies were developed to map potential lunar landing sites. From the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner to bomb-disarming robots, technologies developed to explore the surfaces of the moon and Mars continue to provide a substantial trove of terrestrial applications.

And, there is still a lot of really cool stuff going on up there.  Visit NASA.gov.  You can spend hours learning about what we’re doing in space.  And, you should.  It’s important. It’s about the future.  It always was.

So, the end of the Space Shuttle Program is a BIG DEAL.  And, we should take note of the end of this era.

For 2010, Conard has chosen the Space Shuttle to represent achievement in American Manufacturing by featuring it as our third annual commemorative bookmark.

2010 Space Shuttle Bookmark

To receive a free bookmark, email kstillman@conardcorp.com.  Put 2010 Bookmark in the subject line and include your name and mailing address in the body.