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

Etching is particularly suited to very thin gauge metals, routinely to .001″, that are less easily handled by other methods.  Alloys, including aluminum and copper, that are not readily processed by lasers are routinely processed by etching.

Although not as fast as stamping or blanking, etching handles complex geometries and multiplicities of holes far more efficiently than punching, laser or EDM.  In etching, all of the features happen simultaneously even though it might be a few minutes for the process to work.

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.

Tooling is very inexpensive, generally less than $300, 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.

For more details on the capabilities of photo etching, please contact us.