Photo Etching Aluminum is a Conard Specialty
Over the past several decades, photo etching has proven to be a versatile and cost effective method of fabricating thin-gauge metal parts in many alloys.
One of the lightest metals, aluminum, is one of the more challenging alloys to etch. Aluminum is a very active and reactive metal. It oxidizes readily and actually becomes fuel for the reaction, much as it does when it is a component of solid rocket fuel.
Etching aluminum is the foundation of Conard’s business. In the early 1960’s, Richard Huttinger, a metallurgist for Pratt and Whitney, was trying to find a better way to finish the surfaces of forged aluminum propeller hubs. Huttinger believed that it could be done chemically and developed the methodology that we continue to use.
Conard’s General Manager, Art Long, has worked in this industry for more than 30 years and is well familiar with the challenges of etching aluminum. “The biggest problem is edge consistency, sometimes the edge would look smooth and other times it would appear very rough. It was difficult to control the quality of the etchant from one bath to the next and from one alloy to the next,” said Long. “When I joined Conard in 2003, I noticed that the aluminum etching capabilities were head and shoulders above the previous companies I had worked for. The product had consistently smooth sidewalls and was precise in a wide range of different aluminum alloys and thickness.”
From the beginning, Conard has maintained equipment specifically for etching aluminum. Huttinger’s formulas and process metrics have been the basis for more than 40 years of continuous improvement. As Conard’s business expanded to encompass a broad range of ferrous, cuprous and specialty metals, the basic principles developed by the founder for maintaining consistent performance are still employed every day.
