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1. Why OEMs Rely on Photo Etching for Key Applications

   March 18, 2025 10:47 am Leave a Comment

   From semiconductors to fuel cells to filtration to medical devices –and many more– major OEMs, names you will instantly recognize, use photo etched precision metal parts in key applications. Given the vast array of metal fabricating resources and technologies available to leading OEMs, why would they choose photochemical etching for critical elements of their products?

   The primary drivers for the photo etching option include:

   • It’s the best way to produce a given part. Other processes may leave undesirable vestiges or affects on the metal.
   • It’s the only way to produce a given part. Other processes may be incapable of resolving certain levels of detail, or may be ill-suited to processing very thin materials or certain alloys.
   • It’s the most economical way to produce a given part. For fine filtration products and many semiconductor packaging devices, among others, photo etching is far more cost effective and produces a superior product compared to other possible solutions.
   • It’s the best balanced option. Low cost tooling in a day (compared to stamping) and low effective unit costs compared to laser, water jet or wire EDM.

   Unfortunately, photo etching is also the least known option in metal fabricating. Educating designers and engineers about the capabilities of photochemical machining (yes, this is the “formal” name) is our biggest job.

   Applications where photo etched components are widely used include:

   • Fuel cell stacks and flow plates
   • Rechargeable batteries
   • Heat transfer/exchange devices
   • Turbines and bearings
   • Filters, screens, grids and meshes
   • Analytical instruments for scientific, medical and industrial uses
   • RF, microwave and wireless communications
   • Mechanical linkages and electrical interconnects
   • Microelectronics and power electronics
   • Controls, actuators, sensors
   • Waveguides, seals, gaskets, shims
   • Flexible heating elements and magnetic field coils

   Industries utilizing etched metal components include:

   • Aerospace & Defense
   • Automotive
   • Consumer Electronics and Appliances
   • Energy
   • Food Processing
   • Chemical Processing
   • Water and Waste Processing
   • Medical
   • Communications
   • Semiconductors and Electronics
   • Industrial and Scientific Instruments and Controls
   • and many more

   

   The potential applications for PCM are only limited by the relatively small community of people who are familiar with the process. Our goal is to spread the word and share the wealth.

   Here’s an introduction to Understanding Etching Costs and some information about tolerances

   For more technical info: Download Now
   Engineering Design
   Guidelines

   To reach me: 800-443-5218 or kstillman@conardcorp.com.

2. Why Engineers and Designers in the Know Love Photo Etching

   10:39 am Leave a Comment

   A “Multi-Tool” for Metal Fabricating

   Modern solid modeling systems give engineers and designers of precision metal components a wide variety of options for fabricating their creations, whether it be stamping, punching, or digital cutting via laser, plasma or waterjet. However, none of these software platforms has any information at all about photo chemical machining.

   We’ve met a good number of engineers over the years who needed to fabricate parts that weren’t suitable or practical for any of the methods they –and their software–knew about. We have witnessed many looks of wonder, and even awe, when they realized that photo etching was not just the solution they needed, but was the best solution for their projects.

   Why Do they Keep Coming Back?

   Could it be love?

   One of our longest customer relationships goes back to the 1970s. We have produced tens of thousands of pieces for more than 400 different parts for them in the past 40-plus years.

   In any given year, 80% of our business is from long-term customers. Last year, we shipped more than 2.3 million pieces of more than 600 unique parts to 170 customers.

   Customers had us create nearly 200 new part designs last year.

   How You Can Be in the Know, Too

   All of the “good stuff” is right here in the Comprehensive Design Guide. 

   It boils down to a few simple rules and ratios that are mostly common sense and a little bit of fluid dynamics. No months spent learning some massive and complicated system. You can begin your photo etching design career in minutes.

   Check Out the Data

   I wondered if I was engaging in confirmation bias in my assertion that when engineers and designers learn about the capabilities of photo etching, they look for every opportunity to make another photo-etched part.

   I did a quick take among our most active precision customers and this is what I found:

   • A customer in the RF/electronics industry has designed 172 etched parts
   • A customer in the aerospace/electronics industry has 158 parts
   • A customer in the RF/microwave sector uses 84 etched parts
   • A job shop (laser and die cutting) has chosen the etched option 37 times
   • A customer in thermal management tech uses 19 etched parts
   • A customer in industrial springs has converted 31 parts to etching
   • Microelectronics and  semiconductor packaging components encompass more than 300 distinct parts
   • We have produced more than 400 different braze foil pre-form designs for a number of customers serving aerospace applications.
   • And, there are more than 500 etched designs used in power generation and storage applications.

   We also have dozens of customers that have been buying the same handful of etched parts for years, and in some cases- decades.

   And, while there may be some confirmation bias in my assertion, there is also evidence to support the contention that engineers who know about etching* use it as frequently as they can.

   Want to Be on the Inside?

   We can help.

   Here’s a link to our most popular white papers.

   Or you can watch a 3 minute Youtube video here.

   You can email your questions to me  or Max.

   And, we’re still happy to talk on the phone:  800-443-5218.

   Request A Quote  today!  

3. Why Engineers and Designers Love Photo Etching

   10:33 am Leave a Comment

   When Your Only Tool is a Hammer…

   As the old saying goes, every problem looks like a nail. Modern solid modeling systems give engineers and designers of precision metal components a wide variety of options for fabricating their creations, whether it be stamping, punching, or digital cutting via laser, plasma or waterjet. However, none of these software platforms has any information at all about photo chemical machining.

   We’ve met a good number of engineers over the years who needed to fabricate parts that weren’t suitable or practical for any of the methods they –and their software–knew about. We have witnessed many looks of wonder, and even awe, when they realized that photo etching was not just the solution they needed, but was the best solution for their projects.

   When They Keep Coming Back…

   Could it be love?

   One of our longest customer relationships goes back to the 1970s. We have produced tens of thousands of pieces for more than 400 different parts for them in the past 40-plus years.

   In any given year, 80% of our business is from long-term customers. Last year, we shipped more than 2.3 million pieces of more than 600 unique parts to 170 customers.

   Customers had us create nearly 200 new part designs last year.

   What Do You Need to Know…

   All of the “good stuff” is right here in the Comprehensive Design Guide. 

   It boils down to a few simple rules and ratios that are mostly common sense and a little bit of fluid dynamics. No months spent learning some massive and complicated system. You can begin your photo etching design career in minutes.

   Is It Really True?

   I wondered if I was engaging in confirmation bias in my assertion that when engineers and designers learn about the capabilities of photo etching, they look for every opportunity to make another photo-etched part.

   I did a quick take among our most active precision customers and this is what I found:

   • A customer in the RF/electronics industry has designed 172 etched parts
   • A customer in the aerospace/electronics industry has 158 parts
   • A customer in the RF/microwave sector uses 84 etched parts
   • A job shop (laser and die cutting) has chosen the etched option 37 times
   • A customer in thermal management tech uses 19 etched parts
   • A customer in industrial springs has converted 31 parts to etching
   • Microelectronics and  semiconductor packaging components encompass more than 300 distinct parts
   • We have produced more than 400 different braze foil pre-form designs for a number of customers serving aerospace applications.
   • And, there are more than 500 etched designs used in power generation and storage applications.

   We also have dozens of customers that have been buying the same handful of etched parts for years, and in some cases- decades.

   And, while there may be some confirmation bias in my assertion, there is also evidence to support the contention that engineers who know about etching* use it as frequently as they can.

   *You Can Be One (who knows about etching), too!

   We can help.

   Here’s a link to our most popular white papers.

   Or you can watch a 3 minute Youtube video here.

   You can email your questions to me  or Max.

   And, we’re still happy to talk on the phone:  800-443-5218.

   Request A Quote  today!  

4. Why Designers Should Consider Photo Etching

   10:27 am Leave a Comment

   Designers of precision metal components may face constraints when considering the more well known options for fabricating many flat metal parts. Metal stamping, by far the largest segment of this market, requires hard metal tooling that can produce burrs and cold working. Laser cutting and wire EDM can impart excessive heat to the work object that may alter the characteristics of the metal. And in all of the cases, the more complex the part is the greater the impact on cost.

   

   Photo etching avoids all of those challenges. Phototools run about $300, no matter how complex the part, and can be had in a day or two.

   In the chemical etching process, there is no metal-on-metal contact that is pretty much the definition of metal stamping. Therefore, burrs and cold working simply can’t happen.

   And, the highest moment of heat in the etching process is about 165 F, for a few seconds and about 135 F sustained. So, compared to lasers and EDM at thousands of degrees sustained through the processes, photo etching is barely even warm.

   Photo etching is suitable for a wide variety of alloys, including some that are less compatible with other processes. For example, molybdenum-a refractory metal- is difficult to stamp because it can fracture. Aluminum is challenging for lasers because it is reflective, and copper’s high thermal conductivity also reduces laser’s efficiency. Chemical etching is also more capable in processing very thin materials, routinely down to .001″ thickness. Etching is also effective in fabricating braze foil pre-forms in alloys of aluminum, copper, nickel, indium and silver.

   In a study conducted under the auspices of the Photo Chemical Machining Institute, a trade organization, cost analyses were performed across multiple fabrication methods, including stamping, laser, water jet, wire EDM and photo etching, using multiple parts of similar size and increasing complexity. We’re happy to share that with you here.

   The major key to photo etching cost efficiency is dimensional tolerances, which are driven by metal thickness. The standard tolerance band is +/-15% of metal thickness, so that covers drawing block tolerances of +/-.005″ for metal thickness up to .032″. The practical minimum tolerance is +/-.0015 on metals up to .010″.

   This chart illustrates the relationship between tolerances, sheet sizes and costs for photo etching. The clear conclusion is that when your design can accommodate a wider tolerance band, there are significant advantages in costs. The point of leverage is the larger the sheet size, the more parts per sheet, since the unit of labor is the sheet.

   If you would like a no-obligation drawing review, you can send it to me directly at kstillman@conardcorp.com. Or upload your file here and we’ll get back to you right away.

5. When You Need a Whole Lot of Holes…

   9:54 am Leave a Comment

   Many engineers and designers have embraced photo etching, also known as chemical etching or photochemical machining, as their go-to option for making metal filtration, grids and screens.

   Some of the benefits of etching include:

   Precision and Accuracy:

   Photo etching allows for high precision and accuracy in creating patterns and designs on metal surfaces. This is crucial for manufacturing filtration products with specific and complex geometries.

   Fine Detail:

   Designers can create fine details and intricate patterns on metal sheets that would be prohibitively difficult to produce with stamping or punching, and exceptionally expensive in cycle time for laser or plasma.

   Customization:

   Manufacturers can easily create perforated products with varying mesh sizes, shapes, and configurations to meet specific filtration/screening requirements.

   Burr-Free and Stress-Free:

   Mechanical cutting methods often require secondary processing to remove burrs. Photo etching produces burr-free and stress-free metal components. Engineers value this property as any burrs or residual stresses could affect the performance and integrity of the filters.

   Material Versatility:

   Photo etching is compatible with a wide range of metals, including stainless steel, aluminum, and nickel and copper alloys. Nickel and copper have become increasingly popular alloys for battery anodes and cathode

   Cost-Effective for Prototyping:

   For a few hundred dollars, designers can prototype multiple configurations at one time to accelerate the product development process.

   Tight Tolerances:

   Photo etching tolerances are typically +/- 15% of metal thickness to a practical minimum of +/-0015” for metal foils .010” thick and less.
   Reduced Material Waste: The process is highly efficient and produces minimal material waste compared to traditional machining methods. This contributes to cost savings and aligns with sustainable manufacturing practices.

   In summary, photo etching offers a combination of precision, customization, material versatility, and cost-effectiveness, making it well-suited for the manufacturing of metal filtration products where intricate designs and high precision are essential.

   For more information, check out some of our popular resources here.

   

6. What You Need to Know about Self-Managing Decorative Etching Projects

   9:26 am Leave a Comment

   As a commercial etching facility, our primary purpose is to get the work out the door on time and in conformance with customer specifications. Over 90% of the work we do is defined as “precision” work: we work to engineering drawings and specifications, and there are inspection, conformance and documentation requirements. Meeting these kinds of requirements is why we have engineering staff and an entire inspection department.

   

   As it happens, the very same metal etching process that produces precision parts for industrial applications is also well suited to create products for designers of jewelry, giftware, scale models and other aesthetic purposes. The big difference is that the quality requirement is much simpler:  the parts need to look good.

   • We have a standardized approach to processing decorative etching work at fixed prices.
   • We use one sheet size:  18″ x 24″.
   • We offer four thicknesses of metal:  .016″, .020″, .025″ and .032″. As a point of reference, .020″ is the thickness of a credit card. .005″ is the thickness of a sheet of paper.
   • Standard decorative is available in four metals:  stainless steel, brass, copper and aluminum.
   • Customers who prefer other alloys, such as sterling silver, nickel silver, carbon steel, or bronze must supply it themselves.

   Since all we are doing is the etching, the customer takes responsibility for design work and also purchasing and having the phototool produced. We are happy to refer customers to resources for both of these processes.

   Standard decorative is priced to ship tabbed in the sheet. We routinely ship to other service providers, such as electroplating, screen printing and finishing (cut out and deburr), however the responsibility for arranging orders with these providers rests with the customer.

   Here are the key things to know:

   • The customer is responsible for design
   • The customer provides the phototool
   • The customer arranges for additional services, if desired
   • All we do is the etching

   Here are some additional resources:

   Download the 2014
   Simple Parts Per Sheet
   Count for
   Decorative Products

7. What to Know about Photo Etched Sidewalls

   9:13 am Leave a Comment

   Different metal cutting processes produce different effects at the cut line. Stamping and punching can leave a deformation and a burr on the die side of the plate. Laser, plasma and EDM can leave a heat-affected zone or recast layer. Abrasive slurry water jet can leave a somewhat erose sidewall. And photo chemical machining has its own sidewall artifact that we call a “feather.”

   Most often, photo etching is done from both sides equally and at the same time as a “50/50″ etching ratio. As the etchant penetrates from each side of the metal, the cutting path widens at the surface as it deepens. This effect occurs at the predictable rate of .00025″ in width per .001″ of cut depth. The feather reaches its maximum at the point of breakthrough. To calculate the feather, multiply .00025” by half the metal thickness.

   

   Unless otherwise specified, we measure to the feather. If your application is more sensitive to total surface area, we need to know that so we can discuss with you the implications with regard to mechanical dimensions at the feather.

   There are times in photo etching that we use other etch ratios, such as 60/40 or 80/20. Usually, the applications for this involve filtration to produce a hole on one side that is smaller than the metal thickness would typically allow. The rule of thumb is that the minimum hole size is 115% of the metal thickness.

   With a ratio etch, we treat each side of the metal as if it were a different thickness. If we wanted to use an 80/20 ratio on .010 material, we would treat the 20% side as if it were .004″ thick and the 80% side as if it were .016 thick. With this ratio, we could put a .005″ hole on the 20% side and the 80% side would be about .018. The center distances on the holes would have to be the 80% side plus the overall metal thickness.

   Using a ratio etch, the feather will move to the new breakthrough line, in our example it would be .002″ from the 20% side of the sheet and the feather will be driven by the 80% side and will therefore be .00025″ x 8, or .002″.

   For more information about desgining for photo etching, please feel free to download information from our website:

   Download Now
   Engineering Design
   Guidelines

8. What’s Hot in Photo Etching

   8:57 am Leave a Comment

   When the heat is on, many look to photo etching to move it around or make something useful of it–like electricity.

   One of the oldest thermal applications for etching is heat sinks, devices that help remove heat from vulnerable electronic components. Heat sinks are generally passive devices, relying on air conduction to radiate heat away. Etching offers the ability to create pin- or vane-like structures that increase the effective radiating surface area without increasing the actual footprint of a device.

   • Etched aluminum circuit board heat sink

   

   • Etched aluminum “pin fin” radiator plate

   

   “Cold plates” get an assist from a transfer medium such as anti-freeze to absorb excess heat and shuttle it away to be chilled and recycled. In a conventional radiator, the coolant is carried in tubing, often surrounded by metal vanes to help dissipate heat. In a cold plate the tubing is replaced by etched channels in copper or aluminum plates that are bonded together channel-to-channel to create tubes, of a sort, through which coolant is pumped.

   Power generation and storage are also beneficiaries of the capabilities of photo etching. Fuel cells, batteries and evolving distributed generation technologies require part geometries that are uniquely realized by chemical etching.

   Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells take advantage of photo etching’s agnosticism with regard to part complexity vs. cost to produce very intricate membrane elements for both generating electricity and electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen.

   Nickel-metal hydride and lithium ion power cells are the batteries of choice for space-based applications. Both rely on photo etching for critical components.

   • Etched nickel cell grid for NiMH batteries

   

   Thermal cycles are also useful in power generation. The “waste heat” of combustion is captured and converted to “work” (in the parlance of thermodynamics) as an additional stage of generation, often through steam turbines.

   However, a number of evolving strategies are taking advantage of the ability of photo etching to create complex partial-depth etched structures and patterns that are central features of new distributed power generation technologies that take advantage of thermal cycles without the rotating machinery.

   There are growing applications in power electronic components that are built on direct bond copper circuit materials. These are constructions of aluminum oxide (alumina) or aluminum nitride ceramic that have copper foil diffusion bonded on both sides. The ceramic dissipates the heat generated by the device, enabling both higher power applications and longer service life.

   Etched direct bond copper on ceramic power electronics base

   

   A long-time application for etching is in flexible resistive heating elements. Typically an electrically conductive material such as Inconel, stainless steel, nickel or copper is bonded to a non-conductive substrate such as silicon rubber, fiberglass or a polymeric material such as polyimide or polyester. The element pattern is etched into the metal down to the substrate, and the resulting circuit is usually affixed with electrical leads and encapsulated with another layer of non-conductive material. These types of devices find many applications in aircraft, both as de-icing boots for leading edges of the airframe or propellers, as well as preventing freezing in other systems on board.

   Etched Inconel on silicon rubber flexible heater element

   

   So, if you have a “hot” situation, you can keep your cool with photo etching. Contact us for more information.

   For more detailed information on photo chemical machining, download our free comprehensive guide:

   

9. What Metal Fabricating Problems can be Solved by Photo Etching?

   8:53 am Leave a Comment

   Photo etching, also known as chemical etching or photochemical machining (PCM), is a precision manufacturing process used to produce complex metal parts with fine details. It offers several advantages over traditional metal fabrication techniques such as stamping, machining, and laser cutting. Here are some common metal fabricating problems that can be effectively solved by photo etching:

   1. Complex Geometries and Fine Details

   • Problem: Traditional machining and stamping processes can struggle with producing intricate designs, thin walls, or fine details, especially in small or delicate parts.
   • Solution: Photo etching allows for the production of highly complex and intricate patterns with tight tolerances, making it ideal for applications requiring detailed designs, such as microelectronics, filters, and precision springs.

   2. Material Stress and Deformation

   • Problem: Mechanical processes like stamping or laser cutting can induce stress, burrs, and deformation in the material, leading to defects or compromising the integrity of the part.
   • Solution: Photo etching is a non-contact process, which means it doesn’t exert physical force on the material, thus eliminating stress and deformation. This results in burr-free and stress-free parts.

   3. High Tooling Costs for Small Batches

   • Problem: Traditional fabrication methods require expensive tooling, which is not cost-effective for small production runs or prototyping.
   • Solution: Photo etching uses a photomask instead of physical tools, which can be quickly and inexpensively produced. This makes it cost-effective for both small batches and large-scale production.

   4. Thickness Variation Challenges

   • Problem: Some processes have difficulty maintaining consistent material thickness, particularly when working with very thin metals.
   • Solution: Photo etching is well-suited for working with thin metal sheets, ensuring uniformity across the entire surface, even in ultra-thin materials.

   5. Material Limitations

   • Problem: Some fabrication methods are limited in the types of materials they can work with, especially brittle or hard-to-machine metals.
   • Solution: Photo etching is versatile and can be used on a wide range of metals, including stainless steel, copper, nickel, and even hard-to-machine materials like titanium and molybdenum.

   6. Prototyping and Design Flexibility

   • Problem: Iterative design changes can be costly and time-consuming with traditional machining due to the need for new tooling or adjustments to existing setups.
   • Solution: The photomask used in photo etching can be easily modified, allowing for quick and inexpensive changes to the design, making it ideal for prototyping and iterative development.

   7. Large and Complex Assemblies

   • Problem: Creating large or complex assemblies with multiple parts can be cumbersome and require extensive post-processing to ensure all parts fit together properly.
   • Solution: Photo etching can produce multiple parts simultaneously on a single sheet, ensuring perfect alignment and fit, which reduces the need for post-processing and simplifies assembly.

   8. High Precision Requirements

   • Problem: Achieving extremely tight tolerances can be challenging with conventional methods, particularly for small or intricate parts.
   • Solution: Photo etching is capable of producing parts with very high precision, often achieving tolerances as tight as ±.0015 inches, making it suitable for applications like medical devices, aerospace components, and microelectronics.

   Photo etching is particularly useful in industries where precision, complexity, and material integrity are critical. By addressing the limitations of traditional fabrication techniques, photo etching enables the production of high-quality, intricate metal parts that meet the demanding requirements of modern applications.

10. What Engineers Ask Us about Photochemical Etching

    8:44 am Leave a Comment

    We have lots of conversations with engineers and designers who need better solutions for challenging metal fabricating applications. To a person, they have solid working knowledge and a fair amount of experience regarding many processes, including stamping, punching, laser, plasma, waterjet and wire EDM.

    Just today, we’ve been approached for:

    • a semiconductor packaging application by an engineer whose laser-cut parts are “oil-canning”;
    • another engineer whose application is for a large-format laser printer component in very thin metal;
    • and a customer who needs about 900 .140 diameter holes cut through .035 stainless parts

    In all of these cases, photo etching overcomes problems that are created by, unsolvable by, or impractical for better-known metal processes.

    In the case of the oil-canned parts, the laser is inducing thermal stresses and heat affected zones that are locally altering characteristics of the material. In chemical etching, the highest temperature in the process is 165 degrees F, and it is only for moments. The most sustained thermal exposure is about 135 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. By comparison, your home dishwasher operates between 120 and 150 degrees, and I’m sure you’ve seen no ill effects on your metal cookware.

    The laser component is a long skinny part (more than 30″) made from very thin metal (<.005″). It has, essentially, precision “timing” features that need to be accurately and consistently spaced from one end to the other. And, here’s another example where conventional processes are poorly-suited to the engineer’s performance objectives. This application can not tolerate any burrs, so any process that will pierce or shear the metal must also cause some displacement and deformation. . And the metal is so thin, it is a poor candidate for laser, the typical minimum thickness for which is about .015″. Waterjet isn’t even a play for this application.

    The stainless part is pretty basic, except for the hundreds of holes. While, punching, laser, and waterjet are possible solutions, they all suffer from the one-hole-at-a-time problem which makes the cycle time per part unaffordable, at the very least. In photo etching, we only charge you for the first hole; the rest of them–no matter how many– are free!

    

    Yet, in all of these cases, chemical machining provides a complete solution that delivers accuracy, repeatability and economy, and which completely avoids the problems inherent with any other processes.

    In these cases, as well, the engineers were unfamiliar with the chemical machining process and its capabilities. After our conversations, which mostly addressed their immediate “pain points,” there is still a considerable need for more detailed information about how the etching process works; which metal alloys are suitable (lots and lots of them); what the design rules are; and how to design for manufacturability and economy.

    Actually, I would like to have a dozen conversations like these every day. It’s pretty fun to take a problem that seems intractable and be able to present a simple and effective solution. It’s almost like I can feel their shoulders un-hunch through the phone. And, certainly my professional mission in life is to educate as many as possible about the photochemical etching process.

    Are you ready to see what photo etching can do for you?