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Photochemical
Etching

E-Fab is a leading provider of photochemical etching manufacturing services, an ideal process for precision thin metal parts. Photochemical etching is also known as photochemical machining (PCM) and chemical blanking

Photochemical etching enables us to deliver parts with complex or intricate geometries and tight tolerances for customers in the telecommunications, defense, medical, and electronics industries.

Why Use Photochemical Etching

There are several benefits of utilizing photochemical etching to produce precision thin metal parts. 

Economic Choice

Digitally rendered designs and chemical etchants equal reduced tooling costs during production compared to mechanical machining manufacturing.

Detailed Parts

Photochemical etching produces parts with greater complexity and tighter tolerances from thin metals like copper, brass, stainless steel, and more.

Faster Turnaround

Because the photochemical etching process begins on a computer, it is faster to get parts into production, and there are minimal retooling costs or delays if a change is required.

Better Surface Finishes

Parts processed via photochemical etching have minimal surface burrs and imperfections, which reduces the need for additional finishing procedures.

Photochemical Etching Expertise at E-Fab

We’ve been using photochemical etching since our earliest days, delivering thin metal parts in various materials for the telecommunications, defense, medical, and electronics industries. Here are E-Fab’s photochemical etching capabilities:

Processes available Photo etching, chemical blanking
Part thickness ≤ 0.063 thickness
Materials worked Copper, Beryllium Copper, Brass, Phosphor Bronze, Nickel, Nickel Silver, Nickel Iron, Steel, Stainless Steel, Spring Steels, Aluminum, Kovar, and other common and exotic materials
Secondary services Bonding, Plating, Forming, Singulation, De-Tabbing, Blackening, Creating Vias, Through Hole Plating, Anodizing, Clean Room Packaging, Coating, Electropolishing, Passivation
Typical turnaround 3-4 weeks, expedited shipping upon customer request
Industries served Aerospace, Military, Defense, Energy, Fuel Cells, Medical, Microwave, Semiconductor, Telecommunications, Colleges, Secondary Schools, Federal Agencies, State Government, Agriculture, Automotive/Transportation/Mobility, Electronics, Instrumentation & Control Systems, Manufacturing, Technology
Typical products Baluns, Screens, Needles, Circuits, Blades, Solder masks, Labels, Clamps, Standoffs, Battery Switches, Diaphragms, Plates, Boxes, Flow Cell, Springs, Grids, Ion Funnels, Shadow Masks, Circuit Boards, Leadframes, Baffles, Combs, Shields, Heatsinks, Stencils, Electrodes, Clips, Sensors, Lenses, Funnels, Ion Accelerators, Couplers, Ribs, PCBs, Flexes, Flanges, Contacts, Gaskets, BusBars, Microstrip Contacts, Transistors, Covers, Collimators, Terminals, Heat Spreaders, Retainers, Bars, Pins, Actuators, Filters, Brackets, Carriers, Apertures, Frames, Pole Pieces, Encoders, Shims, Cathodes, Stiffeners, Probes, Masks, Microstrips, Spacers, Battery Tabs, Straps, Discs, Lids, Polarizers, Rings, Washers, Antennas

A TPC Company

E-Fab is a proud member of The Partner Companies group of specialty manufacturers. Our network shares experience, materials, capabilities, and expertise to serve the defense, aerospace, medical, telecommunications, semiconductor, and renewable energy industries.

 

If you need a capability that we do not offer at E-Fab, please let us know, and we will connect you with a TPC company that can help.