Photochemical machining also known as etching, photochemical milling or photofabrication is used to produce low to medium volume component part or as a process step prior to high volume stamping.
Hamilton Precision Metals supplies major photochemical machining houses throughout the world. Our metal strip or foil is coated with photoresist and subjected to UV light to impart an image on one surface of the metal. The metal is then chemically etched (often using ferric chloride) to remove the selected areas of metal, leaving the desired part.
There are many diverse types of parts produced by photochemical machining including: strain gauges, photoreceptors, and flexible heaters. Almost all
our alloys can be photochemically machined.
Sizes
Precision strip from 1.5 mm (.060”) down to 1.5 microns (0.00006”) thickness. Typical widths are 8" (203mm) to 12" (305mm).
Advantages
We can deliver strip or foil in the small quantities that are often required by customers, with rapid lead times. The many final applications include television, medical, instrumentation, electronics, and precision washers and shims.