9 design tips for more cost-effective photochemically etched parts
Designing thin, intricate metal parts is a balancing act between performance, lead time and cost. Photochemical etching gives you clean, burr-free, stress-free components with micro-scale features, rapid tooling, and an easy path from prototypes to volume. Use these tips to squeeze the most value from the process.
1) begin with thickness-led design
Use sheet thickness as your baseline for minimum apertures. It keeps features robust, improves yield and reduces inspection friction. Tecan routinely works from 20 µm to 2 mm with tight tolerances on thin stock and this can be improved depenedent on requirements.
2) tolerances where they matter
You don’t have to tighten everything. Apply critical tolerances only to functional features. As a guide, chemical etching is typically ±10% of thickness with a minimum achievable of ±12 µm depending on design and material.
3) design for sheet utilisation
Plan part footprints and arrays to optimise material usage. Better sheet utilisation improves cost efficiency and speeds protoypes to production, which Tecan can support on dedicated and flexible lines.
4) be intentional about corners and edges
Etching can produce very fine edges and even internal right angles when combined with complementary technologies. Where a single process struggles, Tecan is able to incorporate etching with laser machining to hit critical features.
5) use partial-depth features for smart functions
Half-etched reliefs are great for identifiers, fiducials, textures or branding without extra tooling. Tecan regularly delivers part-etched features on thin components. Ask our team about depth targets for your material.
6) consider multi-stage geometry and channels
Need controlled channels for fluidics, atomisers or energy devices? The team can advise on staged operations and stack-ups that keep registration tight so micro-channels and tracks line up perfectly.
7) use tagging for tiny or fragile parts
Very small or tight-tolerance parts can be tagged within a whole sheet of material. . This protects components in transit, reduces scrap and keeps features consistent through downstream steps like plating.
8) allow for finishing and forming
If you require conductivity, corrosion resistance or colour, specify finishes early. Tecan plates in house with 20+ finishes including gold, silver, nickel variants, black nickel and platinum, plus passivation and insulation. We can also form and assemble on site, which compresses timelines and keeps the supply chain tight.
9) co-develop from day one
Early collaboration de-risks the project. Tecan’s Application Engineering and R&D teams help choose the right route, define key features to measure and move quickly from prototype to industrial scale production.
what good looks like with Tecan
- Micro features with clean edges
- Features narrower than material thickness possible, and sharper corners available via multi-tech manufacturing capability .
- Prototypes in days
ready to optimise your design?
Share your CAD and a short brief covering material, thickness, critical features, tolerances and any finishing or forming. We will recommend the most efficient route and highlight quick wins for yield and cost.
