encoder
discs

Yes. Tecan manufactures precision etched encoder discs by photochemical etching, with accurate, burr-free line and slot patterns for rotary and linear position sensing.

An encoder disc is a precision patterned disc used in optical and motion-control systems to measure rotary or linear position, speed and direction, by passing light through or reflecting it off finely spaced lines or slots.

Photochemical etching produces the fine, evenly spaced lines and slots an encoder disc needs with clean, burr-free edges and no mechanical stress or heat-affected zone, which protects accuracy and flatness. Because it uses digital tooling, patterns can be changed quickly and prototyped without hard-tooling cost.

Tecan etches encoder discs to a minimum feature size of approximately 20µm, holding a typical tolerance of ±10% of material thickness above 0.15mm, and ±15µm minimum below 0.15mm, which supports precise, repeatable line spacing.

Encoder discs are typically etched from stainless steel and nickel, and can be supplied with finishes to control reflectivity and contrast for optical sensing.

Yes. Because photochemical etching uses digital tooling, Tecan produces custom line counts, slot patterns and disc sizes to your specification, with prototypes made directly from drawings and the same design scaled to volume.

Etched encoder discs are burr-free, stress-free and flat, with highly consistent line spacing across the disc, giving more repeatable sensing than mechanically produced discs and allowing very fine, complex patterns.

Send your drawings or pattern specification, material and quantity via the Request a Quote page and Tecan will provide a quotation.