With chemical etching at our core, we can bring together micro precision technologies - from electroforming to laser welding and beyond to help manufacturers overcome complex design challenges and achieve remarkable levels of detail and quality in the production of components, ensuring optimal performance and functionality.
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what is chemical etching?
Chemical etching (also known as photo-chemical machining (PCM), acid etching, etching aluminium, photochemical etching and chemical milling) is as precise as it is quick and economical.
Complicated, multi-level, multi-feature, high-precision parts can be produced without the need for expensive tooling or machinery. Rapid prototypes can be produced from your drawings in a matter of days, with production then quickly scaled to industrial levels.
chemical
etching and
tolerance
If tight tolerances are a strict requirement for your product, Chemical Etching can be a good option, compared to traditional manufacturing processes. Tolerance typically seen on chemically etched features is only around +/- 10% of the parts’ thickness.
We deal with thicknesses of 25 µm to 2mm. Generally 10% of material thickness with a minimum tolerance of 12μm is possible.
Feature size and tolerance are subject to:
- metal type
- metal thickness
- sheet size
- nature of pattern to be etched
materials
If the metal you require is not listed here, we can discuss your specification.
- Range of austenitic, ferritic and martensitic stainless steels
- mild steel, carbon steel, tool steel, spring steel
- Aluminium, including aircraft /aerospace grades
- Brass, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, nickel silver
- Molybdenum
- Nickel alloys: Inconels, mu-metal, alloy 42 (Nilo 42), Invar, Kovar
- Copper: Including C110 and C101
the chemical etching process
Chemical etching (or acid etching, photo etching or etching aluminium) is a precise process that employs certain chemicals (etchants) that corrode and dissolve unwanted materials.
In order to achieve the desired pattern or design, a photo-resist is used as an outline so that the chemicals don’t dissolve away the entire material. This is an extremely accurate process which is why chemical etching is used in many cases instead of traditional machining as the results contain no burrs, rough edges or misshapen parts.
etching aluminium
Aluminium has long been used in many varying industries thanks to its properties; low density, high thermal conductivity, non-toxic and resistance to corrosion to name just a few. So it stands to reason that we’d also want to employ aluminium in our etching process.
The above goes for etching stainless steel too: an industry-standard metal that again has fantastic properties to make its use in diverse fields a necessity. Stainless steel is, in fact, so versatile that even after the chemical etching process, it doesn’t need finishing.
This also translates to a quicker overall production time. Chemical etching (also known as photo chemical etching and photo chemical machining PCM) reduces the production period anyway thanks to digital tooling which allows for this time to be reduced from weeks and months (like laser or machine tooling) to days.
key benefits of chemical etching
Clean, burr-free and stress-free parts that retain base material properties. Complex geometries and fine apertures produced without costly hard tooling. Digital tooling for fast iterations and consistent, repeatable results from prototype to volume.
when to choose chemical etching
Best for thin metals and complex, intricate precision features where mechanical or thermal methods risk distortion, burrs or heat-affected edges. Ideal for meshes, filters, encoder discs, RFI and EMC shields, lead frames, springs, shims, washers, fuel cell plates and microfluidic features.
why Tecan
Our process and our expertise helps shorten lead times and improve results. Etching, forming and plating are available on one site to compress timelines and reduce multi-supplier risk. ISO-driven quality with full traceability and first article inspection on request. In addition, our metrology team uses sophisticated precision measurement equipment and programming to maintain ultra-precise measurements and adhere to strict standards.
materials we process
Stainless steels, mild, carbon, tool and spring steels. Aluminium including aerospace grades. Nickel alloys such as Inconel, mu-metal, Invar, Kovar and alloy 42. Copper and oxygen-free copper grades, brass, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, nickel silver. Molybdenum and other specialist metals on request.
how chemical etching compares
Compared to CNC or stamping, etching introduces no mechanical stress and avoids tool wear, so fine features remain crisp and consistent. Compared to laser cutting, there is no heat-affected zone, which preserves edge integrity on very thin gauges and delicate patterns. Each feature on each component is created at the same time, not sequentially.
design tips for better value
Use sheet thickness as a guide for minimum webs and aperture sizes to improve yield. Apply tight tolerances only where functionally critical. Consider component tagging for very small or fragile parts to aid handling, plating and forming. Ask about partial-depth features for fold lines, location points, textures or branding without extra tooling.
quality and assurance
ISO-based quality management with in-process control, chemical analysis of etchants, metrology for geometry verification and automated visual inspection. FAIRs and full traceability available for regulated markets.
view the chemical etching video
watch herefrequently asked questions
Chemical etching, also called photochemical etching or photo-chemical machining (PCM), is a subtractive manufacturing process that uses chemical etchants and a photo-defined resist to dissolve away unwanted metal, leaving a precise, burr-free component.
There is no difference in the process. Chemical etching, photochemical etching, photo-chemical machining (PCM), acid etching and chemical milling are different names for the same manufacturing method.
Chemical etching achieves a minimum feature size of approximately 20µm and a typical tolerance of ±10% of material thickness above 0.15mm and ±15µm minimum below 0.15mm.
A wide range of metals can be chemically etched, including stainless steels; mild, carbon, tool and spring steels; aluminium (including aerospace grades); nickel alloys such as Inconel, Invar and Kovar; and copper, brass, bronze and molybdenum.
Chemical etching produces no heat-affected zone (unlike laser cutting) and no mechanical stress or burrs (unlike stamping and CNC). It carries low tooling cost and can form complex features across an entire sheet at once, making it economical for intricate, high-volume thin-metal parts.
Because chemical etching is toolless and photo-defined, Tecan can produce prototypes directly from drawings within days and scale to volume without commissioning new tooling.
Yes. Tecan operates an ISO-based quality management system and supplies First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs) with full material traceability to support regulated aerospace and medical work. Tecan holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification.
Tecan chemically etches metal from 25µm to 2mm thick.