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photochemical etching for precision components
Photochemical etching is a precision metal manufacturing process that uses a light-defined chemical etch to produce burr-free, stress-free components from 25µm to 2mm thick. Tecan has manufactured photochemically etched precision parts in the UK for over 50 years.
what is photochemical etching?
Photochemical etching, also known as photo-chemical machining (PCM) or chemical etching, is a subtractive process that uses a photo-defined resist and chemical etchants to dissolve unwanted metal away from a sheet, leaving a precise, burr-free component.
The component design is transferred photographically onto the metal, so no hard tooling is required. This makes the process highly accurate, easily repeatable and quick to change between iterations.
why choose photochemical etching for precision components?
Photochemical etching offers advantages that stamping, laser cutting and CNC machining cannot match for thin, intricate metal parts. It produces no burrs and no mechanical stress, and creates no heat-affected zone, so the metal’s properties and flatness are preserved.
It also carries low tooling cost and gives genuine design freedom: complex features can be formed across a whole sheet in a single process, and the geometry can be revised at any point without commissioning new tooling. For intricate, high-volume thin-metal parts, it is often the most precise and cost-effective option.
tolerances and precision capabilities
Tecan’s photochemical etching achieves a minimum feature size of approximately 20µm and a typical tolerance of around ±10% of material thickness, on material from 25µm to 2mm thick.
materials we etch
Tecan etches a wide range of metals, including:
- Stainless steels
- Mild, carbon, tool and spring steels
- Aluminium, including aerospace grades
- Nickel alloys such as Inconel, Invar, Kovar and Alloy 42
- Copper, brass and bronze
- Molybdenum
precision components we manufacture
Tecan manufactures a broad range of photochemically etched precision components, including bipolar fuel cell plates, flow discs, encoder discs, fine mesh, heat exchanger plates, EMI and RFI shielding, lead frames, microneedles, springs and flexures, and fine-feature parts.
industries we serve
Tecan supplies photochemically etched components across a range of demanding sectors, including green technology, healthcare and medical, hydrogen and fuel cells, aerospace and defence, electronics, semiconductors, filtration and data centres. The process suits any application that needs precise, burr-free, stress-free thin-metal parts.
frequently asked questions
Photochemical etching is a precision metal manufacturing process that uses a photo-defined resist and chemical etchants to produce burr-free, stress-free components. Tecan has used the process in the UK for over 50 years.
Yes. Photochemical etching, chemical etching, photo-chemical machining (PCM) and chemical milling are different names for the same process.
Photochemical etching produces no burrs, no mechanical stress and no heat-affected zone, carries low tooling cost, and allows complex features and fast design changes that stamping, laser cutting and CNC cannot easily match.
Photochemical 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, on material from 25µm to 2mm thick.
Most metals can be etched, including stainless and other steels, aluminium, nickel alloys such as Inconel, Invar and Kovar, copper, brass, bronze and molybdenum.
Because the process is toolless, Tecan produces prototypes directly from drawings within days, then scales the same design to volume without new tooling.
Photochemical etching for precision components is a subtractive manufacturing process that uses a light-defined resist and chemical etchants to produce burr-free, stress-free metal parts to tight tolerances. Tecan has used the process to manufacture precision components for over 50 years.
Photochemical etching produces precision components with no burrs, no mechanical stress and no heat-affected zone, so the metal’s flatness and properties are preserved. Because it uses digital tooling, it allows fast design iteration from prototype to volume, making it ideal for intricate, thin-metal precision parts.
Tecan manufactures precision etched components including bipolar fuel cell plates, flow discs, EMI/RFI shielding, meshes and filters, heat-exchanger plates, encoder discs, lead frames, springs, contacts and solid metallic microneedles.
Tecan holds a typical tolerance of ±10% of material thickness above 0.15mm, with a minimum of ±15µm below 0.15mm, and has achieved ±20% on specific designs depending on the part. Every component is developed to individual specification.
Tecan etches to a minimum feature size of approximately 20µm, and can achieve 150µm slots in 200µm material depending on the design.
Related guide
New to the options? Read our guide: Photochemical Etching vs Laser Cutting, Stamping and CNC Machining — how the four processes compare and when to use each.
