Chemical etching, also known as "industrial etching" or "chemical milling", is a subtractive manufacturing process that involves the use of temperature-regulated chemicals to remove specific areas in a metal to produce the desired shape, thickness, and intricate designs¹. Here's how the traditional chemical etching process works:
1. **Cleaning**: The metal surface to be etched is prepared by removing grease, oils, residues, and other contaminants¹.
2. **Lamination**: A dry film photoresist is applied to the surface. This photoresist protects the areas of the metal that will not be etched¹.
3. **Exposure**: The material is guided between two "masks" which have the negative image of the component to be created. Ultraviolet light is shined from both directions through the masks, crosslinking the film in locations where the light is not blocked by the mask images¹.
4. **Developing**: This step chemically dissolves the non-crosslinked film that exposes the bare metal beneath¹.
5. **Etching**: The metal is fed into etch chambers where etchant is sprayed both from the top and bottom simultaneously. This process etches or dissolves the unprotected metal to achieve the desired product¹.
6. **Stripping**: The film is removed from the etched product using another concentration of chemistry¹.
7. **Rinsing and Drying**: At this stage, the product is complete and the films removed. Significant rinsing is required to remove all residuals¹.
Metals suitable for chemical etching include a wide range of stainless steels, nickel alloys, copper, brass, beryllium copper, and phosphor bronze¹..
Source:
(1) Chemical Etching: Understanding the Process and its Applications.
https://interplex.com/chemical-etching-guide/.
(2) What is Chemical Etching & How Does It Work? Precision Micro.
https://www.precisionmicro.com/chemical-etching/chemical-etching-process/.
(3) Chemical Etching: What It Is and Why You Should Care.
https://graphics-pro.com/feature/chemical-etching-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-care/.
(4) What is Chemical Etching? - Qualitetch.
https://www.qualitetch.com/what-is-chemical-etching/.
(5) What Is Chemical Etching And How Does It Work – 2023 Guide.
https://fergusonaction.com/what-is-chemical-etching/.
(6) en.wikipedia.org.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_milling.
