Fuel cell plates
Precision Micro has long-standing partnerships with a number of leading alternative energy providers who benefit from economic, accurate, burr- and stress-free photo etched fuel cell plates.
Heater elements
Precision Micro is the world’s leading supplier of ultra-thin chemically etched resistive heating elements used in a wide range of energy applications.
Heat exchangers
Complex channels and geometries can be photo etched onto individual heat exchanger plates economically, maximising thermal efficiency.
Meshes, filters and sieves
Where punch-perforated sheets are prone to distortion, photo etched mesh is burr- and stress-free, with zero material degradation.
Materials
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In partnering with the world’s leading alternative energy providers, Precision Micro’s pioneering photochemical etching process is being used as an enabling technology for several exciting sustainability projects.
Some of these projects include:
- Automotive and off-grid hydrogen fuel cell manufacture
- Lighter and more efficient aircraft engine heat exchanger plates
- Electro-thermal ice protection systems
- Waveguides for autonomous vehicle radar systems
Precision on a micro-scale
Our chemical etching service offers consistent precision over both large and small surface areas.
For example, resistive heating elements used in aircraft electro-thermal ice protection systems are photo-etched to extremely tight resistance tolerances in lengths up to 1500mm. This solution cuts the energy typically consumed by a bleed air system by up to 50%.
By comparison, a pocket-sized surveillance drone measuring less than 1 ounce operates using miniature motor laminations photo-etched and wire electro-discharge machined to ±0.005mm accuracy.
Standard and specialist materials
We work with both standard and specialist metals where high strength-to-weight ratios, corrosion resistance or low coefficient of thermal expansion are required.
As there is no thermal cycle when metal is processed using chemical etching, complex features and geometries can be photo-etched simultaneously to maximise efficiency and reduce costly post-process operations.
Added value technologies for single-source supply
We offer a wide range of added value technologies to help streamline supply, such as combining photo etching with diffusion bonding to produce cooling and bipolar plate channels significantly cheaper and more accurately than machining, stamping or laser drilling.
Did you know?
Bipolar fuel cell plates photo-etched by Precision Micro powered the zero-emissions black cabs used during the London 2012 Olympic games.
