How much does chemical etching cost?

As with any metal machining process, there are numerous factors to be taken into consideration when costing chemical etching. Below we explore these in more detail, along with recent investments made by Precision Micro to increase its cost-effectiveness.

What makes up the cost of chemical etching?

Chemical etching, also known as photo etching, metal etching or chemical milling, uses etchant to remove selected areas of sheet metal to produce the required part profile.

The overall cost is a sum of materials, including metal and photoresist, labour (including engineering), technical costs and machine time, as well as overheads including chemistry, water, power and waste treatment, along with standard service and administration costs.

Metal types and quantities

The cost of sheet metals can vary wildly. Standard grades of stainless steel, nickel and brass are generally cheaper than exotic or high-temperature alloys. However, buying power is an issue. Precision Micro purchase and process more than 100 tonnes of metal per annum and is one of the world’s few production chemical etching specialists, meaning economical volume supply is guaranteed.

Labour, sheet size and sheet yield

The process itself consists of metal sizing and tooling, cleaning, photoresist lamination, printing, developing, etching, stripping and finishing. However, the labour input in all of these stages remains pretty much the same regardless of sheet size, so essentially the larger the sheet and the smaller the part size, the lower the unit cost.

Precision Micro has some of the largest print frames available and can produce parts in sheets up to 600mm x 1500 mm, which means higher yields and lower unit prices.

Components are priced by the sheet, unlike for laser profiling, which is a linear process charged by time and therefore by the inch.  Simultaneous machining of components means chemical etching handles increased complexity at no extra cost and also allows multiple designs to be prototyped on a single sheet.

Metal thickness

Material thickness is another important cost consideration, as the thicker the part the longer it takes to etch. For this reason, components above 1.5mm thick are usually seen as uneconomical.

Volume and set-up costs

The final influence on cost is the volume produced.

Unit costs begin to fall when sheet quantities reach tens, hundreds or thousands. When compared to traditional metal machining technologies such as stamping, chemical etching can be extremely cost-effective, due in no small part to the use of digital tooling.

Stamping requires hard tooling, which adds increased cost and time. Digitally produced etch tooling is low-cost – typically around £100 – and extremely quick to produce. It can accommodate ‘eleventh-hour’ design and tooling re-iterations that would be prohibitive when hard tooling is used.

Reducing the cost of chemical etching

Precision Micro’s investment in chemical etching process automation adds to its overall cost-effectiveness in a number of ways.

The company’s automatic cut sheet lamination equipment has been developed to not only improve throughput but also improve photoresist adhesion, essential for highly repeatable, blemish-free components.

Precision Micro has also invested in automated printing which has reduced manual handling, improved repeatability, and increased the company’s capability to image ultra-fine component features.

Customers who require components measured in millions with zero defects benefit from 100% automated optical inspection equipment.

Summary

In essence, if enough thought is given to the key factors that influence the cost of chemical etching, such as the material to be used, thickness, tolerances required and quantities, the process could well be the most cost-effective machining technology available.

In addition, it is important to partner with a technology service provider that has a long history in the sector, and which has the buying power and ability to invest to ensure its continued competitiveness.