CHEMICAL MILLING & ETCHING
Advantages
The advantage of Photochemical Machining (PCM) is that the product will not generate burrs, coining, or unnecessary internal and external stress on virtually any ferrous and non-ferrous metal, without chemical or physical manipulation of the material being manufactured. CMR will produce multiple precise imaging to insure exact repeatability on metal ranging from .001″ to heavy gauge regardless of the temper.
Prototyping
Photochemical machining provides fast turn, excellent accuracy, repeatability and precise products.
Cost
Photochemical machining charges are substantially lower than that of conventional die fabrication facilities. The cost of changing or modifying photo tooling is far less expensive than modifying conventional hard tooling.
Investment
With Photochemical machining the investment is minimal due to elimination of die maintenance, repairing damaged tooling or long delivery schedules. CMR’s delivery schedule is normally 3 weeks from Purchase Order to delivery. Reduced delivery times can be accommodated if needed.
Material Properties
Temper and magnetic properties are not affected by photochemical machining.
Manufacturing Process
Photochemical Machining has been around since WWII and very little has changed except for advances in regeneration and inspection capabilities. Material is meticulously cleaned to remove any impurities that may be deposited when delivered. The metal is covered with photo resist exposed to high intensity lighting, developed to expose material to be removed and finally etched to required specifications.
Available Materials – Pure Nickel, Nickel Alloys, Copper, Beryllium Copper, Brass, Phosphorus Bronze, Stainless Steel, Monel, Kovar, Alloy Material.
We use ½-etching capabilities in our manufacturing process to support requirements from the Semiconductor Industry with our proprietary Mold Lock Features, to identifying parts. Additional ½-etch applications are used to assist in precise repetitive non-marring distortion free product being bent or formed.
Tolerances – Establishing exact tolerances in photochemical machining are hard to ascertain due to the fact the type of material used, size of the product, and yield requirements will affect the tolerance passable. The normal tolerance level is +/- 10% of material thickness. However for critical requirements CMR has been very successful in reducing this normality.
Additional Services
Available Finishes include: Tin, Tin-Lead, Silver, Nickel (Electroless and Electrolytic), Nickel Silver, Gold, Nickel Gold.
We can heat treat to your specifications including passivation.