High Volume Photo Chemical Etching

Photo Etching is known for being a prototyping technique and a manufacturing method for short to medium volumes but stamping is often preferred for high volume needs. Stamped parts do not have the burr-free, stress free qualities of etched prototypes.

At Precision Micro, we have a discrete high volume etching facility that enables us to offer parts from individual prototypes to volumes measured in millions… all manufactured using the same tooling and the same manufacturing technology, to produce identical components with identical properties.

Cost competitive

Precision Micro has the largest, high volume, contract etching facility in Europe with a capacity to process over 30 tonnes of material per week. Unlike stamped components, our etched parts need no de-burring and are generally ready for finishing or even for immediate assembly. When you also take into account the cost of press tooling and the inevitable delays in acquiring it, high volume etched parts can prove very cost effective.

Dedicated facilities

Where demand dictates, we dedicate certain machines to the manufacture of a single specific part and in this way we are able to control the process more tightly for even greater consistency.

Bigger scale

Our high volume machines churn out components by the million but a further benefit is their ability to accommodate large sheet sizes. Individual components up to 600mm x 1500mm can be produced thanks to the larger tunnel dimensions of the high volume machines laying waste to the myth that etched parts have to be small.

Seamless transition

When demand for a component increases significantly, production can be transferred seamlessly to the high volume plant. Using the same production method and the same tooling, the component design and quality remains consistent whereas a move to press tooling invariably requires some design modifications that can impact on subsequent assembly.

Design flexibility

Unlike with press tooling, design modifications can be made during a production run without losing any production time and at very little additional cost… simply by modifying the photo tool.