What is photo etching/chemical stamping?
The metal plates are laminated on both sides with a photosensitive polymer.
The designed pattern is transferred to a photo tool.
The pattern is then transferred from the photo tool to the laminated plate by means of light exposure.
During the etching process, the unprotected metal is corroded away with ferric chloride to create the desired pattern on the plate.
After rinsing, the finished product is removed and sent on for further processing.
Watch video of the etching process.
For etching and chemical stamping as it is also called, a metal plate is coated with a photosensitive film. A photo tool (template) made according to the customer’s specifications is used to transfer the customer’s pattern to the plate by means of light exposure. In the subsequent chemical process, the unprotected parts of the metal plate are corroded away, leaving the desired pattern on the plate’s surface. We can perform etching on metal plates with thickness between 10 mµ and 1.5 mm, and can either corrode the entire thickness of the plate or only a surface layer.
If the customer requires a pattern in thicker metal, up to 4 mm, we can offer laser cutting as an alternative method.