THE ETCHING PROCESS
With Ätztechnik Herz you benefit from high quality and flexibility, combined with high cost effectiveness. And that goes for sample parts just as much as for serial parts. This is possible thanks to an efficient production process for material thicknesses of 0.01 to 1.0 mm – a range in which punching technology has long reached its limits.
Efficient processes – exactly tailored to your requirements
Prototype or pilot series? Small- or large-scale batches? With Herz you are always on the safe side economically. Production with cut metal or reel-to-reel; the combination of etching and laser technology and rapid production with Speedline offers the perfect solution for all your needs.
01
PRE-TREATMENT
Prerequisite for optimum further processing and high-precision contour etched parts: the metal sheets are cleaned and their surfaces chemically and mechanically roughened.
Environmentally friendly right from the start
State-of-the-art machines are used at this stage and throughout the entire production process – that’s good for your products and good for the environment.
02
LAMINATION
A UV-sensitive coating is applied to both sides of the metal sheets, so that they can subsequently be etched simultaneously from above and below.
03
EXPOSURE
The light-sensitive coating on the metal sheets is exposed to UV light. A photo tool reproduces the contour of the contour etched part.
This photo tool is created with the aid of CAD data and acts like a stencil: the parts of the coating which are not exposed to UV light harden to an acid-resistant surface. They subsequently form the contour etched part.
04
DEVELOPMENT
The unexposed areas on the coating are detached and removed. The subsequent etched part remains protected by the coating.
05
ETCHING
The metal sheets are sprayed with an etchant to dissolve the exposed metal. Only those areas which are protected by the coating remain intact. In this way, the part attains the desired contours. This process used does not damage the surrounding material in any way, and results are guaranteed 100% burr-free.
Special feature: Slightly etched bending edges
If a contoured part is only protected on one side by the coating, the etchant only etches one side at this point. This creates an indentation which can serve, for example, as a bending edge during further processing.
06
FINISHING
During the so-called stripping process, the protective coating is removed from the manufactured parts. Depending on customer requirements, further finishing processes follow to improve surface quality. Finally, the contour etched parts are detached from the etching panel, separated and, following thorough quality inspection, packaged.
Surface treatment and bending
What else can we do for you? Herz and its long-standing partners have the solution to hand: from gold-, silver- and tin-plating, black chrome or black oxide coating through platinum and multi-layer coatings down to bending your contour etched parts.
