Advantage of Etching in Precision Metal Parts Processing

The machining of precision metal parts usually describes the process of changing the shape, size and performance of metal by using mechanical equipment. With the development of science and technology, the processing technology of metal mechanical parts is also rising, and there are various ways to process machinery. The traditional processing technology mainly includes five ways: drilling, turning and boring, milling, grinding, planing and slotting, but on precision and fine metal products, other processing methods are needed, among which laser processing, etching processing, stamping, wire cutting, water jet cutting and electroforming are common choices. However, the thickness of laser processing by beam needs to be considered. If the thickness is less than 0.1MM, the metal surface will be damaged by laser processing, and the best process choice for the size with the thickness less than 1MM is etching processing.

Etching process usually refers to etching, which is also called photochemical etching. It refers to removing the protective film of the area to be etched through plate-making exposure and development. When etching, the metal is contacted with chemical solution, and two positive patterns are used to achieve the effect of dissolution and corrosion through chemical immersion grinding from both sides, forming concave-convex or hollow molding.

Due to the extremely high tolerance and miniaturization requirements in the semiconductor field, etching is the most ideal choice for processing specific metal parts, such as semiconductor wafers, contactors for package inspection (spring terminals) and lead frames for semiconductor packaging. In our daily life, the folding screen, wire board, temperature equalizing board, microwave antenna, etc., which we contact on our mobile phones, require micron accuracy, and the minimum thickness of metal parts can reach 0.01MM accuracy. The advantages of etching processing mainly include the following points:

1. Low mold opening cost, the metal film can be drawn within two hours, and the mold with any shape can be changed, thus reducing the design and development cost.

2. Machining and etching of metal parts can ensure extremely high precision, and the highest precision can reach +/-0.01mm, which can meet the requirements of precise assembly and filtration of different parts and improve product quality and precision.

3. Any etched products with complex shapes can also be produced in batches with good quality and quantity, and the unit price is not affected.

4. The etching process is adopted in the processing of metal parts, which has no burr, no pressure point, no product deformation and no change in material properties.

5. Metal parts produced by chemical etching process can achieve parts products that traditional stamping or sheet metal machining cannot achieve.