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Photochemical Machining

  • Produce Complex Geometries With Exceptional Precision

  • Simple & Cost Effective

  • Ideal for Rapid Prototyping

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Trusted by Industry Leaders
Harley Davidson
3M
Sanmina
Smith & Nephew
Medtronic
“We were really struggling to find anyone who could cut a certain type of heavy-duty glass. Everyone told us it couldn’t be done, so when we reached out to Fathom, we expected to hear the same thing. Instead, a few days later, they called back with a plan. They had tracked down the people who actually developed that glass and worked directly with them to figure out a solution. That’s the type of approach we have come to know from our Fathom team.”
Lead Engineer
Defense Contractor
“Working with Fathom has given us a level of supply chain control we haven’t had with other partners. Instead of juggling multiple suppliers for machining, sheet metal, extrusions, and 3D-printed prototypes, we can run everything through one team and that’s been a huge advantage for our EV programs. Their engineers helped us tighten up a machined cooling-plate design, turn around sheet metal brackets in days, and rapidly iterate several 3D-printed enclosure concepts early in development. Having all of these capabilities under one roof has reduced delays, improved consistency across assemblies, and cut a significant amount of coordination time on our side.”
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
Major EV OEM
“Fathom has been a strong partner on our EV programs. They helped us optimize a few key components for weight and manufacturability, and they consistently hit the tolerances we need. Their fast turnaround times have kept our development cycles moving, which is critical in EV work.”
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
EV Systems Supplier
“With their response time, quotes and communications, Fathom is highly regarded because they are always upfront. They say what they do and do what they say.”
John Doe
Consumer Technology Company
“No matter how complex or how new issues are with product design, we can always count on Fathom. Their team provides an unbiased, ‘out-of-the-box’ professional opinion that is always forward-thinking, interesting and helpful. We value their exemplary commitment to providing superb engineering.”
Rich Rayhill
Crown
“We choose Fathom because of their reputation as a great company to do business with. We have stayed with them for over 5 years because they consistently deliver to meet our needs.”
Barbara Gramenz
3M
“We have been customers with Dahlquist for a long time because they deliver outstanding quality, on-time, every time. I believe these results are in large part due to the fantastic and customer focused team that works there.”
Buyer
Laser Cutting Equipment Manufacturer
“Sanmina and Centex have had a long business relationship and we’ve been able to conquer a lot of our goals with their expertise and support. Centex has always delivered excellent quality parts at fair prices. When we get into tight spots with our customers, they never hesitate to support us. We wholeheartedly recommend Centex to everyone we know.”
Delia Aguilar
Sanmina Corporation
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How Photochemical Machining Works

01 Preparation & Imaging

A metal sheet is cleaned and coated with a photosensitive material called a photoresist. A high-resolution mask is created from a CAD drawing of the desired part. The tool has clear areas where the part will be, and black areas where the material will be removed. The photoresist-coated metal is exposed to UV light through the photo tool. The light hardens the photoresist in the exposed areas, while the unexposed areas remain soft. .

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02 Etching

The soft, unexposed photoresist is removed during a developing process, leaving the metal beneath it exposed. The metal sheet is then sprayed with a chemical etchant, such as ferric chloride, which dissolves the exposed metal areas but does not affect the hardened photoresist. The etching process can be precisely controlled by adjusting the etchant’s temperature, pressure and time to control the final part’s shape and sidewall profile.

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03 Finishing

Once the metal has been etched to the desired shape, the remaining photoresist is stripped from the part. This leaves a precisely shaped, burr-free metal component. Secondary operations, such as forming or plating, can be performed afterward. In many cases, the photochemical machined blanks are shipped to Icodema by Fathom for forming and post-processing.

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Is Photochemical Machining Right For Your Project?

Advantages

  • Fast Delivery

    Because no hard tooling is required, we can fulfill many orders within a few days. Complex part designs may take up to a week. Photo chemical etching produces multiple parts from a single sheet of metal. Little or no finishing is required.

  • No Changes to the Integrity of the Metal

    Many types of manufacturing, such as machining and laser cutting, can cause thermal stresses in the metal adjacent to the cut. They can also cause changes to the hardness, ductility or grain structure of the metal. Chemical milling doesn’t affect the internal structure of the metal.

  • Build Complex Yet Affordable Flat Parts

    Industrial chemical machining enables you to create parts with fine details and complex geometries that aren’t possible to make using hard tools. You can also use it to fabricate parts in dead soft or full hard material without burrs or metal distortion.

  • Low-Cost Tooling

    We produce films for photochemical machined parts directly from your CAD drawings. No hard tools or work-holding fixtures are needed. That helps to maximize the cost-effectiveness of photo chemical etching.

  • Easy, Fast & Inexpensive Prototype Parts

    Photochemical machining uses films to create parts. That means you can iterate your designs quickly and affordably. The same process we use to create prototype parts is used to make your production parts.

  • Burr-Free Parts

    Burrs are a common side effect of many types of metal processing. In contrast, the etching process produces a clean, smooth surface. It’s free of burrs and eliminates the need for manual finishing processes.

Disadvantages

  • Only For Thin Metal Parts

    Photochemical machining is limited to relatively thin metals (1.5 mm or less)

  • Some Dimensional Inaccuracies

    The etchant can sometimes undercut the edges of holes, leading to dimensional inaccuracies.

  • Only For Fabricating Flat Parts

    Photochemical machining is a 2D process. It cannot be used to produce 3D parts.

  • Process Variables Must be Strictly Controlled

    Inconsistent results can occur if process variables fluctuate, including etchant concentration, temperature or agitation.

Photochemical Etching Builds Uniquely Valuable Parts

Aerospace Parts

Photochemical machining is used to build precision components for aerospace and defense applications, including fine mesh screens for aircraft engines and fuel systems, flat spring electrical contacts and sensor components.

Medical Applications

The medical industry requires precision parts for many applications. Photochemical machining is used to make stents and filter meshes, micro-scalpels and sensor components.

Automotive Components

Photochemical machining is used to make small, complex parts for today’s vehicles, including battery terminals, speaker grills, washers and EMI shielding.

 

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Designing for Photochemical Machining

Engineers need to consider several important rules when designing parts for photo chemical etching. This helpful guide summarizes the best practices you need to keep in mind.

Get the Guide
PCEGuide

Why Choose Fathom for Photochemical Machining?

  • Fathom has the expertise to meet your requirements for flat, burr-free parts.
  • We’ve been making parts using photo chemical etching for over 50 years.
  • Our experts have over 30 years of experience helping customers optimize their part designs and material selections for this unique manufacturing process.
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Explore Fathom’s Full Range of Manufacturing Equipment

Download our complete machine list for a detailed look at our capabilities across CNC machining, additive, molding, and fabrication.

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