Design & Engineering Considerations Archives

What Design Rules Should Engineers Follow When Creating Parts for Etching?

Keep minimum feature sizes equal to or greater than the material thickness. Provide adequate spacing between features and account for undercut.

What Are the Minimum Hole Size and Line Width Possible?

As small as 0.001”–0.002” (25–50 µm), depending on material thickness. Rule of thumb: hole size ≥ +/-110% thickness.

How do you account for undercut during design?

Undercut occurs as etchant removes material laterally under the resist. Designers compensate by adjusting artwork dimensions to meet final specs.

How Do Tolerances Change with Material Thickness?

Thicker materials generally increase tolerance range. Thin foils maintain +/-0.001” precision, while thicker sheets are held to +/-10% of thickness.

Can parts be formed, bent, or plated after etching?

Yes. Half-etch grooves enable precise bending. Parts can also be plated or integrated into assemblies.

What are common mistakes engineers make when designing for photochemical etching?

Not accounting for undercut, specifying impossible tolerances, or failing to plan for post-processing needs like forming or plating.

Is photochemical etching suitable for high-volume manufacturing?

Yes. PCE scales well to production runs of thousands or millions due to low-cost phototools and repeatability.

How does part geometry affect the cost of photochemical machining?

Cost is much more dependent on material thickness and sheet utilization than complexity. Highly complex parts may cost no more than simple shapes if they fit efficiently on a sheet.

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