Company insight


Chemical reaction: How PCE is catching the eye of manufacturers


Medical device manufacturers have many means of fabrication at their disposal, but they frequently overlook one of the fastest and most efficient. Charles Cohen, president of Fotofab, tells us how photochemical etching could be the answer to many of their problems.


fabrication process and many will talk at length about their relative merits and applications. Ask them about photochemical etching (PCE) and many will have little to say. Those are the ones potentially missing a great opportunity to benefit from a high- precision manufacturing process that could cut costs and get key components into their hands much quicker.


A PCE and PCM


PCE, also known as photochemical machining (PCM), is a non-contact manufacturing process that uses a patterned photosensitive coating, UV light and chemical etchants to remove unwanted metal from a sheet. What is left behind is a thin metal part that can have intricate designs, extremely tight tolerances and can also be formed to 3D shapes. A photoresist is applied to the metal, which is then exposed to UV light using an extremely precise digitally processed light source. The exposed resist is dissolved and an acid removes the unprotected metal areas.


sk medical device manufacturers about 3D printing, stamping or laser cutting in the


Fotofab provides diffusion bonding services to fuse multiple etched metal sheets into 3D structures.


components based in Chicago, Illinois. “It is quick and relatively inexpensive for either small or large parts, and the complexity of the parts makes no difference.


“Stamping puts pressure on the metal sheet and may change its characteristics or may leave a burr – a sharp, rough edge or a small piece of material that protrudes from a metal part,” he continues. “Similarly, laser cutting might


“PCE is quick and relatively inexpensive for either small or large parts, and the complexity of the parts makes no difference.”


“PCE has great advantages,” says Charles Cohen, president of Fotofab, a leading producer of precision photochemical-etched sheet metal


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change the properties of the metal by heating or leaving rough edges. That does not happen with PCE, which might also produce parts much quicker.”


As an example, Cohen points to a 20x24 sheet in which three million holes have been etched to create a filter. Using a laser-cutting process would require weeks, rather than just a few days with PCE. As well as producing components faster, PCE can also avoid the need for the expensive tooling required by alternative techniques. In some cases, stamping a complex component could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, compared with just a few hundred for etched pieces.


A hidden gem


The technique of chemical etching is not new. As an industry, it goes back to the 1960s, but the process has been used in some form for centuries. Even suits of armour used by knights in medieval times had some decorative designs etched out. It was also used to create letters for


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