Can doesn't mean should...
Just because you can design it that way doesn't necessarily mean you can make it that way. The beauty of sophisticated 3D design platforms is that they allow tremendous efficiency in the product development process. The ability to interpolate and generate physical solutions can deliver a lot of benefits.
Now, what do you do?
But, we've certainly seen our share of part designs that the machine said would work...if only you could get it made. Most of these platforms come fully programmed with knowledge about the most widely known metal fabricating processes: stamping ,laser, EDM, waterjet, casting, molding, forging, milling and many other options. NOT ONE OF THEM "knows" a dang thing about photochemical machining --usually referred to as etching.
If only you had known... (That's why we're here.)
In many cases, had the designer or engineer known about etching, he or she could have saved themselves weeks or months of time, money and aggravation trying to make a part using processes that were not well suited to the problem. We've seen it time and again.
It's like a good virus...
And, the other interesting thing is: once they find that etching is a brilliant solution for the problem they had, they keep finding more applications that are so easily resolved the same way.
We have a number of customers for whom we've made dozens of different parts, and in a few cases hundreds of different parts, over the years. Metal etching works really well for many types of industrial, medical, scientific, electronic, mechanical and filtration applications.
Are you ready to give etching a try?
The chemical etching process is especially effective for thin gauge (<..020"...down to .001") metals in a variety of alloys including those based on steel ,nickel, copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, molybdenum and silver. Part complexity is another advantage of etching. The more complex the geometry, for example lots of holes or irregular shapes, the better the fit. And, unusual features have zero impact on cost or time.
If you'd like to check this out for yourself, we'd be happy to offer a free quote!
