What are the most well known processes for fabricating metal parts?

For parts designed to be fabricated from aluminum sheet, strip or foil, the most well-known options are:

• Milling
• Laser Cutting
• Plasma Cutting
• Metal Stamping
• Water Jet Cutting

Although each of these processes have “sweet spots” in terms of being best-suited to a particular type of application, each of them also has unique challenges when fabricating aluminum.

Aluminum is a light and versatile metal. However, it has a couple of characteristics that give etching houses fits. It is highly reactive and will etch in both acids and bases. Common photoresist film is designed to repel acid, but to remove it you need to use a fairly high Ph caustic solution. And, oh darn, that etches aluminum, too. So, say bye-bye to dimensional tolerances. For many etchers, the headache isn't worth it. (And, shhh, don't tell anybody... but sometimes they come to us for aluminum.)

When the heat is on, many look to photo etching to move it around or make something useful of it--like electricity.