Etching machine FAQ
Straight answers to the questions buyers and engineers ask us most about photochemical etching machines and complete etching lines.
A photochemical etching machine coats a metal sheet with a light-sensitive resist, exposes your artwork onto it, then develops away the unwanted resist. The sheet is sprayed or immersed in an etchant — typically ferric chloride (FeCl₃) or cupric chloride (CuCl₂) — which dissolves the exposed metal to leave a precise pattern. The resist is then stripped off, leaving the finished etched part.
Stainless steel, copper, brass, beryllium copper, aluminium, nickel, mild and high-carbon steel, molybdenum and more. Our precision vertical etching machines hold tolerances down to ±0.01 mm.
Ferric chloride (FeCl₃) is versatile and suits stainless steel, copper, brass and nickel. Cupric chloride (CuCl₂) is regenerable and common for high-volume copper PCB etching. We build the machine for your chosen chemistry and advise the best etchant for your metal and volume.
As a rule of thumb, tolerance is around ±10% of the metal thickness. Our precision horizontal and vertical etching machines hold ±0.02 mm down to ±0.01 mm — fine enough for SMT stencils, gratings and encoder masks.
Both. Buy an individual etching machine, or a turnkey line covering pre-treatment, resist coating, exposure, developing, etching, stripping and surface finishing — all matched and supplied by GE, with process training included.
Yes. Etch width, length, automation level, conveyor speed and chemistry are all configurable — from compact laboratory etching machines to 1500×3000 mm huge-plate lines and continuous reel-to-reel systems sized to your floor space and output.
Lead time is typically several weeks depending on configuration. We have exported to the USA, Japan, Australia, Europe and 30+ countries, providing installation guidance plus remote and on-site technical support.
Price depends on size, automation and chemistry — a benchtop laboratory etching machine costs far less than a fully automatic production line. Send your material, part size and monthly volume and we'll return a tailored quote, usually within one business day.