What etchant does GE recommend for stainless steel etching?

Ferric chloride (FeCl₃) is the workhorse for 304 / 316L stainless, typically at 38–45 °C with 38–42 Bé specific gravity. For 17-4 PH and 430 we add an HCl activator; for spring-hard 301 we use a slightly more dilute FeCl₃ to control undercut. GE etching lines ship with the chemistry recipe baked in and the regeneration loop automatically titrates the bath back to spec.

What thickness range can a stainless etching machine handle?

Standard lines process 0.05–1.5 mm sheet. The super thin-plate machine covers 0.02–0.10 mm foil for filter meshes and acoustic webs; the heavy-duty horizontal machine goes up to 2.0 mm for thick plates. Most nameplate and decorative work falls in 0.30–1.20 mm.

What tolerance can I expect?

Standard ±0.02 mm land width on a horizontal precision line; ±0.01 mm positional on a vertical precision line. The etch factor (depth / undercut) on 0.5 mm 304 stainless is typically 1.5–2.0 with proper spray dynamics — GE tuning tips are supplied with every machine.

Is the FeCl₃ etchant regenerated or thrown out?

Regenerated. Every GE stainless etching line ships with a FeCl₃ regeneration loop: spent etchant is dosed with H₂O₂ + HCl, Fe²⁺ is oxidised back to Fe³⁺, and the chemistry is titrated back to the target recipe. Waste-water iron load drops 70–90% versus throw-away. Closed-loop is now standard on EU and US installations.

Can the same line also etch copper or aluminium?

No — the chemistry is different. FeCl₃ for stainless, CuCl₂ for copper, NaOH for aluminium. GE offers a 'multi-metal' line with three tanks in parallel and a rinse bridge between them, but most operators prefer a dedicated line per alloy to avoid cross-contamination and waste-stream mixing.

Home/Etching Machines/Stainless Steel

Stainless steel etching machine

Photochemical etching for 304, 316L, 430, 17-4 PH and other stainless grades. Ferric chloride (FeCl₃) etchant with built-in regeneration — burr-free, ±0.02 mm, 0.02–1.5 mm thickness. From nameplates and badges to filter meshes and shims. Exported since 2003.

Stainless steel is the most common metal run through GE photochemical etching machines. 304 for nameplates, kitchen panels and architectural decor; 316L for medical, marine and PEMFC bipolar plates; 17-4 PH for aerospace gaskets and high-stress automotive. The chemistry is consistent — FeCl₃ works across the family — but the line tuning changes by grade.

By grade

Stainless grades & their sweet-spot machines

Each grade has a recommended combination of machine + chemistry.

🔹 304 / 304L

The all-rounder. FeCl₃ at 40 °C. Horizontal precision for shims & meshes.

🔹 316 / 316L

Mo-bearing, more corrosion-resistant. Same FeCl₃, slightly higher Baumé for medical & marine. Horizontal precision

🔹 17-4 PH

Hardened, used in aerospace & oil & gas. We add 2% HCl activator. Heavy-duty line

🔹 430 (ferritic)

Magnetic, lower cost. Mild FeCl₃ + inhibitor bath. Nameplate machine

🔹 301 (spring-hard)

Dilute FeCl₃ to control undercut. Precision vertical

🔹 Foil 304 / 316L (0.02–0.10 mm)

Mesh, sensor grid, acoustic webs. Super thin-plate

Recommended configuration

GE stainless etching lines

Production Double-sided spray etching machine for stainless

Double-Sided Spray Etching Machine

Working width650 mm × L
Thickness0.10–1.20 mm
Tolerance±0.02 mm
EtchantFeCl₃ with regen
Throughput≈ 4–6 m/min @ 0.3 mm 304

Workhorse for nameplates, panels, sign blanks.

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±0.005 mm

Precision Horizontal Etching Machine

Etch area650 × 2000 mm
Tolerance±0.01 mm positional
Thickness0.05–1.5 mm
EtchantFeCl₃ with auto-titration
Best forFilter meshes, shims

Where geometries demand the tightest tolerances.

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Foil

Super Thin-Plate Etching Machine

Etch area400 × 1000 mm
Foil thickness0.02–0.10 mm
Tolerance±0.005 mm
EtchantDilute FeCl₃, low-flow
Best forSpeaker meshes, filters, RFI

Built for ultra-thin foil that ordinary lines would tear.

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GE-JM Series — the lineup

Stainless etching: pick the right machine

Three GE machines cover the bulk of stainless work. Each below has its own spec sheet, etchant recommendation and control philosophy.

GE-JM650

GE-JM650 — Dual-Chamber Production

The workhorse. Two etch chambers for uniform etch on 304/316L/17-4/430.

Power	11.5 kW / 380 V / 50 Hz
Etching width	650 / 1000 / 1220 / 1550 mm (order)
Thickness	0.05–2.0 mm
Tolerance	±0.02 mm
Temp range	RT – 65 °C
Heater	3 kW titanium pipe
Tank volume	800 L
Spray	Double-side oscillating nozzles, 4 kW ×2 motors
Cabinet	PP, high-temp resist up to 100 °C
Dimension	3550 × 1650 × 1550 mm
Weight	850 kg

Process flow: Load → Etch ×2 chambers → city-water rinse → Unload.

GE-JM650-W GE-JM650-W reinforced stainless etching machine

GE-JM650-W — Reinforced Wide-Chamber

For plate up to 1550 mm & long production campaigns. Heavier motors, larger tank.

Power	15 kW / 380 V / 50 Hz
Etching width	650 / 1000 / 1220 / 1550 mm (order)
Thickness	0.05–2.0 mm
Tolerance	±0.02 mm
Tank volume	800 L
Spray	Double-side oscillating, 4 kW ×2
Cabinet	PP, ≤100 °C
Dimension	3850 × 1650 × 1550 mm

Same tank as JM650, larger drive system. Best when running 24×7.

GE-TS650

GE-TS650 — Vertical Precision

Bench-to-floor vertical machine for fine meshes, encoder discs & SMT stencils.

Power	5.5 kW / 380 V / 50 Hz
Etching size	650 × 650 mm (custom)
Thickness	0.05–5.0 mm
Tolerance	±0.02 mm
Spray	Top & bottom oscillating, 4 kW
Tank volume	400 L
Cabinet	PP, ≤100 °C
Dimension	1850 × 1650 × 1550 mm
Weight	450 kg

Vertical architecture halves the floor footprint. Common in lab/medical.

What the original JM650 spec sheet says

The GE-JM650 stainless etching line is GE's most-shipped model — 1,400+ units in the field since 2008. The dual-chamber design was a deliberate answer to the “edge-thicker-than-middle” problem that single-chamber lines showed on 1.0 mm plate. By splitting the etch into two zones, the first chamber takes the bulk chemistry and the second does the polishing pass; land-width distribution stays under ±15 μm panel-to-panel, well inside the ±0.02 mm envelope.

The GE-JM650-W is the wide variant — up to 1550 mm chamber width, with 15 kW of drive (vs 11.5 kW on the standard JM650). For sign blanks, decorative stainless panels and any 1220 mm-wide substrate, the -W removes the bottleneck of feeding multiple blanks side-by-side.

The GE-TS650 vertical precision machine is the choice when the part is smaller than 650 × 650 mm. The vertical architecture means the etchant sprays down from above and up from below simultaneously, so even an asymmetric part (a half-etch on one side, full etch on the other) settles into the correct chemistry without re-fixturing.

All three machines accept ferric chloride (FeCl₃) or, with a chemistry swap, alkaline solution. They share the same HMI control platform, so operators trained on one work the other two with no extra ramp-up.

Chemistry

FeCl₃ — the etchant behind 90% of stainless work

Three parameters control the etch: concentration, temperature, agitation.

📐 Specific gravity

38–42 Bé (≈ 38% wt FeCl₃). Lower for foil, higher for plate.

🌡 Temperature

38–45 °C. Too high dissolves the resist; too low slugs the etch rate.

💨 Agitation

Oscillating spray nozzles, 1.5–2.5 m/s. Critical for uniform undercut.

♻ Regeneration

H₂O₂ + HCl re-oxidises spent Fe²⁺ back to Fe³⁺. Standard on EU/US lines.

🧪 Activators

HCl boost for 17-4 PH and 430. Ammonium persulphate for fine-grain austenitic.

🛡 Waste treatment

Neutralise to pH 8–9, settle Fe(OH)₃ sludge, treat rinse water for Cu/Zn.

Related etching lines & guides

Six things to read next — same chemistry, similar tolerances, or the next step in your process.

Building a stainless etching line?

Tell us your grade (304 / 316L / 17-4 / 430), sheet thickness and annual volume. We'll spec the machine, the FeCl₃ loop and the regeneration package.

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