Tech-Etch specializes in photo etching or photo chemical milling parts from difficult to etch specialty materials, such as Tungsten, Elgiloy, Nitinol, Titanium and Kapton® (polyimide film), which have material characteristics attractive to the medical industry for implants, springs, cathodes, blades, and stents. Parts can be made from metals as thin as .0005".

Tech-Etch also photoetches parts from other metals such as Copper Alloys, Molybdenum, Stainless Steels, Aluminum, Nickel Alloys and Spring Steels. Photoetching offers the flexibility of manufacturing prototype quantities and large production runs while maintaining tight tolerance without the high tooling costs and long lead times associated with stamping.

Formed parts are manufactured by combining photoetching, used for blanking, with inexpensive or universal tooling, used for forming. Heat treatment is available to enhance spring qualities.

In addition to photo chemical milling, Tech-Etch offers a wide variety of in-house capabilities including laser cutting for thicker materials, forming, plating, laminating, and stamping.

Specialty Materials

TUNGSTEN ETCHING

Because tungsten is extremely dense, 71% heavier than lead, it is used in medical applications, which include grids used to collimate and attenuate stray x-rays in CT scanners, as well as ID tags used in implanted medical devices. Tungsten is also well known for retaining its strength at high temperatures. For that reason it is used in applications such as filaments in vacuum and x-ray tubes, plus heating elements and rocket engine nozzles.

Pictured at the right are tungsten grids used in CT scanners and ID tags for implanted medical devices.

MOLYBDENUM ETCHING

MOLYBDENUM is a difficult to etch refractory material used for high-temperature, corrosion resistant applications.

TITANIUM ETCHING

TITANIUM is strong, light weight and highly resistant to corrosion. Its strength is comparable to 304 stainless steel and it is used for human implants.

ELGILOY ETCHING

ELGILOY is typically used when requirements call for a material that is highly corrosion resistant with high fatigue strength. It is used for human implants.

KAPTON® ETCHING

KAPTON is a polyimide film that exhibits good physical, chemical and electrical properties over a wide temperature range. Its electrical and chemical resistance properties are excellent even at unusually high temperatures.

® Kapton is a DuPont registered trademark.

NIOBIUM (Columbium) ETCHING

NIOBIUM is a light weight refractive material with excellent high temperature corrosion resistance. It is ductile and easily formed.

NITINOL (NiTi) ETCHING

NITINOL is a shape memory alloy. Its unique characteristics allow it to return to a predetermined shape after undergoing deformation. NITINOL has excellent biocompatibility, good spring characteristics and high corrosion resistance.