Continuous Reel-to-Reel Chemical Etching
Lancaster Metals Science offers both conventional discrete metal sheet etching and continuous reel-to-reel processing. In application, continuous manufacturing is identical to sheet fabrication except that all the processing steps - from cleaning the metal to applying photo-resist to UV light imaging and ultimately to etching the metal and stripping the photo-resist - are performed on a coil as opposed to a sheet of metal. The final product, then, is presented to the customer not as individual pieces or as a panel of parts but as a continuous coil of fabricated parts.
Any metal that Lancaster Metals etches in conventional panels including copper, aluminum and stainless steels can be processed in this reel-to-reel format up to 18” in width. All the advantages normally associated with photo-etching including the production of burr-free parts; the ability to produce fine, intricate geometries; dimensional repeatability; the ability to etch surface features such as grooves or channels; the cutting of metal without disturbing the intrinsic characteristics of the base metal and low cost tooling are also present in continuous processing.
While certain economies may accrue to photo-etching parts in high volumes in this continuous format, the customer may also realize additional benefits. Having parts in continuous strip allows any subsequent fabrication steps - plating, forming, die-cutting, insert molding or assembly, for example - to be performed on a continuous reel-to-reel basis.
Lancaster Metals has also joined its large panel processing and continuous processing capabilities with unique results. With this combination of technologies, Lancaster Metals produces:
- A double-sided flexible circuit that is continuous for 250 feet
- An individual part made of .008” stainless steel that is 6 inches wide and over 70 feet long
- Individual flexible circuits that are 10 feet long and processed in the reel-to-reel format.
Contact our engineering department to evaluate your specific requirements.
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