WHY PCM
Inexpensive and quickly-produced
Phototools, used in photochemical machining, replace conventional steel tools and dies. Phototools can be generated in a matter of hours from a customer-supplied CAD drawing or data file. Most tools range in price from $250 to $400. Prototyping cycles can be reduced from weeks to days compared to hard tooling.
Flexible and Fast
From initial tooling to finished parts, the entire photo etching cycle can be completed in days. Given a normal backlog, typical lead times for new parts are 2-3 weeks. Often, repeat orders can be processed more quickly. Prototypes orders may be done in several days.
Consistent tolerances The photo tool is the foundation of accuracy. A photo tool is like a stencil. Its only working exposure is to light. So there is no tool wear that needs to be monitored. Dimensional tolerances are a function of the thickness of the material. Typically, dimensions can be held to +/- 10% of the thickness of the material.
Complexity made simple
Chemical etching can produce complex parts that would be either impossible or impractical to produce by stamping or laser cutting. The etching process produces parts that are free of burrs and mechanical stress.
Material Properties Unaltered
Chemical etching imparts no mechanical stresses on metal substrates. Where stamping, punching and die-cutting impart shearing deformation and laser and water-jet cutting can leave ablative deformation, photo-chemical machining simply dissolves the unneeded metal, leaving a flat and burr-free part.