Precision Micro Ltd - Photo Etching

Photo Etching is also known as Photo Chemical Etching, Metal Etching, Chemical Etching Acid Etching and Photo Chemical Milling. It is an exceptional manufacturing process that produces the most intricate, burr free, stress free, high precision profiles in a wide range of metals. Working directly from digital data through Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) or with low cost photo tooling, this process is one of the few in which increasing component complexity is not reflected in the part cost.

Redefining the Possible
Precision Micro is a technology leader in photo etching and continues to the push the boundaries, redefining the possible to provide a true competitive advantage for customers in a wide range of industries including Aerospace, Electronics, Automotive, Medical, Communications and Precision Mechanical Engineering.

High Speed Source
The Company has an exceptionally strong development team that can turn round customers’ new project requests in hours rather than weeks and months. The Company's manufacturing technology is geared to producing components to the tightest tolerances in the fastest possible time scales and at competitive rates.

Prototypes to High Volume
Precision Micro's capacity is highly flexible in terms of volume, whether you require a single part or millions of parts, this process is able to provide a cost effective solution to meet your needs. With two sites handling high speed turn round, low to medium volume runs, and a dedicated high volume facility, the Company is geared to meet almost every etching need.

Precision Micro specialises in combining Photo Etching with other in-house processes to provide unique solutions to customers design requirements.

Electroforming is an ideal fabrication method for products with requirements for very small, very thin, very fine or very precise dimensions and patterns. It is a high precision additive manufacturing process more akin to photographic process than traditional machining.

Expanding the Realms of Possibility
Handling design complexity is a further key strength of electroforming. By ‘growing’ components in Nickel (or other metals) on a mandrel, features and tolerances are managed automatically.

Minute components and complex features that cannot be achieved by any other manufacturing method can be produced by Electroforming.

Expertise Through Experience
For over 40 years Precision Micro has utilised electroforming technology to meet customer requirements for such items as meshes, encoder discs, foils, filters, orifice plates, micro sieves, optical masks, diaphragms, and other fine and intricate components for the broadest range of industries.

Micromachining covers a broad spectrum of manufacturing processes, each capable of creating discrete components or functional features on larger components, typically in the range of 0.5 to 250 microns.

The majority of these processes, typically laser micro machining, micro milling or micro wire erosion, depend on single point ablation. In such processes, increasing complexity invariably takes longer and incurs higher costs. The processes are therefore very much time dependent and as a result, are limited to small/medium volume production requirements.

Precision Micro has developed new process routes capable of creating true and precise micro components and features, in prototype to high volume quantities and where increased complexity does not incur a cost penalty.

The essence of Laser Evolved Micromachining is the ability to combine Advanced Laser Direct Imaging with Precision Electroforming and with Etch Processing. The high definition and precision of these new process routes takes the Company’s manufacturing capabilities, already in the ultra high precision range, firmly into the realms of true micro manufacturing.

The efficient operation of many electronics devices can be compromised by high frequency and electro magnetic interference. The board level solution to the problem is to keep RF (radio frequency) electromagnetic radiation confined inside or sealed out of a device through the use of a metal or metallised EMI/RFI shielding.

Precision Micro has a wealth of experience in the design and manufacture of EMI/RFI shielding solutions and has pioneered technologies that have expanded both the scope and efficiency of on-board EMI/RFI shielding. Many 'Quiet features' can be incorporated in shielding can designs to improve attenuation and provide enhanced air-flow characteristics for easier re-flow soldering and improved device cooling in use.

Precision Micro also manufactures a wide variety of bespoke shielding and continuity devices such as component and enclosure shields, conductive gaskets, ground contacts, vents, grilles and meshes, all manufactured with outstanding co-planarity for ease of assembly.

Precision Micro has extensive experience in EMI/RFI shielding and is able to design, manufacture and test shielding solutions to ensure compliance with relevant standards.