Chemical Etching Formula
AM350 Stainless Steel with FeCl₃+HCl

Formula Summary

The table below summarizes every parameter that defines this etching formula. Values listed as ranges scale with sheet thickness across the supported band.

Why FeCl₃+HCl for AM350 Stainless Steel?

On AM350 Stainless Steel, the ferric chloride system attacks the alloy's oxide layer continuously while ferric ions drive dissolution. It is regenerable, compatible with standard photolithography, and produces clean burr-free edges — which is why nearly every AM350 Stainless Steel etch line runs a variant of this formula.

Process Window & Bath Control

The process window for this FeCl₃+HCl formula centres on 54°C and 46 °Bé. Conveyor speed spans 0.16-0.82 m/min over the 0.1-0.3 mm thickness band; the typical operating point is 0.29 m/min. Every 5°C drop in bath temperature requires roughly a 30% reduction in conveyor speed to hold the same etch depth, so temperature stability is the single biggest lever on consistency.

Design Rules & Tolerances

When laying out artwork for AM350 Stainless Steel at through etch (double-sided), plan for a minimum hole diameter in the 120-360 μm range and a minimum line width in the 100-300 μm range, depending on the chosen sheet thickness within 0.1-0.3 mm. The etch factor of ~2.55 and undercut range of 20-59 μm determine how much the mask must be biased to land the finished dimension on target.

Yield & Production Economics

This formula delivers a typical yield of 95.6% (range 95.3-95.9%). At that rate, per-part economics are driven mostly by fixed photomask and setup cost for small batches and by sheet utilisation for large runs. The chemistry itself does not change with quantity, so the same recipe serves prototype and production volumes.

Typical Applications

AM350 Stainless Steel etched with this recipe typically ends up in precision shims, encoder discs, RF/EMI shields, surgical and dental components, fuel-cell bipolar plates, and fine filter meshes. Because chemical etching applies no mechanical or thermal load, the finished features are free of work-hardening and heat-affected zones — a decisive advantage over stamping or laser cutting for these uses.

Process Equipment & Material Reference

Process equipment for the AM350 Stainless Steel / FeCl₃+HCl combination is built around our wet chemical etching machine platform — closed-loop temperature control, redundant pump headers, and metering for bath replenishment all directly affect the etch factor and yield numbers cited on this page.

The Stainless Steel chemical etching guide reference goes one level above the recipe shown here, surveying the full thickness range, depth options, and common subgrades we run for stainless.

Production Use Cases for This Formula

Parts produced with this AM350 Stainless Steel + FeCl₃+HCl formula end up in a wide range of finished products. Representative production runs we have completed using this exact recipe family include stainless filtration mesh for vacuum cleaners, cold-press juicer filtration mesh, and stainless steel metal filter mesh. Each case shares the same root sensitivity: clean photoresist edges, a tightly held bath SG of 1.430, and a conveyor speed inside the 0.16-0.82 m/min envelope.

Designs that sit slightly outside this thickness or feature-size envelope are usually addressable by a sister formula in the same etchant family. The bath chemistry stays the same; the tuning shifts to conveyor speed and resist choice.

Other Metals Etched with FeCl₃+HCl

The FeCl₃+HCl chemistry is also documented for these alloys.

More Stainless Steel Formulas

Other formulas in the same material family.

Frequently Asked Questions