Chemical Etching Formula
C17300 beryllium copper 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 C17300 beryllium copper?

On C17300 beryllium copper, 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 C17300 beryllium copper etch line runs a variant of this formula.

Process Window & Bath Control

Bath control for C17300 beryllium copper in FeCl₃+HCl: temperature 48°C, concentration 42 °Bé, specific gravity 1.390. The recipe is tuned for through etch (double-sided). Conveyor speed is the primary throughput control, ranging 0.19-2.77 m/min across the supported thickness range. Check specific gravity each shift with a calibrated hydrometer and correct with fresh make-up or water as needed.

Design Rules & Tolerances

Design rules for this recipe: hole diameter 60-360 μm, line width 100-300 μm, single-side undercut 9-54 μm — all as a function of thickness across 0.05-0.3 mm. The higher the etch factor (this formula holds about 2.78), the tighter the achievable tolerance. Below the minimum feature sizes, yield falls off steeply, so treat those numbers as hard floors rather than targets.

Yield & Production Economics

Expect a yield in the 96.8-97.5% range for C17300 beryllium copper with FeCl₃+HCl, with 97.2% typical on a well-controlled line. Most rejects trace back to upstream coating and exposure rather than to the etch bath itself, so tightening photolithography control is usually the fastest path to a higher number.

Typical Applications

Parts produced with the FeCl₃+HCl formula on C17300 beryllium copper are common in lead frames, busbars, flexible heater elements, RF gaskets, and precision electrical contacts. The burr-free, stress-free nature of chemical etching makes it the preferred process wherever flatness and edge quality matter more than raw throughput.

Process Equipment & Material Reference

This C17300 beryllium copper formula is part of the standard process library running on our wet chemical etching machine. The same chemistry can be ported to any horizontal spray-etching line of comparable nozzle layout and bath-titration discipline.

For a broader treatment of the material itself — alloy variants, surface preparation, and process limits across thickness ranges — see our Copper chemical etching guide. That overview complements the formula-specific bath and conveyor data on this page.

Production Use Cases for This Formula

Parts produced with this C17300 beryllium copper + FeCl₃+HCl formula end up in a wide range of finished products. Representative production runs we have completed using this exact recipe family include high-speed air-intake mesh for hair dryers, cold-press juicer filtration mesh, and stainless steel shower-head filter mesh. Each case shares the same root sensitivity: clean photoresist edges, a tightly held bath SG of 1.390, and a conveyor speed inside the 0.19-2.77 m/min envelope.

Adjacent applications usually transfer onto this same formula with no chemistry change, sometimes only a conveyor speed tweak. Drop a drawing and a target volume and we will return a process card built off the parameters on this page.

Other Metals Etched with FeCl₃+HCl

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

More Copper & Brass Formulas

Other formulas in the same material family.

Frequently Asked Questions