Chemical Etching Formula
Ni200 pure nickel 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 Ni200 pure nickel?

Ferric-chloride-based formulas are the industrial workhorse for ferrous, nickel, and copper-bearing alloys like Ni200 pure nickel. The Fe³⁺ ion oxidizes the metal surface; where HCl is present it regenerates dissolved species and stabilizes chloride concentration. The result on Ni200 pure nickel is anisotropic etching with predictable undercut and an easily regenerated spent bath.

Process Window & Bath Control

Hold the bath at 50°C with concentration 44 °Bé (specific gravity 1.410). Across the 0.01-0.5 mm thickness range, conveyor speed runs from 0.12-68.04 m/min — thinner sheets move faster, thicker sheets slower, in roughly inverse proportion to thickness. A typical mid-range setpoint is 8.00 m/min for 0.03 mm stock. Use redundant PID temperature control to hold the bath within ±1.5°C, and titrate at least once per shift.

Design Rules & Tolerances

Design rules for this recipe: hole diameter 8-600 μm, line width 100-500 μm, single-side undercut 1-90 μm — all as a function of thickness across 0.01-0.5 mm. The higher the etch factor (this formula holds about 2.80), 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 95.5-98.5% range for Ni200 pure nickel with FeCl₃+HCl, with 97.8% 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 Ni200 pure nickel are common in battery tab interconnects, fuel-cell components, and corrosion-resistant masks. 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

Production of Ni200 pure nickel parts using the FeCl₃+HCl formula described above runs on a wet chemical etching machine configured for through etch (double-sided). The bath chemistry, conveyor speed, and rinse cascade detailed on this page reflect the operating profile we use on a live spray-etching line for this alloy.

If you need a wider view of nickel beyond this single recipe, our Nickel chemical etching guide covers grade selection, photoresist compatibility, and typical industries that consume this metal in etched form.

Production Use Cases for This Formula

Parts produced with this Ni200 pure nickel + FeCl₃+HCl formula end up in a wide range of finished products. Representative production runs we have completed using this exact recipe family include cold-press juicer filtration mesh, ultrasonic mesh for robotic vacuum cleaners, and electronic thin-film component etching. Each case shares the same root sensitivity: clean photoresist edges, a tightly held bath SG of 1.410, and a conveyor speed inside the 0.12-68.04 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 Pure Nickel Formulas

Other formulas in the same material family.

Frequently Asked Questions