Chemical Etching Formula
Ni42 Alloy 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 Ni42 Alloy?

On Ni42 Alloy, 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 Ni42 Alloy etch line runs a variant of this formula.

Process Window & Bath Control

The process window for this FeCl₃+HCl formula centres on 50°C and 44 °Bé. Conveyor speed spans 0.19-2.77 m/min over the 0.05-0.3 mm thickness band; the typical operating point is 0.67 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

Feature sizes scale with sheet thickness. For this formula the minimum hole diameter ranges 60-360 μm and the minimum line width ranges 100-300 μm across the 0.05-0.3 mm band, following the industry 1.2× (hole) and 1.0× (line) thickness rules. Single-side undercut ranges 9-54 μm, and the etch factor is about 2.76. Size your photomask by subtracting twice the expected undercut from each finished feature dimension.

Yield & Production Economics

Typical mass-production yield for Ni42 Alloy in the FeCl₃+HCl system is 96.6%, within an observed range of 96.1-96.8%. The dominant yield-loss modes are photoresist pinhole defects and rinse-water contamination. Improving incoming sheet quality and photoresist coating consistency gives the highest yield-improvement leverage for this formula.

Typical Applications

Ni42 Alloy etched with this recipe typically ends up in hermetic sealing rings, lead frames matched to glass/ceramic, and magnetic shielding. 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 Ni42 Alloy / FeCl₃+HCl combination is built around our biomedical blade 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 material above is documented on this page at the recipe level. Bath chemistry, temperature, and conveyor speed are the controlling variables for repeatable output.

Production Use Cases for This Formula

Across the markets we serve, the FeCl₃+HCl formula on this page is most often deployed for soy-milk-maker filtration mesh, juicer filtration mesh etching, and high-speed air-intake mesh for hair dryers. These applications share thin-feature geometries that benefit from the predictable etch factor near 2.76 and the low single-side undercut documented above.

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 Precision Alloys Formulas

Other formulas in the same material family.

Frequently Asked Questions