Photo Chemical Machining (PCM) is the process of removing metal using chemicals. The photo chemical machining process works by masking off the areas where metal is not to be removed by accurately printing onto the surface, a photo resist material. Or by exposing the image of the required parts onto a light-sensitive film laminated on to the material. The material stock is placed into a chemical bath and an electrical current applied to erode unmasked areas of the material.

The photo chemical etching process is able to cut very accurately (typically less than 15 microns tolerance) both in shape and depth. The photo chemical etching process also imparts no heat or distortion to the workpiece making ideal for thin sheetmetals and delicate parts.

Photo chemical machining has low setup costs making it well suited to low volume runs or prototype parts. Another major advantage is the ability to partially etch or to include fold lines, holes, slots, mesh, text, and logos without significantly increasing the process time or cost.

Photo chemical machining is commonly used to cut finely detailed sheetmetal parts in almost any material. Some typical applications for photo chemical machining are:Solder paste stencil cutting, PCB Shielding, Finely detailed, precision sheetmetal parts, Electrical contacts, Shims.