Technology

6 Advantages of Chemical Milling Over Traditional Fabrication Processes

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By Admin Desk

Chemical milling is simply the removal of some parts from a surface to produce the desired shape. The aim of this process is to reduce weight from the surface or to get shallow, complex profiles. Chemical milling is also useful in the production of blind features such as channels and pockets.

This industrial process is often used in metals, although, with the advancement in technology, it can now be used on other materials. This process has proved to be an exceptional one across key industries such as aerospace and architecture. Here are some of the benefits of chemical milling over other traditional fabrication processes.

1. It’s Low-Cost

When compared to other machining methods, chemical milling is very affordable. Chemical milling companies don’t need a lot of equipment and tools for the process, which greatly reduces the workforce required to carry out the process, greatly cutting the cost.

However, various factors determine the overall cost of the process. These include overhead costs such as water, waste treatment and power, processing time, and the materials used.

The thickness of the metal is another factor that greatly determines the cost. The thicker the metal, the longer it will take to be milled, and more reagents will be required. Therefore, thicker metals may be more expensive than thin ones.

2. It’s Fast

One of the things that greatly sets this process apart from others is its high speed. It takes less time to produce the photo tools required for the process. However, factors like the type of material and strength of the reagent chemicals used may affect the time needed to complete the process.

3. Suitable for Complex Designs

Chemical milling is highly adaptable, making it a suitable method for producing complex designs, which is very difficult to do when using some traditional processes. With its fast speed, it is capable of producing high precision and uniform parts without affecting the ductility, hardness, and other aspects of a material.

4. Useful in Brand Recognition

Chemical milling will not only produce functional components of machines; it can also be used to produce branded parts with your company’s logo and contact information. The machines can also be etched with numbers for easy recognition and inventory management.

5. Has A Wide Range of Applications

Chemical milling has several applications. Most importantly, it can be used on materials that other fabrication processes cannot be used. It is widely used in semiconductor fabrication, military, medicine, architecture, airspace, and aircraft industries.

6. It Does Not Affect the Material’s Properties

Some conventional processes may cause the degradation of a material’s properties as a result of high impact or excess heat. Some of these methods will leave burrs that require correction after the procedure, which might be time-consuming and expensive. On the other hand, chemical milling does not leave burrs or affect the properties of the material being processed. Even brittle machines can be processed much easily without interfering with their properties.

With several material fabrication methods available out there, chemical milling outdoes many of them due to its cost-effectiveness, wide range of applications, the capability of transforming complex designs, and several other benefits. This process has opened up many possibilities, something which would not be achieved with other conventional processes.