September 2002

Phototooling Basics: Film Matters

The quality and the yield of a photochemical machining system is only as good as the phototool. Because phototooling is so simple and straightforward, it is often thought that there are few, if any, opportunities to enhance (or degrade) manufacturing productivity. It is also often thought that phototooling films and chemistries are all pretty much the same. While it is sometimes true that the best product is not necessarily the most expensive one, neither is it always true that the cheaper product is 'just as good as" a more costly one.

There are four critical attributes of the phototool material, whether raw or imaged and processed. Each of these attributes can have a significant effect on the part ultimately created through its use.

John Nachtrieb, Fotel, Inc.