Etching AISI 316 Stainless Steel with Aqueous Ferric Chloride-Hy
Summer 1988
Etching AISI 316 Stainless Steel with Aqueous Ferric Chloride-Hydrochloric Acid Solutions
Introduction
Although stainless steel foils are the most frequently etched
class of ferrous materials, published information on how best to
photoetch them is scant.
Whilst photomechanical processing to obtain a photoresist
stencil on the foil is relatively straightforward (1,2), the
corrosion-resistant properties of the material necessitate that
the etchant be formulated with care.
Dr. David Allen and Mu-LinLi, Cranfield Institute of Technology