Metal Cleaning for Photo Chemical Machining
Fall 1986
To quote a PCMI publication G-lOO entitled “Basic Principles
of Photo Chemical Machining” section 4.3.2 Metal Cleaning:
“The importance of metal treatment and cleaning prior to resist
coating cannot be overemphasized. The quality and quantity of
the yield depends greatly on the care taken at this step. Thought,
time and money spent here will be directly measured by
output.”
Actually, the process of producing clean metal or cleanable
metal begins at the mill. If poor rolling practices, improper
annealing. inadequate lubrication and/or improper lubricants
are used, no cleaning method short of grinding and lapping will
provide a proper surface for imaging. Purchasing and production
managers should be sure to specify properly produced stock
What is clean and how clean is clean, are two questions one
must ask before any discussion can be generated on cleaners.
For our purposes we will define a clean surface as one which will
support a layer of water without water breaking or dewelling
and which contains no particulate matter.
Thomas Morse, MacDermid, Inc
