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.
