Page 72 - PCMI Journal December 2020

General Overview of PCM Equipment - Wet Processing Presented by: Mike Soble, Technical Sales Manager, Chemcut Corporation, US
11/23/20
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BASIC FERRIC CHLORIDE ETCH:
To address the need for a BASIC equipment offering for ETCHING and other wet processes, Chemcut offers the Model 2300 series. The Model 2300 is a low cost offering that utilizes sectional construction in which a larger chamber is partitioned into smaller chambers to produce ETCH, RINSE, and optional DRYER sections.
Ferric Etch line:
ØStation1: Ø Station 2: Ø Station 3: Ø Station 4: Ø Station 6: ØStation7:
LOAD
FERRIC CHLORIDE ETCH RINSE 1, (Recirculated) RINSE 2, (Fresh)
DRY, (optional) UNLOAD/CONVEYORDRIVE
Chemcut
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BASIC ETCH:
The Key Parameters for BASIC ETCH machines are:
Ø DWELL TIME / CONVEYOR SPEED:
• Dwell time is the amount of time the product spends in the ETCH BATH. The typical ETCH rate of
ferric chloride etchant is ~0.8 mils, (20 microns), per minute. Without regeneration or bleeding in fresh ferric chloride, this Etch rate will decrease over time. This decline of etch rate requires the dwell time to be increased as the etch rate decreases. This increased dwell time is realized by decreasing the speed of the conveyor.
Ø TEMPERATURE CONTROL:
• ETCH stations have both heating and cooling elements. As the rate of chemical reaction increases
with temperature, it is important that the temperature be maintained at the desired set-point for consistent Etching.
Ø MANUAL PRESSURE CONTROL:
• Uses valves and pressure gauges to adjust upper and lower spray pressures
Chemcut
Issue 136 December 2020 PCMI Journal 72
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