Page 9 - PCMI Journal July 2018

PCMI recently adopted new Bylaws.
The updated Bylaws were approved by the PCMI membership at the Spring 2018 International Conference held in Sweden.
Click here to review a summary of the changes. Click here to review the new Bylaws.
Thank you to the PCMI Bylaws Commitee for their patience, attention and support through out this process:
Bill Fox, Conard Corp.
Phil Greiner, Photofabrication Engineering, Inc. Eric Kemperman, Etchform BV
Kirk Lauver, Chemcut Corporation
Mike Soble, Chemcut Corporation
Richard (Dick) Beaupre passed away peacefully at his home on March 25, 2018.
Dick was the CEO of the ChemArt Company and a founding member and past PCMI president.
Most recently, Dick served on the PCMI 50th Anniversary Committee.
PCMI News and Member Information
Getting the Measure of Etching: Why You Shouldn't Always Default to Stamping
When manufacturing components from metals there are numerous options available to design engineers, some traditional, some relatively new and innovative. However, when component characteristics are very precise, complex, and high degrees of accuracy
are required, the number of viable production manufacturing processes is greatly reduced. For such applications industry typically defaults to stamping, but this may not always be the most suitable option.
Introducing Photo Chemical Etching
When choosing a metal machining technology it
is important that first the engineering challenge is carefully appraised to understand which material is most suitable, critical features and required part complexity, and efficiency and scalability.
Photo chemical etching — often known as chemical etching — is a highly precise, tightly controlled corrosion process used to produce complex metal components with very fine detail.
Most people’s awareness of etching will be limited to its artisan background, notably Rembrandt etchings or medieval sword engraving, but today it is a sophisticated technology enabling next generation aircraft, satellite communications, and low and no emission vehicles.
What Makes Etching Unique?
Although developed as a sheet metalworking technology more than 50 years ago, etching has seen rapid growth in the last decade and is being adopted by designers ‘in the know’ to solve a wide range of engineering challenges, many of which are either not achievable or cost-effective with traditional stamping.
Continued on page 9.
Issue 131
July 2018
PCMI Journal 8