Different etching method for enclosures?

[markm]

Check THIS out fellas!
http://www.stencil-maker.com/metal-etching-stencils.htm

[oldrocker]

COOL!!!

[Meanderthal]

 A form of electrolysis? Interesting! Looks like very fine detail is possible... 'course a big mac looks 7" tall in ads too...

[MetalGod]

That looks like it will save a LOT of time over etching with Ferric Chloride.  I'm gonna sleep on it but I'll more than likely order one, looks to be just the ticket.

[MarcoMike]

we are working on something similar at my university (I'm a chemist and work at the engineering department...). it is not so easy to get a nice black colour, it depends on the additives in what they call "electrolyte". if you do it with sodium chloride on steel you will get brown instead of black... (not that bad anyway). no idea about aluminum enclosures.

[markm]

we are working on something similar at my university (I'm a chemist and work at the engineering department...). it is not so easy to get a nice black colour, it depends on the additives in what they call "electrolyte". if you do it with sodium chloride on steel you will get brown instead of black... (not that bad anyway). no idea about aluminum enclosures.

FeCl leaves black in the etching but, the reality is what is left is corrosion.
I usually clean the etched portions out quite well and then spray them with black.
I imagine this new process would be easier but, I wonder how well it would handle artwork as opposed to just lettering.
It does look like it can get quite detailed though huh.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

That green film..... it looks suspiciously like the usual green chomate screenprinting film.
So if anyone wants to experiment, I bet we could get a DIY system going for a tiny fraction of $xxx.
Screenprinting is advancing all the time, consider http://www.ezscreenprint.com/ where you get the green film (actually a gelatin material with chromate added) combined with the mesh. I bet this is what the etch method uses! and I doubt that you need any very exotic material for the electrolyte, even common salt should do it, jsut get the electrodes the right way around & make the other one copper so it doesn't dissolve. Oh and 5 volts will be plenty.

[zjokka]

That green film..... it looks suspiciously like the usual green chomate screenprinting film.
So if anyone wants to experiment, I bet we could get a DIY system going for a tiny fraction of $xxx.

That would be great. There have been some electrolysis etching experiments before, see the post by Seljer:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=52118.msg410150#msg410150

[MarcoMike]

FeCl leaves black in the etching

This electrolytic etching is not really etching.... it is not digging in the metal, the drawing comes out just  as "black metal", not as a "black groove".
I'm gonna try this process on aluminum (with my "thingie") tomorrow, and let you know.

[mattpocket]

We use this method at work... I am an engineer and the toolmakers use little printed labels to mark tools with the appropriate drawing number... The etch is not normally very deep at all, not like with FeCl, but they only leave it on for a few moments...

Matt