Custom Precision Metal Screens & Grilles
Precision Metal Screens
Electronic, Electrical, Industrial, & RF Applications
Precision metal screens are used throughout electronic, electrical, industrial, and RF applications to provide shielding, filtering, protection, airflow, sound transmission, electrical contact, and other functions requiring precisely controlled openings in thin metal.
Etchit manufactures custom photo-etched metal screens, grilles, contact liners, meshes, grids, and perforated components to customer drawings and specifications. Photochemical machining is especially well suited for these applications because intricate patterns and hundreds—or even thousands—of openings can be produced simultaneously without the mechanical stresses, burrs, or heat-affected zones associated with many conventional manufacturing processes.
Types of Precision Metal Screens
The term screen can describe a wide variety of thin metal components. Depending on the application, Etchit can manufacture:
- Fine mesh screens and grids
- Perforated metal screens
- EMI/RFI shielding screens
- Speaker and microphone grilles
- Ventilation and airflow grilles
- Filter screens and strainers
- Protective screens and guards
- Contact liners
- Custom patterned screens and perforated components
Screens can be manufactured with round, square, rectangular, slotted, or custom-shaped openings, as well as combinations of different opening styles within the same component.
Electronic & RF Applications
In electronic devices, precision metal screens can perform several functions. They may provide EMI/RFI shielding, protect sensitive internal components, control airflow and ventilation, allow sound transmission, provide filtration, or create electrical grounding and contact surfaces.
Contact liners are another example of a thin precision component that can benefit from the photo etching process. These parts may incorporate openings, slots, fingers, contact areas, or repeating features designed to provide electrical contact, grounding, shielding, or a mechanical interface between mating components.
Speaker, microphone, and ventilation grilles use similar manufacturing principles. A precisely controlled pattern of openings allows air or sound to pass through while providing physical protection to the components behind the grille.
Custom Shapes & Opening Patterns
One of the major advantages of photochemical machining is that a screen does not have to begin as a generic piece of perforated sheet or woven mesh.
The outside profile, opening pattern, solid areas, mounting features, and other functional geometry can all be incorporated into a single etched component.
A custom screen can include:
- Thousands of small openings
- Multiple opening sizes or shapes
- Solid borders and reinforcement areas
- Mounting holes and slots
- Tabs and locating features
- Irregular outside profiles
- Identification or etched markings
- Other application-specific features
Because the entire pattern is created photographically and chemically etched, complex designs do not necessarily require the multiple tooling operations associated with punching or stamping.
Materials & Thicknesses
Etchit works with a wide variety of metals commonly specified for electronic, electrical, RF, and industrial applications, including:
- Stainless steel
- Copper
- Brass
- Phosphor bronze
- Beryllium copper
- Nickel silver
- Nickel and nickel alloys
- Other etchable metals
Etchit’s overall photochemical machining capabilities cover material thicknesses from approximately .0005” through .032”. The appropriate material thickness, minimum opening size, web width, and dimensional tolerances depend on the material and specific screen geometry.
For extremely fine opening patterns and mesh-style designs, thinner materials generally allow finer features to be produced.
Plating & Finishing Options
When required by the application, Etchit can coordinate secondary processing and finishing for precision screens and related components. Options can include gold plating, electroless nickel plating, and other customer-specified finishes.
Finishes may be specified to improve conductivity, corrosion resistance, solderability, wear characteristics, or other functional requirements.
Why Photo Etching for Precision Screens?
Photochemical machining offers several advantages when manufacturing intricate metal screens, grilles, and perforated components.
Unlike mechanical punching, the process does not require every opening to be created individually. Hundreds or thousands of openings can be etched at the same time. There is also no mechanical tooling contacting the part and no concentrated heat source.
The result is a process capable of producing complex, burr-free thin metal components without introducing mechanical deformation or heat-affected zones.
Photo etching also provides significant design flexibility. Opening patterns, outside profiles, mounting features, and other details can be modified through photo tooling rather than requiring expensive hard-tool changes.
For prototypes, design revisions, or production quantities, this provides customers with a flexible method for manufacturing highly customized precision metal screens.
Custom Screens Manufactured to Your Design
Every application is different. Whether your design requires a simple perforated screen, a fine mesh pattern, an electronic contact liner, an EMI/RFI shielding component, or a complex speaker or ventilation grille, Etchit can review your drawing or CAD file and provide design assistance for manufacturability within the photochemical machining process.
Since 1964, Etchit has manufactured precision chemically etched components for customers across a wide range of industries and applications.
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