Etching Elgiloy...Who said it can’t be done?

Elgiloy (Phynox) is an austenitic, hardenable superalloy and ‘memory metal’. It is based on cobalt and is probably the most erosion and corrosion resistant stainless steel known to man.

Photo etching is an exceptional manufacturing technology that produces the most intricate, burr free, stress free, high precision profiles by a process of controlled erosion.

On the face of it, Elgiloy and photo etching should be incompatible. This was very much the case until the Process Development Team at Birmingham based Precision Micro, came up with a unique process route that the Company claims has solved the problem and makes Elgiloy “etchable”.

“The solution involves not just a unique combination of etchant chemicals,” said Bob Crutchley, Director. “A new methodology has been developed, whereby a unique treatment is applied prior to etching and a catalyst is introduced during the etching process itself. Much credit should go the R&D Technical Team who had the confidence and abilities to challenge the status quo so successfully“

The process utilises standard photo resist materials and chemicals that have no exceptional hazard risk.

The process, which has taken some two years to perfect, will now enable engineers and engineering designers to utilise Elgiloy in a far wider range of applications in the medical, aerospace, automotive and advanced engineering industries. The Elgiloy benefits of high corrosion resistance, excellent temperature resistance, high elasticity modulus and outstanding fatigue life are now available in small, thin, economical precision components thanks to Precision Micro.