What are the advantages of chemical blanking over the regula

What are the advantages of chemical blanking over the regular blanking using punch and die mold?

Solution

Chemical blanking is used for parts that are otherwise typically produced by mechanical blanking presses from thin plates and foil material. With mechanical presses, vibrations, backlash, and part distortion will make smaller parts difficult to produce. Chemical blanking becomes a favorable solution in such a case.

Chemical blanking employs the following four steps.

a) Pre-process

Material cleaning - Metal surface is cleaned by degreasing, pickling and grinding.

b) Masking

Metal portion not to be removed by etching is covered with chemical resistant coating. For extra precise applications, photo-resist material is used.

c) Through-material etching

Since the material is to be penetrated through, etching is applied from both sides simultaneously.

d) Post-process

Removal of the resist material, and washing off etchant. If the resist material is non water soluble, organic solvents are used.

Advantages & disadvantages
The advantages of fine blanking are:

excellent dimensional control, accuracy, and repeatability through a production run.

excellent part flatness is retained.

straight, superior finished edges to other metal stamping processes.

smaller holes possible relative to thickness of material.

little need to machine details.

multiple features can be added simultaneously in 1 operation.

more economical for large production runs than traditional operations when additional

machining cost and time are factored in (1000–20000 parts minimum, depending on secondary machining operations)

The disadvantages are:
slightly higher tooling cost when compared to traditional punching operations.
slightly slower than traditional punching operations.