Idea Factory : keeping etched signages alive
Even though new technologies like hi-tech routers, digital printers and laser engravers have flooded the Indian signage industry but the conventional chemical etching process is still into existence. New-Delhi based Idea Factory has improved this century-old technology with the launch of semi-automatic chemical etching machines.
Chemical etching is a process
where a metal is etched
with a chemical mixture
and not with any tool or laser.
In middle ages, chemical etching
was used for decoration of
armour and gradually it found
applications in the printing and
signage industry.
Today, chemical etching is
excellent for making prototypes
as it offers excellent precision,
repeatability, accuracy and quick
turnaround. Compared to other
ways of etching, it is quite
inexpensive. Moreover, chemicaletched
parts remain flat since the
metal removal is achieved
chemically, not mechanically.
Manual chemical etching has been
popular for over 100 years but it
lagged behind in quality and
production. But, with the launch
of semi-automatic chemical
etching machines from Idea
Factory, there has been
considerable improvement in
time and quality. With these
machines, one does not need to
wait for sunlight to expose a film
as the semi-automatic exposure
machine can expose both sides of
sheet in a few seconds, thus
making the job easier and faster.
Here’s the process used for
chemical etching :
- Clean and dry the sheet evenly
before etching.
- Apply photo-sensitive glue
evenly through screenprinting
net.
- Bake the plate inside the oven
<100 degree Celsius for 10-12
minutes.
- Expose the plate in exposure
machine.
- Develop the plate in Na2CO3
ratio 10% in water.
- Again bake the plate inside the
oven for 15-28 minutes at 120
degree Celsius.
- Finally, place the sheet inside
the etching machine.
- Clean the plate with water.
- Fill the colour with colouring
machine.
- The colour will
get settled in the
etching area and
rest of the
colour can be
poured back in
the container for
further use.
- Now dry the colour using
dryer.
- Place the sheet inside the oven
to settle the colour and make
it shiny.
- Take off the photosensitive
glue by using NaOH mix with
water 10-20%.
- The plate is now ready and can
be sent for gold/silver plating,
if required.
Idea Factory offers machines for
small business houses as well as
for big export houses by offering
low to high budget etching
machines as per requirement.
Their range of single surface
exposure machines include
model ZC-B2, which stands for
exposing single surface of sheet
at one time. This semi-automatic
machine uses air vacuum to give
precision, taking just a few
seconds to expose any design
on metal sheet.
Their model W100A is an
economic etching machine,
specially designed forshopkeepers or retail business
house for day-to-day metal
etching works. It can easily
etch brass and steel up to
the size of 3.25 ft x 2.5 ft. It
uses motor to circulate the
chemical inside the machine
and heating device to heat
the chemical and make it
ready for etching. It also has
a temperature and time
control box on the top to set
the required temperature
and time.
The B5060 semi-automatic
machine exposes both sides of
sheet at one time, thus giving
more precision exposure. It also
works on air vacuum and time of
exposure can be controlled
within 10 seconds, it exposes the
matter on the sheet. Another
semi-automatic double surface
etching machine is 2S600 for
double-sided signages, which has
an automated roller, which takes
the sheet inside, and the speed
of the rollers can be controlled
to decrease or increase the
depth. It has spray nozzles that
are placed on the top and bottom
of the machine which sprays
chemical on the sheet at once.
This machine takes 5-7 minutes
for etching and is available
in three sizes. For size
requirements over 1000 mm, the
company even custom builds the
machines as per requirement.
Gone are the days when brushes
were used to fill colours.
The company offers EC-A
colouring machine that uses an
electrophoresis process. Just
place the sheet on the metal
surface and pour the diluted
colour on the sheet and start the
machine, which will automatically
settle the colour inside the etched
area and rest of the colour will be
washed away with water. It is a
fast machine for filling single
colour. Hairline brush finish is
favourite among architects and
interior designers because of its
matt finish. For this, Idea Factory
offers Hairline Brush Finishing
semi-automatic machine which
can put hairlines on steel
brass, aluminium, etc. The
machine can even control the
depth of the hairlines.
These chemical etching machines
are available in India, Nepal,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
For more info, contact Ajay
Wadhwa of Idea Factory at
idea_factory@yahoo.com
