Electro-Chemical Etching Stencils
HIgh Performance Stencils
T.U.S. produces high performance stencils based upon your requirements. The information that you provide can be a description of text, a file, a printed logo, a technical drawing or any other form. We have extensive graphical capacities on hand and so far we have mastered any challenge. When the artwork is layed out we offer a free proof in pdf form that we send to you in an E-Mail.
All stencils orders that reach us until 10:30 am ET are shipped the same day. Depending on the shipment method that you choose, you can have them as early as the next morning.
The stencils hold up for a long time. Our marking job shop marks a minimum of 5,000 surface etches per stencil image, but we have seen up to 10,000 etches per image. For deep etching applications the number of etches will be lower though.
The high performance stencils come in two different versions: brown and gold. The gold material is a see-through material, which makes positioning of the stencil on the workpiece much easier. Both stencils have the same durability and price.
The high performance stencils can be produced in sheets for manual operations or as framed stencils for production machines. The frames fit the stencils holders of all known machines for electro-chemical etching.
High Performance stencils are meant for electro-chemical etching of metal surfaces and are not suitable for glass etching.
Photo Self Stencil material
T.U.S. offers a self stencil material that is similar to our high performance stencils, although the material does only reach a maximum of about 1,000 etches per image.
The material is a photo sensitive material. After you have produced the artwork on your computer you print out the artwork on a transparency. The photo sensitive etching stencil is exposed with the help of this transparency.
After the exposure the material is washed out with a developer solution. When the opening are clear, you are ready to etch your parts.
T.U.S. offers this stencil material in sheet form and in framed form. We also offer the necessary supplies like the developer solution and a basic exposing unit. You can get a test start with our starter set.
Stencil Foil
(Please note that this material is temporarily unavailable due to production restrictions. We will keep you posted).
Stencil Foil is a material similar to wax-paper. I can be used for the creation of stencils with any kind of embossing. Our customers use typewriters, needleprinters or dot peening machines for the creation of these stencils.
Stencil Foils hold up for up to 10 etches per opening. The creation of these stencils is incredibly fast and flexible, which makes it a perfect solution for serialized applications.
Stencil Foils come in different formats like rolls and sheets in different sizes.
Thermo Stencil
Thermo Stencil Material can be printed out directly from your thermo printer. Create artwork on your computer and print it out on the thermo printer. A new addition to our self stencil line up.
The material comes in different width for the different printer models. We stock many of the common sizes.
F.A.Q.
Electro-Chemical Etching Stencils
The easiest way is to send us a message on our contact page. You will receive an answer that details prices, the process and what we will need from you.
For surface etches, typically with a 12 Volt AC current you should get 5,000+ etches from each image of your stencil. For a deep etch, typically done with 24 Volt DC you should be able to get out 40-50 etches per image. The trick with deep etches is to not keep the handstamp in place during etching rather than wiping across the opening of the stencil multiple times to keep it cool. This extends the life of the stencil and improves your mark quality.
Spider webs or erratic lines are a sign that there are cracks in the stencil. Cracks in stencils are typically induced by bending, kinking of the stencil material or improper storage. Taping the stencil on multiple edges and then removing it like a band-aid is a perfect way to induce cracks – tape down on one end only.