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High Density Flexible Circuits
Electroforming
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ELECTROFORMING
DRC has refined the electroforming art to its
highest level, through a patented process that employs a conductive
patterned glass substrate and proprietary plating baths. Superior
edge definition, 1 micron features, superior dimensional control,
and near "optical" finishes are achievable. Precision
metal patterns with cross-section ratios of up to 1:1 and
resolutions of above 2 million holes per square inch can be
provided.
In the basic electroforming process, an electrolytic
bath is used to deposit nickel or other electroplatable metal onto a
conductive patterned surface, such as glass or stainless steel. Once
the plated material has been built up to the desired thickness, the
electroformed part is stripped off the master substrate. This
process allows high-quality duplication of the master and therefore
permits quality production--at low unit costs with high
repeatability and excellent process control.
Why Electroforming is Superior to Chemical Etching
Electroforming is an additive process and herein
lies electroform's superiority over etched metal and other forming
technologies. The precision and resolution inherent in the
photographically produced conductive patterned substrate, allows
finer geometries to be produced to tighter tolerances while
maintaining superior edge definition with a near optical finish.
Etched metal, EDM, and laser machining rely on the
removal of material to form the desired features. All have
limitations associated with one or more of the following:
resolution; tolerancing; process repeatability; or cost. In etched
metal the minimum opening diameter is limited to 1.5 times the metal
thickness. EDM and laser machining have resolution limits and
normally are more costly than electroforming. None of these
alternatives provide the surface finish within the hole or aperture
that electroforming does.
A Comparison to Other Fabrication Methods:
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 Electroforming is essentially
insensitive to temperature or humidity
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Electroformed parts have excellent
light transmission when used in optical application
(encoders, aperture plates, slits etc.)
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Electroformed parts have very low
mass (weight and inertia)
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Electroformed parts are electrically
conductive and essentially unbreakable
To see specific parts that we have fabricated, view Electroforming Applications.
View our design guide and brochures below:
Please contact us for more information or a free sample, which
demonstrates a wide variety of structures that are available through the
processes described above.
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