Industrial Etching - Common Etchants

Common Etchants

For aluminium
  • sodium hydroxide
  • Keller's reagent
For steels
  • hydrochloric and nitric acids
  • ferric chloride for stainless steels
  • Nital (a mixture of nitric acid and ethanol, methanol, or methylated spirits for mild steels.

2% Nital is common etchant for plain carbon steels.

For copper
  • cupric chloride
  • ferric chloride
  • ammonium persulfate
  • ammonia
  • 25-50% nitric acid.
  • hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide
For silica
  • hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a very efficient etchant for silicon dioxide. It is however very dangerous if it comes into contact with the body.

Read more about this topic:  Industrial Etching

Famous quotes containing the word common:

    The work of the world is common as mud.
    Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
    But the thing worth doing well done
    has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
    ...
    The pitcher cries for water to carry
    and a person for work that is real.
    Marge Piercy (b. 1936)