Overview

Badge etching forms the outline, the lettering and the relief levels of a metal badge by photochemical machining instead of stamping or laser ablation. Artwork is exposed onto a dry-film photoresist laminated to the sheet, and after development the bare metal dissolves in an etchant matched to the alloy, so a single badge can carry a through-cut contour, a fine background texture and a deeper enamel channel in one sequence of passes. Typical substrates are H62 brass, 304 stainless steel, 5052 aluminum, C1100 copper and nickel silver between 0.2 mm and 1.0 mm. Metal is removed chemically rather than sheared, so blanks leave the bath flat and burr-free, and plating or enamel sits on an edge with no roll-over to thin the coating.

Badge etching also changes the economics of small programmes. A new design is a new film rather than a new die, which keeps fifty-piece event badges and five-thousand-piece uniform badges on the same process route. Multi-level artwork is separated into contour, texture, primary relief and fill-channel layers, each etched to its own depth by re-masking between passes, so a badge can look sculpted without mechanical engraving. Depth and colour are fixed by bath time, temperature and conveyor speed, which makes reorders predictable once a signed sample exists.

Parameter Window

• Available Materials: H62/C2600 brass, 304 stainless steel, 5052 aluminum, C1100 copper, nickel silver (CuNi12Zn24)
• Material Thickness Range: 0.2–1.0 mm; 0.1 mm foil available for thin lapel badges
• Tolerance: ±0.03 mm on outer contour, ±0.01 mm on apertures, ±0.01 mm relief depth repeatability
• Minimum Feature: 0.10 mm line width, 0.25 mm character stroke, 0.15 mm isolated island at 0.3 mm stock
• Surface Options: electroplated nickel or gold, hard or soft enamel fill, epoxy dome, brushed or mirror face, black oxide, PSA backing
• Compliance: ISO 9001 process control, RoHS/REACH material traceability

Manufacturing Process / Workflow (8 Steps)

1. Artwork Layering — Split the file into contour, background texture, primary relief and enamel channel layers, and assign a target depth to each.
2. Material & Temper Selection — Choose brass for enamel brilliance, 304 for outdoor wear and aluminum for light weight; confirm flatness and a scratch-free surface.
3. Cleaning & Lamination — Degrease both faces and laminate dry film under controlled heat and pressure so no bubble sits beneath a 0.25 mm stroke.
4. Dual-Side Exposure — Register film to tooling pins and expose front and back separately so relief and rear contour stay concentric within 0.03 mm.
5. Development — Wash out unexposed resist to open the etch areas, then inspect fine strokes and isolated islands for residue before committing to the bath.
6. Staged Etching — Etch in passes with re-masking between them, letting texture, relief and through-cut reach their own depths without over-cutting the finest lines.
7. Stripping & Decorative Finishing — Strip resist, neutralise, then plate, fill enamel in one or two passes with a cure between, and add an epoxy dome where specified.
8. Inspection & Packing — Compare relief depth, colour, plating adhesion and contour with the signed sample, then pack on liner or in trays with a first-article photo.

Core Advantages

1. Several depths on one part: Background texture, primary relief and fill channels are produced on a single badge without assembly or a second fixturing step.
2. No tooling charge: A design change is a new film, so fifty-piece event runs and repeat orders share one parameter set instead of amortising a stamping die.
3. Burr-free and flat: Chemical removal leaves no roll-over, so pin, magnet and adhesive backs seat evenly and the badge does not rock on fabric.
4. Fine text at small size: 0.25 mm strokes and 0.10 mm lines hold on 0.3 mm stock, keeping serial numbers and microtext legible after plating.
5. Batch-wide colour match: All badges on a sheet etch and fill together, so depth and shade stay within tolerance across the lot and reorders track the signed sample.
6. Mixed alloys in one order: Brass, stainless, aluminum and copper run on the same line, so a catalogue can combine substrates without separate tooling.

Typical Applications

• Corporate emblem badges: Company marks with deep-etched primary relief and fine texture, gold-plated brass with colour fill for a sculpted look.
• Event and pin badges: Limited-run show badges in 0.8 mm brass with irregular contours, butterfly pin or magnet backs and short lead times.
• Uniform name badges: Names and job titles etched into stainless for daily wear in hospitals, hospitality and plant environments.
• Machine asset badges: Small riveted tags whose recessed, paint-filled text survives oil, coolant and repeated washdown.
• Commemorative and award plates: Large relief fields over a mirror face, held to 0.1 mm depth so highlights stay crisp.
• Access and safety badges: Thin aluminum identity badges with etched graphics and numbers, supplied with adhesive or magnetic backing.

Design Notes & Process Considerations

1. Relief depth versus line width: Keep depth below half the narrowest line width; 0.05 mm suits texture, 0.1–0.15 mm suits primary relief, and deeper cuts undercut fine strokes.
2. Support for isolated metal: Any island fully surrounded by etched area needs a tie bar of at least 0.15 mm, hidden inside the graphic so it does not read as a defect.
3. Dam width between colours: Leave 0.3 mm or more of metal between two enamel colours; narrower dams bleed before curing, wider ones make the artwork look loose.
4. Plating and enamel sequence: Plating first preserves lustre but requires masking; enamel first needs a plate-friendly resist, and each route needs its own adhesion test.
5. Dome and adhesive callout: State dome height and cured hardness, plus adhesive type and service temperature; outdoor badges usually need an acrylic grade with a peel test.
6. Panel layout and registration: Group badge designs on one sheet with shared tooling pins to cut handling and drift — specifying these six points when you request badge etching removes most back-and-forth.