Overview

A custom 304 stainless steel electroformed mesh is an ultra-fine screen built by combining electroforming with photochemical machining, so apertures far smaller than a stamped or woven mesh can be held in a thin, flat 304/316L stainless foil. A patterned resist or a reusable electroformed nickel master defines the grid, metal is deposited or removed to the target thickness, and the apertures open with straight walls and an open area up to about 70%. Foil from 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm is typical, with hole diameter held near ±0.005 mm, hole position to ±0.01 mm, apertures down to 0.02 mm and webs as narrow as 0.02 mm. Because the geometry comes from a master rather than a die, a custom pitch, a mixed-aperture layout or a framed part is produced without hard tooling.

For buyers of precision screening and micro-fluidic parts, a custom 304 stainless steel electroformed mesh delivers resolution that conventional perforating cannot reach. Woven wire is limited by wire diameter, punched screens by the die land, and both leave burrs or tapered walls that distort a fine cut-point. Photochemical and electroform processing keep aperture size, web width and open area uniform from the first panel to the thousandth, so flow, particle retention and optical throughput stay repeatable. A solid rim, datum holes and an identification mark can be integrated in the same build, which simplifies handling of a foil that is too fine to clamp by hand.

Parameter Window

• Available Materials: 304/316L stainless foil, electroformed nickel or nickel-alloy master
• Material Thickness Range: 0.02–0.2 mm
• Tolerance: ±0.005 mm on hole diameter, ±0.01 mm on hole position
• Minimum Feature: 0.02 mm aperture, 0.02 mm web, open area up to 70%
• Surface Options: electropolishing, nickel plating, passivation, precision dicing
• Compliance: ISO 9001 process control, RoHS/REACH material traceability

Manufacturing Process / Workflow (8 Steps)

1. Artwork Review — Define aperture, web, pitch and open area, and confirm the rim and datum plan for the fine foil.
2. Master Preparation — Produce or select the electroformed nickel master that carries the micro-aperture pattern.
3. Cleaning & Lamination — Degrease the foil and laminate dry-film resist under tightly controlled conditions.
4. Exposure — Image the grid on both faces in registration so micro-apertures meet mid-thickness.
5. Development — Wash out unexposed resist and inspect the smallest openings for residue before processing.
6. Etching / Forming — Build or dissolve metal to final thickness; time and chemistry set aperture and web width.
7. Stripping & Finishing — Remove resist, neutralize, then electropolish, plate, passivate or dice to size.
8. Inspection & Packaging — Measure aperture, web and open area optically and pack between clean liners in rigid trays.

Core Advantages

1. Micro-scale apertures: 0.02 mm holes on a 0.02 mm web reach resolutions that weaving and punching cannot match.
2. High open area: Open area up to 70% keeps flow or transmission high without sacrificing a flat surface.
3. Uniform geometry: Every aperture copies the same master, so size and pitch do not drift across a panel.
4. Burr-free flat foil: Chemical forming leaves no rolled edge, so fine screens seal and handle without burrs.
5. Low tooling cost: A new grid is a new master or film, keeping custom fine patterns economical.
6. Integrated rim and datums: A custom 304 stainless steel electroformed mesh can carry a solid border and alignment holes in one build, easing downstream assembly.

Typical Applications

• Precision microsieves: Ultra-fine screens for laboratory particle classification.
• Atomizer and nebulizer meshes: Perforated foils with uniform micro-holes for controlled droplet size.
• Inkjet and micro-fluidic filters: Fine grids that protect nozzles without a large pressure drop.
• Electron-microscopy grids: Flat, burr-free specimen supports with repeatable aperture geometry.
• Sensor and optical grids: Fine aperture arrays for encoders and light-shaping elements.
• Fuel-cell and battery screens: Micro-perforated foils used as current-collector or diffusion layers.

Design Notes & Process Considerations

1. Web versus thickness: Keep the web at no less than 1.0 × stock thickness; below this the foil tears during handling.
2. Open-area callout: State the target open-area ratio, since it governs both throughput and foil strength.
3. Aperture tolerance: Note whether tolerance is measured before or after electropolishing, which enlarges micro-holes slightly.
4. Rim and datum: Reserve a solid frame and datum holes so the fine foil can be clamped without distortion.
5. Flatness: Call out flatness per 100 mm when the mesh is bonded into a sealed stack.
6. Panel layout: A custom 304 stainless steel electroformed mesh benefits from shared datums, which protect micro-aperture alignment across mixed patterns on one master.