Overview

A gasket etching service produces metal sealing gaskets by photochemical machining: dry-film resist is laminated onto stainless 304/316L, copper, nickel or titanium sheet, UV-exposed through artwork carrying the sealing land, bolt holes, oil ports and relief slots, and the unprotected metal dissolves in a matched etchant. Because the pattern lives on film instead of in a stamping die, a new gasket outline costs only new artwork and design revisions need no new tooling. Stock runs from 0.05 mm foil to 1.5 mm plate, with sealing-land widths from 0.25 mm and face flatness held to 0.02 mm across 25 mm.

For static sealing the decisive points are flatness and face quality. A gasket etching service delivers burr-free faces without work-hardened rims or punch-shear taper, so the sealing land loads evenly under bolt pressure and does not lift locally after pre-load. Chemical removal does not change temper or strip flatness, and thickness comes straight from precision-rolled stock, so compression gaps stay predictable. Parts leave the line ready for double-side lapping, passivation or oil-free cleaning, which suits compressors, heat exchangers, fuel cell stacks and vacuum instruments.

Parameter Window

• Available Materials: stainless steel 304/316L, copper C11000, nickel 200, titanium Grade 1/2, phosphor bronze C5191
• Material Thickness Range: 0.05–1.5 mm
• Tolerance: outline ±0.03 mm; thickness held by incoming stock ±0.005 mm; sealing-face flatness 0.02 mm across 25 mm
• Minimum Feature: sealing land width ≥ 0.25 mm; slot width 0.15 mm; bolt-hole Ø0.4 mm
• Surface Options: double-side lapping, passivation, oil-free cleaning, protective film, slitting, embossed steps
• Compliance: ISO 9001 process control, RoHS/REACH material traceability

Manufacturing Process / Workflow (8 Steps)

1. Sealing Design Review — Convert the gasket drawing to film artwork, check sealing-land width, bolt patterns and embossed steps against stock thickness.
2. Material Selection — Match alloy to media and temperature: 316L for corrosive fluids, copper for soft sealing faces, titanium where weight and strength matter.
3. Cleaning & Lamination — Degrease the sheet and laminate dry-film resist under controlled heat and pressure so narrow lands etch uniformly.
4. UV Exposure — Expose through high-resolution artwork registered to sheet edges, keeping sealing faces aligned across the whole panel.
5. Development — Wash out unexposed resist to open contours, bolt holes and slots, then inspect narrow lands for residual film.
6. Etching — Spray matched chemistry from both sides; line speed and temperature hold land width, slot size and edge profile within tolerance.
7. Stripping & Lapping — Strip resist and neutralize, then lap or flatten both faces where flatness is critical and emboss steps or countersinks if required.
8. Inspection & Packaging — Verify outline, thickness, sealing-face flatness and burr condition against the approved sample, then pack flat with protective film.

Core Advantages

1. Flat sealing faces: Burr-free, stress-free faces stay flat after etching, so the sealing land loads evenly under bolt pressure.
2. Tight thickness control: Thickness comes straight from precision-rolled stock, so compression gaps and stack heights stay predictable.
3. No tooling cost: New gasket outlines are artwork only — prototypes and revisions skip die cost and long tooling lead times.
4. Complex outlines in one piece: Bolt holes, slots, tabs and sealing lands etch together, so no secondary punching or assembly is needed.
5. Foil to plate range: 0.05 mm shim-grade foil through 1.5 mm plate covers thin sealing shims and structural gaskets on one line.
6. Repeatable sealing performance: A gasket etching service holds land width, flatness and thickness inside fixed windows, so every lot seals like the approved sample.

Typical Applications

• Compressor and pump gaskets: Thin stainless and copper gaskets with flat sealing faces for gas and fluid housings.
• Heat exchanger gaskets: Corrosion-resistant 316L gaskets with precise land widths for plate and shell-and-tube exchangers.
• Fuel cell stack gaskets: Uniform thin gaskets with controlled thickness for stack compression and sealing.
• Instrument vacuum gaskets: Flat nickel and stainless sealing rings for analytical instruments and vacuum chambers.
• Hydraulic manifold shims: Precision sealing shims that set clearances and prevent leaks in valve blocks.
• Electronics enclosure seals: Metal gaskets that combine sealing with EMI shielding around instrument housings.

Design Notes & Process Considerations

1. Land width versus pressure: Keep sealing lands at 0.25 mm or more and match land width to bolt spacing so compression stays even across the face.
2. Flatness specification: Call out flatness per unit length — for example 0.02 mm across 25 mm — rather than a generic tolerance, because sealing faces depend on it.
3. Etch taper: Sidewalls taper roughly half the etch depth per side; account for it where a gasket edge must seat against a step or groove.
4. Thickness tolerance stack: Gasket thickness is set by incoming stock — agree the tolerance with the foil or plate supplier before etching starts.
5. Corner radii and stress: Generous internal radii avoid cracks at sharp corners in harder tempers such as titanium and stainless.
6. Surface condition for sealing: Specify lapping, passivation or oil-free cleaning where the face must seal gas — a gasket etching service delivers burr-free faces that keep coatings and cleaning stable.