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Steel etching by ferric chloride

Q. Hi we have a printing press. We etch the printing plates with nitric acid. But now we want to try ferric chloride ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] . We've taken a few trials for it but we found the crack patterns and the etching time is very high. We need to etch to get the depth of 30 to 50 microns within 4 to 5 minutes.

Etching: a Guide to Traditional Techniques
etching_traditional

on Amazon or eBay
or AbeBooks
(affil link)

With regards,

Nalini Bora
nNp press - India
2003

A. Presumably you are "jetting" the ferric chloride ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] at the plates - if not you should. The ferric chloride ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] should be about 45 °C and concentrated. Although you do not say what grade steel you are using, most steels won't stand up to this solution very long.

Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2003

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