Perforated Steel Micron

Perforated Steel Micron can be designed into a variety of shapes, percentage open-area, and in a variety of metals. Brittle metals and thin foils are much easier to etch than stamp, or machine in other traditional forms or manufacturing.

Etching is also used in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards and semiconductor devices (see Etching (microfabrication) ), on glass, and in the preparation of metallic specimens for microscopic observation.

Copper was always the traditional metal, and is still preferred, for etching, as it bites evenly, holds texture well, and does not distort the colour of the ink when wiped. Zinc is cheaper than copper, so preferable for beginners, but it does not bite as cleanly as copper, and it alters some colours of ink. Steel is growing in popularity as an etching substrate.

Prices of copper and zinc have steered steel to an acceptable alternative. Line quality of steel is less fine than copper but finer than zinc. Steel has a natural and rich aquatint. Steel is virtually impossible to reclaim though the price and availability make it still more cost effective