A global pharmaceutical device manufacturer approached ACE to conduct a feasibility study, supported by product prototyping. The objective was to assess whether chemical etching could improve blade-edge quality, reduce manufacturing costs, and simplify the production route by eliminating post-production finishing. Consistency across individual parts and larger batch quantities was an essential requirement during evaluation.
The existing manufacturing process relied on traditional grinding to form the blade edge. This introduced an additional finishing stage and variation in edge definition. Post-production finishing increased manufacturing time and costs. Maintaining consistent blade quality across multiple parts proved difficult. The client required an alternative process that would reduce the number of finishing stages while improving consistency during prototyping.
ACE supported the project through a structured feasibility programme. Engineers reviewed the blade profile and titanium material characteristics before selecting chemical etching for evaluation. Prototype blades were produced to assess edge definition and process repeatability. The etching process enabled the formation of blade profiles without mechanical contact. The process maintained consistent edge formation during the trial phase.
Titanium sheet was processed using photoresist patterning followed by controlled chemical etching. Blade geometry was defined through artwork without mechanical tooling. Material removal was uniform across the exposed areas. The process avoided mechanical stress associated with grinding. Inspection focused on edge definition and consistency across the prototype batch.
For a general overview of this manufacturing method, refer to the chemical etching process information.
Following a successful feasibility trial, chemical etching provided improved blade-edge definition compared with the existing grinding process. The revised manufacturing route reduced the number of processing stages required to produce the blade. Removal of post-production finishing improved consistency and supported lower overall production costs.
For further information, contact the ACE team at info@ace-uk.net.
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