ACE
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Professional Engineer

Chemical Etching for Professionals

Built for engineers who demand detail. Your complete etching resource centre.

Welcome to your tailored resource for advanced chemical etching. Whether you’re designing for aerospace, electronics, or precision components, this hub connects you with key technical specs, material capabilities, and production insight. Use it to explore tolerances, materials, and workflows - or head straight to quoting and collaboration.

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Start Your Journey with ACE

Explore detailed technical insights, material options, tolerances, and workflows designed for engineers who know what they need.

Process Capabilities at a Glance
Materials We Etch
Design for Manufacturability
48-Hour Prototypes & Scalable Etching
Solutions by Industry
Precision Components for Demanding Environments
Compliance & Quality
Get In Touch
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Process Capabilities at a Glance

Know what’s possible - before you start designing.

When precision matters, knowing the limits of the process is essential. Our chemical etching capabilities are engineered to support high-accuracy applications across sectors like aerospace, medical, and electronics.

Key Highlights:

We offer tight tolerances, clean edge finishes, and high repeatability, all without the stresses introduced by mechanical machining. With no need for hard tooling, you can move from prototype to production faster - and adapt designs without penalty.

Feature sizes down to 0.1mm
Tight tolerances

typically ±0.025mm of material thickness

Material thicknesses

from 0.01mm to 1.5mm

Burr-free, stress-free, and heat-free etching process
High repeatability

suitable for volume production

Tooling-free process

fast, cost-effective prototyping and revisions

Materials We Etch

Precision across a wide range of metals—etched to your specification.

ACE offers precision etching across a wide range of metals commonly used in aerospace, automotive, electronics, and medical sectors. Every material is processed using chemical etching techniques that maintain structural integrity - producing clean, stress-free, burr-free results, even on complex or delicate geometries.

Our process supports both standard and specialist metals in varying thicknesses, from prototypes to production-scale runs. Whether you're targeting conductivity, corrosion resistance, weight reduction, or heat performance, our engineers can advise on the best-fit material for your application.

Stainless steel
(all major grades)
Nickel
(and nickel alloys)
Copper and copper alloys
(phosphor bronze, beryllium copper,
brass)
Aluminium
Titanium
Nitinol (NiTi)
Silver and other high-performance metals
(on request)

Design for Manufacturability (DfM) Support

Collaborate with our engineers to optimise your design, before it hits production.

Every successful etching project starts with a well-prepared design. At ACE, we provide technical guidance during the quoting stage to help identify potential improvements and ensure manufacturability from the outset. While we don’t require tooling, certain design considerations - like material thickness, feature complexity, and part layout - can significantly impact precision and cost.

Accepted File Formats:

We accept various types of files. Please include relevant material requirements, critical tolerances, and any key notes. Our engineering team reviews every submission as part of our process - and we’ll reach out if anything can be optimised or clarified.

Need Design Input Or Want To Check Your Files?

48-Hour Prototypes & Scalable Etching

From first-off prototypes to repeatable high-volume runs, without tooling delays.

ACE’s chemical etching process is tooling-free, which means you can go from prototype to production without the delays and costs typically associated with hard tooling. Whether you’re developing a new component or refining an existing design, we offer rapid turnaround during early-stage development and reliable scalability for long-term supply.

Our Process Is Ideal For:

  • Projects that require fast iteration and refinement
  • Applications needing flexibility in design changes without extra tooling costs
  • Components destined for volume manufacturing, with high repeatability and tight tolerances

What To Expect:

  • Prototype delivery within 48 hours (subject to specification)
  • No upfront tooling - changes to your design don’t mean added cost
  • Scalable production - from small batch quantities to tens of thousands of parts
  • Consistent quality - with ISO 9001 and AS9100 standards applied across all production volumes

Solutions by Industry

At ACE, we combine cutting-edge chemical etching technology with decades of expertise to deliver precision metal components.

Whether you're an experienced engineer, new to metal etching, or just curious about what we do, we’ve got you covered.

Precision Components for Demanding Environments

Our team regularly works with customers across the following sectors:

Aerospace

EMI/RFI shielding, precision filters, fuel system components

Automotive

Sensors, battery connectors, fluid control plates

Medical

Diagnostic devices, heating elements, surgical instrumentation

Electronics

Lead frames, flex circuit components, contact springs

Industrial

Fine meshes, screens, fluid flow regulators

Compliance & Quality

Certified processes.
Consistent results.
Trusted by industry leaders.

At ACE, quality isn’t just a checkbox - it’s built into every stage of our process. From first-off prototypes to high-volume production runs, we operate within internationally recognised standards to ensure every part meets specification, every time.

We’re Proud To Hold

ISO 9001

Quality Management

AS9100

Aerospace Quality Management

ISO 14001

Environmental Management

Customer-specific approvals

across aerospace, defence, and electronics sectors

To Support Traceability And Assurance

All production batches are fully documented

In-process and final inspection is performed using precision measurement tools

We offer first article inspection (FAI) and PPAP documentation on request

Batch samples can be retained for validation and future reference

Whether you're supplying into aerospace or high-reliability electronics, our in-house quality systems ensure compliance and repeatability at every scale.

Meet the Experts

Behind every precision-etched component is a team of experts dedicated to pushing the boundaries of manufacturing. Meet the specialists who ensure quality, innovation, and technical excellence at ACE.

Upcoming Exhibition

Join us at the Netherland's top annual industrial show

Precision Fair - Pushing boundaries with precision technology

12th & 13th November 2025
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Stand: C190

Brabanthallen, 'S-Hertogenbosch (NL)

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days day

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Register
Here

News and Insights

November 26, 2024

ACE Chemical Etching at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics, 4th to 6th February 2025

August 20, 2024

AS9100 accreditation helps ACE fly high with £1m of new aerospace opportunities

November 24, 2023

Advanced Chemical Etching – Metal Matters October 2023

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