What is Electroforming?
Electroforming is an additive manufacturing process specialized for the production of high precision metal parts. Its uniqueness is that you can grow metal parts atom by atom, providing extreme accuracy and high aspect ratios.
Once you’ve discovered the benefits of Electroforming, a whole new world of opportunities opens up. What if you could produce, atom by atom, stress- and burr-free precision metal parts with micron scale accuracy? It would give you the opportunity to raise the bar on precision, tolerance, cost-effectiveness and the capability to withstand higher temperatures.
The Electroforming Process
While known as a highly accurate additive manufacturing process, Electroforming is also an electro-deposition process.
The Electroforming process can be concluded in a series of steps including Cleaning, Coating, Exposing, Developing, Deposition, and Harvesting.
The electroforming process allows extreme precise duplication of the mandrel. The high resolution of the conductive patterned substrate allows finer geometries, tighter tolerances and superior edge definition. This results in perfect process control, high quality production and very high repeatability. This makes electroforming perfect suitable for low cost production and high volumes.
Key Benefits of Electroforming
- High aspect ratio
- Accurate hole size
- Micron sized holes
- Non clogging holes
- Burr and stress free
- Sharp edges
- Straight side walls
- Highly cost effective method for prototyping, small and (very) large series
- Additive manufacturing process (atom by atom)
Electroformed Screens Applications
The production of mesh or screen products is a major part of the nickel electroforming industry. Applications include large, industrial centrifuge screens used in sugar production, small centrifuge screens used in kitchen appliances, razor foils, filters and precision sieve screens.
However, the largest application is in the printing industry in which flat and cylindrical, rotary screens are used for printing a variety of products including textiles, wallpaper and carpets. The production of rotary printing screens is the largest, single application of nickel electroforming.