Tecan uses PEF and PCM manufacturing processes

Manufacturing facilities at Tecan are used to produce a range of flat metal products such as shims, washers, gaskets and spacers for the most demanding applications.

The products are produced using photolithography to pattern the substrate.

This enables the cost-effective manufacture of, for example, large flat parts with fine features, or multiples of much smaller parts.

One example being the production of up to 40,000 2mm diameter washers on a single sheet, each with a tolerance down to +/- two microns.

For the most accurate and fine-featured applications and the mass production of micro shims, Tecan uses Photo Electro Forming (PEF) - where the parts are grown electrochemically into a photolithographically-defined resist mould.

For low-cost tooling and rapid prototyping of burr and stress-free parts in a range of metals up to 1.5mm thick, Tecan uses Photo Chemical Machining (PCM) - where the parts are produced by selectively removing metal by chemical etching through a photolithographically-defined resist layer.

The PEF and PCM processes offer a number of benefits over traditional manufacturing options such as stamping or laser cutting.

The parts are stress free, have no burrs and exhibit uniform flatness, assuring right-first-time manufacture with no need for secondary processing.

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