Chemical Machining(CHM)

• CHM or Chemical milling is the controlled

chemical dissolution of the w/p material by
contact with a strong reagent.
• This strong reagent is known as ‘etchant’.
• The etchant dissolves the metal from the w/p by
converting it into a salt.
• Special coatings called ‘maskants’ protect areas
from which the metal is not to be removed.
• The process is widely used to produce pockets
and contours and to remove material from parts
having high strength-to-weight ratio.
CHM setup
 CHM steps
• Preparing and pre-cleaning the w/p surface
which provides good adhesion of the masking
material.
• The entire w/p is coated with a maskant after
cleaning and drying.
• A template is placed over the w/p and the
areas to be exposed to the etchant are scribed.
• The scribing is done by the knife.
• The w/p is then immersed into the etchant for
etching.
Contd…
• The w/p is etched and rinsed and again the mask
is removed before the part is finished.
• During CHM, the depth of etch is controlled by
the time of immersion.
• Faster etching rates occur at high
temperatures(37 - 85° C)
• The etch factor is the ratio of undercut to the
depth of etch.(see figure)
• This factor is considered when scribing the mask
using templates.
Contour cuts by CHM
 Tooling for CHM
• Four different kinds of tools are required
1.Maskants
2.Etchants
3.Scribing Templates
4.Accessories
• Synthetic or rubber base materials are
frequently used for masking.
• Maskants should be tough enough to withstand
handling and they should adhere well to the w/p
surface.
• The use of etchants provides
1. Good surface finish
2. Uniformity of metal removal
3. Control of intergranular attack
• Accessories include tanks, hooks, brackets, racks
and fixtures
 Process Parameters of CHM
• Etch factor
• Etching and machining rate
• Production tolerance
• Surface finish
• The process is also affected by the maskant
and its application and operating temperature.
 Advantages of CHM
• Weight reduction is possible on complex
contours that are difficult to machine using
traditional methods.
• Simultaneous material removal from all surfaces
improves productivity.
• No burrs are formed.
• No stresses are induced in the w/p and so
fragile parts can be machined.
• Capital cost of equipment is relatively low.
• Less skilled operator is needed.
 Disadvantages
• Only shallow cuts are possible. (upto 12.27 mm
on sheets and plates)
• Handling and disposal of chemicals is difficult.
• Hand masking and scribing can be time
consuming.
• Deep narrow cuts are difficult to produce.
• Fillet radii are fixed by the depth of cut.
• Porous castings yield uneven etched surfaces.
 Applications
• In aerospace applications, large volume of
unwanted material is removed from the
surface to reduce weight thereby increasing
stiffness-to-weight ratio. This is conveniently
done by CHM.
• Complex profiles made in thin sheets used in
instrumentation and sensors.
• Shells for missiles.
• Helicopter blades.
• Spherical pressure vessels.