I have to etch a pattern on a plastic film similar to the ones used to protect phone screens. I want a very thin etch, one that is only visible on close inspection. How can I get that done?
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1$\begingroup$ I don't know but I would guess laser "cutters" would probably be interesting to look at given the resolution you need. $\endgroup$– Curt F.Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 20:03
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1$\begingroup$ If you don’t find a suitable chemical method, you may want to consider using an airbrush sandblaster. You can cover the area that you don’t want to be etched. $\endgroup$– user7951Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 20:20
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1 Answer
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Assuming by thin, you mean a narrow line (not depth). It all depends on how thin you want to go. For a fine width line, a relatively cheap $\ce{CO2}$ laser cutter will get you down to 100–200 µm, but depending on the plastic and how thick it is, the heat produced may warp the plastic near the cut. I think most phone screen protectors are PET film. I've personally made ~200 µm features with one, and if the plastic is thin enough, you can keep the cut width pretty narrow. Things like pulsed UV lasers will give you much finer lines on plastics without thermal effects (as they tend to ablate rather than burn plastics), but they're much more expensive. If you don't have access to either, many companies will contract for this kind of work, even for small jobs.
Another option for coarser cuts that don't have too complex of shapes is a vinyl cutter—basically a plotter with a cutting blade instead of a pen. These are quite cheap, but can't cut all shapes and resolution is on the order of a hundred µm or so, though they don't cause distortions along the edges in most materials.
If you're really serious about it, it's certainly possible to coat photoresist on most plastics and make a mask for reactive ion etching, which will get you down to 1 or 2 µm easily, but it sounds like overkill for you.
answered Mar 4, 2015 at 0:14