Imagine ,What if you could produce,

atom by atom, stress- and burr-free

precision metal parts with micron scale
accuracy?
ELECTROFORMING
 Definition

-> It is an additive manufacturing process used in the

creation of metal parts. Rather than adding an
additional layer to an existing part, electroforming
allows us to create an entirely new piece atom by atom
with higher accuracy and aspect ratios.
 Working Principle
->The electroforming process starts with two
electrodes - an anode and a cathode – that are
submerged in a conductive electrolyte bath that
contains a metal salts solution and a source of DC
power.
-> an electrolytic bath is used to deposit metals onto a
conductive patterned surface,and further the master
electroform is parted from the substrate.
 Principal Advantage
The advantage of the electroforming process is that it reproduces the form or mandrel to within one micrometre without the shrinkage and
distortion associated with other metal forming techniques such as casting, stamping or drawing. And, since the mandrel is machined as an outside
surface, close dimensional tolerances and high surface finishes can be held and maintained on complex interior configurations.
Electroformed printing plates are used in the production of currency notes and postage stamps. Electroformed molds are used to produce plastic
optical lenses, holograms, and mirrors.
Compared to other basic metal forming processes (casting, forging, stamping, deep drawing, machining and
fabricating) electroforming is very effective when requirements call for extreme tolerances, complexity or
light weight. The precision and resolution inherent in the photographically produced conductive patterned
substrate, allows finer geometries to be produced to tighter tolerances while maintaining superior edge
definition with a near optical finish. Electroformed metal is extremely pure, with superior properties over
wrought metal due to its refined crystal structure. Multiple layers of electroformed metal can be molecularly
bonded together, or to different substrate materials to produce complex structures with "grown-on" flanges
and bosses.
 -In the basic electroforming process, an electrolytic bath is used to deposit nickel or other
electroplatable metal onto a conductive patterned surface, such as glass or stainless steel.

-Once the plated material has been built up to the desired thickness, the electroformed
part is
stripped off the master substrate. This process allows high-quality duplication of the
master and therefore permits quality production--at low unit costs with high
repeatability and excellent process control.

A wide variety of shapes and sizes can be made by electroforming, the principal
limitation being the need to strip the product from the mandrel. Since the
fabrication of a product requires only a single pattern or mandrel, low
production quantities can be made economically.
Electroforming Micro-perforated
Products

Among the most diverse set of applications for electroforming is in the production of
screens, grids, filters and meshes. The ability to create very tiny features, holes as
small as 2 microns in foils as thin as 5 microns, is one of electroforming's most unique
capabilities compared to all other metal fabricating processes. Perforated
electroformed products find applications in scores of industries including medical
devices, screen printing, batteries, filtration, optical encoders, electric shaver foils,
MEMS and more. Electroforming can even be used to create foam by metallizing a
plastic foam, plating the nickel and then pyrolizing the plastic.
 Microfabrication Processes

MEMS (micro electronic mechanical systems) is the marriage of semiconductors with tiny
mechanical components such as encoders, gears or actuators of various types. Photo
etching and electroforming are the most capable metal fabricating processes for creating
such tiny elements.

A Brief on Photochemical machining or Photo etching also known as photochemical milling ,is a chemical
milling process used to fabricate sheet metal components using a photoresist and etchants to corrosively
machine away selected areas.
The process starts by printing the shape of the part onto optically clear and dimensionally stable photographic film. The
"phototool" consists of two sheets of this film showing negative images of the parts (meaning that the area that will become
the parts is clear and all of the areas to be etched are black). The two sheets are optically and mechanically registered to
form the top and bottom halves of the tool.
 The differences between electroforming and photo-
electroforming

The electroforming process has been used in industry for

many decades. This is an electrochemical process very similar in
principle to electrolytic coating processes, but instead of a thin
coating of a few microns, it is used for producing metal parts.
The traditional electroforming process produces the form of the
negative of the required product from any kind of metal, usually
aluminum, and that is the mandrel. The mandrel is used as a
cathode on which the nickel is built. At the end of the process
the product is removed from the mandrel.

In contrast to the electroforming process, in the Photo-

Electroforming process products are manufactured by a
combination with a photolithographic process, which is similar
in principle to the process used in photo-etching. This
combination of the photolithographic and the electroforming
processes allows for the manufacture of thin, flat metal parts,
without creating internal stress and highly accurate.
 Survey Report

-Although there are a relatively small number of

dedicated electroforming job shops (fewer than 70 by
our count), electroforming is also done by some photo
etching and electroplating facilities.

-Based on many conversations I have had with people

who are looking to solve some really small-scale
problems, photo etching and electroforming are capable
but unrecognized technologies for creating a broad
variety of precision metal components at very delicate
scales.