(mechanical interaction between sand belt/wheel and material) Chemical dissolution (selective corrosion in acid/alkali solution)
Energy forms: mechanical energy (motor-driven), chemical energy (redox reactions)
Material removal method controllable cutting (μ m level) isotropic corrosion (prone to lateral corrosion)
Local temperature rise in the heat affected zone is less than 150 ℃ (controllable), with no thermal effect, but it may alter the grain boundary structure of the material
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1、 Comparison of 6 core advantages
1. Control of machining accuracy
Mechanical drawing:
Can achieve precise control of Ra0.1-3.2 μ m (adjusted by sand belt mesh size)
Directional texture angle deviation<2 ° (guaranteed by CNC system)
Chemical etching:
Surface roughness depends on mask accuracy (usually Ra0.8-6.3 μ m)
Side erosion of 10-50 μ m will occur at the edge (which cannot be completely avoided)
2. Material Applicability
Material type: Advantages of mechanical drawing, limitations of chemical etching
High hardness alloys can process materials with HRC>60 (such as hard alloys) and can only handle materials that can be corroded by specific acid solutions
Isotropic processing of composite materials (such as carbon fiber reinforced parts) results in uneven surfaces due to differences in corrosion rates of different components
Ultra thin parts (<0.3mm) vacuum adsorption ensures flatness, which is prone to perforation due to uneven corrosion
3. Comparison of production efficiency
Batch processing speed:
Mechanical wire drawing: 8-15 ㎡/h (automatic feeding system)
Chemical etching: 2-5 ㎡/h (including mask making, corrosion, and cleaning time)
Change time:
Mechanical drawing: Replacing the sanding belt only takes 3-5 minutes
Chemical etching: It takes more than 30 minutes to replace the etching solution (including waste liquid treatment)
4. Environmental Protection and Safety
Index: Mechanical Drawing, Chemical Etching
Hazardous waste metal dust (recyclable) containing heavy metal waste acid solution (hazardous waste code HW34)
Energy consumption 15-30kW · h/㎡ 40-80kW · h/㎡ (including wastewater treatment)
VOC emissions are only trace amounts of cutting oil mist, strong acid volatile gases (requiring professional waste gas treatment)
5. Economic analysis
Unit cost (taking 1 ㎡ of 304 stainless steel plate as an example):
Mechanical wire drawing: 6-12 yuan (including sand belt loss+electricity cost)
Chemical etching: ￥ 25-40 (including mask, etching solution, and wastewater treatment)
Equipment investment return rate:
Mechanical drawing: 1.5-2 years to recoup costs (calculated on a two shift basis)
Chemical etching: 3-5 years to recoup costs (environmental protection equipment accounts for 40% of total investment)
6. Implementation of special effects
Unique capabilities of mechanical wire drawing:
Gradient texture (by adjusting pressure and speed in real-time)
3D Stereoscopic Drawing (Five Axis Linkage Model)
Chemical etching features:
Micro scale pattern etching (requires photolithography technology)
Through hole/blind hole processing (minimum aperture up to 0.05mm)
3、 Suggestions for selecting typical application scenarios
Recommended process key reasons for demand scenarios
Elevator/home appliance panel mechanical wire drawing high cost-effectiveness+stable texture effect
Chemical etching for precision electronic component identification can achieve fine patterns at the micrometer level
Mechanical drawing of aerospace structural components to avoid stress concentration caused by chemical corrosion
Surface treatment of jewelry, chemical etching, and one-time molding of complex patterns
4、 Future Technology Fusion Trends
Composite processing technology:
First, chemically etch the pattern, then mechanically draw the background to enhance the product's sense of layering
Intelligent compensation system:
Detecting etching depth through AI vision and adjusting mechanical drawing parameters in real-time for compensation
Decision suggestion:
When pursuing efficiency, environmental protection, and cost, mechanical drawing is the optimal solution for industrial mass production
When fine patterns and complex shapes are needed, chemical etching is still irreplaceable
