Electroforming is an advanced manufacturing technology specialized for producing high-precision metal components. It has become the preferred technology for manufacturing precision sieves and meshes, particularly in industries where accuracy, reliability, and performance are essential. Precision sieves and meshes produced by Electroforming technology offer significant advantages over conventional woven or laser-cut products, including ultra-smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces, freedom of design, anti-clogging perforations, and exceptional durability. In this article, we introduce the Electroforming technology and highlight its key features and advantages that make it the optimal solution for manufacturing precision sieves and meshes across industries.
Electroforming technology
Electroforming is an Additive Manufacturing process. Its uniqueness is that you can “grow” high-precision components atom by atom. Compared to traditional subtractive processes such as laser cutting, chemical etching, stamping, etc., Electroforming offers distinctive advantages beneficial for many industries. It enables the production of high-precision components with intricate geometries, achieving feature size and tolerances down to the micron scale. Additionally, Electroformed components exhibit superior surface smoothness, free from burrs, stresses, and other common defects associated with mechanical or thermal producing processes.
At Veco, 3 types of Electroforming processes are available: Electroforming Overgrowth, Thick Resist, and Surface Replication. The Overgrowth technique enables the fabrication of tapered cross-sections through variable current density plating. It is particularly suitable for making precision sieves and meshes with miniature orifices. The Thick Resist method controls the thickness of patterned resist layers to create straight-walled profiles. It comes into play when precision components with higher aspect ratio and thickness are needed. Additionally, Surface Replication is a highly effective application of Electroforming that leverages the method's precision and repeatability. These processes can be combined to provide engineers with a high degree of design flexibility, considering functional or performance demands for their micro components.
Electroforming for precision sieves and meshes: what makes it the optical choice
Industries requiring stringent filtration and separation solutions are increasingly choosing Electroformed sieves and meshes, as the Electroforming technology offers distinctive advantages that are particularly valuable for manufacturing precision sieves and meshes.
(1) exceptional precision and accuracy
With the use of Electroforming technology, components can be manufactured with unparalleled precision and accuracy. High precision metal parts with extreme feature accuracy down to ±1 μm can be made burr and stress free. This is critical for high-precision applications such as medical sieving or particle analysis.
(2) anti-clogging features
Electroforming enables the fabrication of micro-precision metal parts with different cross-sections, including unique bell-mouth hole shape, providing anti-clogging, non-blinding performance. Besides, Electroformed sieves feature smooth uniform perforations with no burrs or irregularities that could cause particle entrapment and clogging, leading to consistent performance, minimal downtime, and reduced operational costs.
(3) high open area and throughput
With Electroforming, sieves with high open area can be made, maximizing flow rates and throughput. This enables faster filtration, improved productivity, and optimized process efficiency. VecoFlux sugar sieve, for example, has a high open area of up to twice that of standard sieves which can increase the centrifuge throughput up to 150%.
(4) excellent surface quality
Electroformed sieves exhibit exceptionally smooth, uniform working surfaces. This smoothness significantly reduces frictional resistance, minimizes particle adhesion, and prevents contamination. Besides, the smooth surfaces significantly simplify cleaning and maintenance procedures, resulting in enhanced efficiency, easier cleaning, and reduced downtime.
(5) design flexibility and customized perforations
With Electroforming, complex shapes and design configurations can be easily achieved. Round holes, slot perforations, and even complex designs that traditional manufacturing techniques cannot deliver can be precisely formed. Such characteristics can be invaluable for specialized filtration. For example, the unique hole configurations of Veco’s coffee screens have been proven to result in a better crema layer, accompanied by fuller flavor and a more rounded aroma.
(6) material versatility and enhanced durability
Typical materials used for Electroforming include nickel and copper, sulfamate, meta, etc. By adjusting Electroforming conditions such as current density, pH, and additives, material properties like conductivity, hardness, and elasticity can be adjusted per demand. Additionally, extra surface plating can be applied post-processing to further enhance resistance to corrosion, abrasion, and aggressive chemical environments.
Interested to learn more about Electroforming, and how it could be the solution empowering your next innovation? Don't hesitate to reach out and talk to one of our engineers.