Study of etch rate and surface roughness in chemical etching of stainless steel

In this study, stainless steel material (X5CrNi1810) was micromachined by chemical etching method. Ferric chloride was selected as etchant which is the most widely used etchant for iron-based materials. Four different etchant concentrations (32°Bé, 36°Bé, 40°Bé and 44°Bé) were used at various etching temperature. Moreover, the influence of the addition of hydrochloric acid to main etchant on etching performance was examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the depth of etch and surface roughness affected by etchant concentration, hydrochloric acid addition and etching temperature. It was observed that etching temperature for any etchant concentration is important factor in case of depth of etch and surface roughness. It was also noticed that the addition of hydrochloric acid to main etchant increased depth of etch value at any etching temperature. The optimum etching parameters were obtained for the chemical etching of stainless steel.