Chemical Milling: Production Engineering Considerations

There are an impressive number of advantages accrued by substituting an integrated chemically milled structure for assemblies of sheet metal details. Once it is recognized that there is a fixed cost associated with each detail, regardless of its simplicity, the economics appear very favorable. In addition, positive advantages may be gained from simplified production planning and scheduling, reduced tooling and facility requirements, improved weight and dimensional control, and better corrosion properties.

Histories of chemically milled parts indicate a very favorable cost improvement trend. Expected part costs can be roughly estimated from curves plotted against area and weight removal.