Chemical Etching
Our founding craft — acid etched metal that holds its image for the life of the part.
Overview
Chemical etching is where Texas Nameplate began, and it remains the process behind our most durable work. A photographic image of your artwork is transferred to the metal, and an acid bath eats away the exposed areas to create a recessed (or raised) image that is part of the metal itself — not printed on top of it.
Because the image is etched into the surface and then filled with durable enamel, it survives abrasion, chemicals, heat, and years of outdoor exposure without fading or wearing away.
We start with a blank sheet of metal, cleaned and cut to size.
Your artwork is printed onto the sheet as a resist — a protective layer covering everything that should stay raised.
An acid bath etches the exposed metal to a controlled depth.
Recesses are filled with durable enamel, cured, and the surface is finished.
Products powered by chemical etching
Related processes
Have a part that needs chemical etching?
Send your drawing or describe the application and we’ll recommend the right approach and quote it.
Request a Quote