Photoengraving is a photochemical milling technique that uses photographic image processing to create etchings on metal plates. The process involves sensitizing the plate with a photoresist, exposing it to ultraviolet light, immersing it in an acid bath, and using an etching compound to dissolve the metal surface. This process is used in various industries to create printing plates, nameplates, engravings, trophies, commemorative plaques, and printed circuit boards. Zinc and copper plates can be used for the process, each producing an image configured in slightly different ways.
Also known as photochemical milling, photoengraving is an etching technique that uses strategies commonly associated with photographic image processing. The purpose of photoengraving is to aid in the process of reproducing images for mass distribution. As part of the process, an image is created which is then captured onto a specially prepared metal plate. That plate is then immersed in an acid bath as a means of etching the image onto the plate. Once the plate is prepared, it can be used to produce multiple copies of the image.
There are several variations of this basic photoetching process, some of which have to do with the type of metal plate used to create the pattern itself. Both zinc and copper plates can be used for the process, each producing an image configured in slightly different ways. Depending on the nature of the image involved, such as a picture or illustration, one method may be preferable to the other. In any case, the plate itself must be sensitized to allow for a sharp image capture.
The photoengraving process involves applying a type of material known as a photoresist. It is this material that is placed as a coating on the metal plate that actually serves as the medium for capturing the image and making engraving possible. Exposure to ultraviolet light causes parts of the photoresist to harden in place, corresponding to the shading in the image that is to be captured. By immersing the plate in the bath, the portions of the photoresist that have not hardened are washed away, leaving the image. To finish off the final part of the process, the metal will be exposed to some sort of etching compound which dissolves the portions of the metal plate surface that are not yet covered by the photoresist, resulting in a useful etch that can be used to reproduce the image in a number of applications.
The use of photoengraving is common across a number of industries, due to the many ways this process can be used to create etchings that make it easier to create multiple images. In addition to creating printing plates that can be used in the mass production of print media illustrations in books and other forms of print media, this process can also be used to create nameplates, engravings on a wide range of objects and even to help create trophies and commemorative plaques. In recent decades, photoengraving has also been useful in creating printed circuit boards associated with different electronic devices.
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