The processes allow both simple and complex designs to be produced, including designs with apertures and matrices of varying shapes and sizes and with single- or multi-level planes. A filter could have a small number of highly-accurate and extremely fine apertures, say for an optical application, or in the case of a particulate filter, be so tiny that many millions feature on a single part, each one, for example, as small as 3 microns across.

Tecan’s filters are burr and stress-free, with feature sizes and tolerances to suit individual application requirements. Various surface textures and finishes are also possible, including bright, semi-bright, matt, brushed and smooth. The company ensures the individual part is produced cost-effectively from the PEF or PCM process, or a combination of the two, to optimise its required performance characteristics.

A recent example being a one-part filter manufactured from a single piece of stainless steel with apertures created using PCM, which has replaced a wire-woven system in an advanced air-conditioning application.

Easy cleaning and long operational life are resultant advantages of Tecan’s technology. Advances in photo-resist technology enable the production og three-dimensional parts where ‘holes’ and ‘lands’ can be produced with up to 10:1 aspect ratios. This offers particularly beneficial strength and size ratios where very fine features can be produced with both great accuracy and mechanical strength, critical for the production of high-strength durable parts with fine-featured apertures and coplanar rigidity.