When it comes to precision metal shims, you need custom, high-quality solutions designed and manufactured to meet the exact tolerances and specifications of your project.
At PEI, we specialize in delivering custom precision metal shims with intricate geometries, tight tolerances, and superior surface finishes. As your trusted partner for advanced photo chemical etching techniques, we ensure each shim is manufactured to exacting standards, providing reliable, high-performance solutions for your unique applications.
We manufacture custom shims in a variety of shapes and sizes, along with spacers and thin washer shims, which can be supplied either flat or formed based on your design specifications. By combining cost-efficiency, material expertise, and technical precision, we produce affordable, high-quality shims ideal for a diverse range of industries and applications.
With our flexible photochemical etching process and digital tooling capabilities, PEI produces custom shims quickly and efficiently, ensuring affordability and precision.
Precision shims are customized washers or thin spacers crafted from sheet metal or metal sheet, designed to absorb impact, minimize movement, and protect material surfaces in complex mechanical assemblies. These precise shims are essential for achieving alignment, precision, and stability in high-performance applications.
Typically manufactured using materials like stainless steel, brass, or copper, these shims compensate for tolerances and irregularities, ensuring a perfect fit and smooth operation of machinery. Many industries, including aerospace, automotive, and industrial manufacturing, rely on precision shims for reliable alignment and alignment accuracy.
Photochemical etching allows PEI to produce precision shims that are extremely accurate, making them the preferred choice for industries with strict tolerances.
Custom shims are critical for a wide range of applications. Essential in ensuring precision alignment and precise alignment, shims contribute to stability and efficiency in the manufacturing and operation of equipment.
Our precision shims help achieve optimal performance across various industries by delivering a proven solution to alignment challenges.
Aerospace: Used for structural alignment, vibration dampening, and ensuring precise fit between components in aircraft.
Defense: Critical for accurate scopes, gun sights, and navigation systems.
Critical in engine assemblies, transmission systems, and suspensions to ensure smooth operation and noise reduction.
Enable structural and functional alignment in renewable energy equipment, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
Thin, conductive shims enhance the performance of circuit boards, connectors, and microelectronics.
Support intricate assemblies in surgical tools, diagnostic equipment, and other medical devices.
Essential for alignment and gap adjustments in pumps, compressors, and heavy machinery.
At PEI, our specialized team is an expert in photochemical etching, consistently delivering custom metal shims tailored to the exact requirements of their application. Our proven process is executed with meticulous attention to detail and utmost precision to ensure these intricate components are delivered to exact specifications and boasts the highest levels of corrosion and wear resistance.
A photochemically etched shim is a thin, precision metal spacer manufactured using photochemical machining (PCM) – a process that uses UV light, photoresist, and chemical etchants to selectively dissolve metal from a sheet. The result is a burr-free, stress-free shim with tight tolerances, used for alignment, spacing, and tolerance compensation in mechanical assemblies. The process is the preferred method for applications requiring intricate geometries, very thin materials, or high-precision tolerances.
A shim is a precision-cut thin spacer used to fill specific gaps, adjust alignment, and compensate for tolerances between mating components in an assembly. A washer is a flat disc used primarily to distribute the load of a fastener or reduce friction. Shims are typically custom-made to exact thickness specifications; washers are standard off-the-shelf hardware. Shim washers combine both functions – a thin annular ring around a bolt hole that both adjusts clearance and distributes load, used in engine assemblies, gearboxes, and bearing housings.
The process begins by coating a flat metal sheet with a UV-sensitive photoresist. The component design is printed onto a phototool (film mask), which is placed over the coated sheet and exposed to UV light. Unexposed areas of resist are chemically developed and removed, leaving bare metal. The sheet is then sprayed with an etchant – typically ferric chloride – which dissolves the exposed metal,. Once the desired depth or profile is achieved, the remaining photoresist is stripped, leaving a flat, burr-free part.
Yes. Because photochemical etching uses chemistry to remove material – not mechanical force or heat – no burrs are created during the etching process. Parts emerge flat and smooth with clean edge profiles that will not interfere with mating components. Note: when tabs are used to hold parts in sheets during production, a minor tab mark may remain upon separation, which can be remedied with post-process deburring if required.
No. Unlike stamping (which introduces mechanical stress) or laser cutting (which creates heat-affected zones), photochemical etching is a purely chemical process conducted at ambient temperature. The grain structure, hardness, temper, and mechanical properties of the metal remain completely unaffected, as confirmed by Shimifrez: “there is not stress or extreme heat applied to the metal which could potentially affect the metal properties.
Precision shims can be photochemically etched from a wide range of metals including stainless steel (most common; corrosion-resistant, strong), aluminum (lightweight, formable), brass (non-magnetic, conductive), copper (highly conductive, ductile), titanium (high strength-to-weight ratio, biocompatible, extreme-temperature capable), nickel alloys including Inconel (for high-temperature applications), and various specialty alloys,,. For aerospace shims, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, and nickel alloys are the most common choices. Material choice depends on the application’s load, temperature, corrosion, and conductivity requirements.
The standard upper limit for through-etching is approximately 0.060-0.062 inch (1.5-1.57mm). In special circumstances, etching can be extended to approximately 0.080 inch (2.0mm), though at reduced precision. Precision Micro notes that above 1.5mm, chemical etching becomes increasingly uneconomical. Partial (half-etch) techniques allow surface engraving or depth reduction on thicker substrates beyond this limit. For thicker shims, stamping or laser cutting may be more appropriate.
Photochemical etching offers five key advantages over stamping for shims,: (1) No tooling cost – digital phototools cost a fraction of hard stamping dies; (2) No burrs or stress – stamping introduces mechanical stress and burrs that affect fit and function; (3) Design flexibility – design changes require only a new phototool (hours), not retooled dies (weeks); (4) Better for thin materials – stamping cannot reliably process very thin foils without distortion; (5) Faster prototyping – samples in days, not weeks. Photochemical etching consistently achieves tolerances as tight as plus or minus 0.025mm, an accuracy that stamping struggles to match for complex thin-section geometries.
Yes, we can produce custom precision metal shims with photochemical etching when a design requires thin metal, tight tolerances, burr-free edges, and custom geometries. Common shim materials include stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, titanium, nickel alloys, and specialty alloys, with the best choice depending on load, temperature, corrosion, conductivity, and application requirements. Photochemical etching is often used for custom shim designs because it supports complex profiles without hard tooling, burrs, or mechanical stress.
At PEI, we combine technical expertise, state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, and a commitment to quality to produce custom precision metal shims that meet the most demanding requirements.
When you choose PEI, you get access to:
As the world leader in precision chemical machining, we consistently deliver precise, durable, and reliable quality shims you won’t find anywhere else.
Our continuous investment in cutting-edge technology and top-tier talent ensures we can manufacture custom metal shims for applications across a diverse range of industries.
