Etching draws a design into the metal itself. The sheet is coated with a resist, the pattern is exposed through it, and the uncovered stainless steel is dissolved back by a controlled etchant. Where the resist protected the surface the original finish remains; where it did not, a matte, slightly recessed field is left behind. The two read differently under light, and because the pattern is in the metal rather than on it, it does not peel, fade or wear off.
What gets etched
- Lift car walls and doors — geometric, floral and calligraphic patterns on mirror or brushed stainless.
- Feature cladding, reception walls and column covers where a repeating pattern runs across many panels.
- Logos, wayfinding and plaques etched into stainless steel and brass.
- Panels that go on to PVD coating, so the etched field and the raised field take colour differently.
Why etching
Etching gives pattern without machining. There are no tool marks, no burrs and no limit on how fine or how organic the artwork can be; a hairline, a photograph converted to a screen, or an Arabic calligraphic composition etch equally well. Because depth is shallow the sheet stays flat and can still be cut, bent and coated. Combined with mirror polish and PVD it produces the two-tone gold and bronze surfaces seen in hotel lifts and lobbies across the region.
Artwork is prepared once and repeated across every panel of the project, so a pattern that has to align from panel to panel stays aligned.
From your artwork to an etched panel
- Send the artwork as a vector file, or a reference image we can redraw; tell us the finish of the base sheet and the panel sizes.
- We produce a sample on your material and finish so the contrast between etched and un-etched fields can be judged in daylight.
- Sheets are masked, etched, stripped and cleaned, then inspected for registration and depth.
- Panels are filmed and packed, or continue to PVD, cutting and bending inside Hidayath.