10 Finalists Chosen for Supplier Innovation Challenge

Name of Supplier 
Advanced Chemical Etching 

Describe an innovation your company developed between 2012 and the present and its potential application in medical devices. 
Advanced Chemical Etching has developed a unique process called TiME (Titanium Molecular Etching). Through rigorous R&D testing the process was launched in 2013. It is a safer and more reliable process for etching medical components, such as titanium cranial mesh.

How does the innovation work? Please describe the technology.
New etching chemistry (TiME) developed for etching previously difficult to etch titanium and nitinol material.

Describe how your innovation adds value for medical device OEMs. Can it make work processes more efficient, reduce costs, improve quality, or improve patient outcomes?
Our innovation is more efficient and improves quality of items such as the manufacture of titanium cranial mesh. New levels of quality is achievable as well as tighter tolerance standards and high aspect ratios. 

What distinguishes your product/service from those of competitors and what makes it unique in the market?
Titanium is renowned for its strength, light-weight properties and high temperature performance but is difficult to etch due to the fact that it rapidly forms a protective oxidized coating when exposed to air; a coating that is exceptionally hard to dissolve.

Traditionally, Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) has been used as the preferred etchant for chemical etching of Titanium, because of its ability to remove this oxide layer but it is a highly toxic material and should be avoided if possible.

Advanced Chemical Etching has developed a new, safe chemistry that takes titanium etching to new levels of quality and precision.