- Photofab


ON FORM TO SHAPE AN OUTSTANDING SERVICE


With decades of experience in the production of tooling for sheet metal forming, which has been instrumental in supporting our globally renowned chemical etching capabilities, we are already well established in the industry for quality hard tooling. Recognising the significance of this process in the manufacturing journey, we made substantial investments in a specialised secondary unit.

Initially established as an in-house solution to complement the etching division, the toolroom has demonstrated remarkable success. Consequently, we now offer toolroom, forming and finishing as stand-alone services that enhance our service offerings and provide greater flexibility to our valued customers, who can either utilise our comprehensive full-service manufacturing solutions or select specific services that align with their unique requirements. With capabilities to produce precise and intricate components, we can turn ideas into reality faster than ever before.

Tailor Made Innovations.


Expanding into forming and finishing as independent services was a natural progression, and we were fortunate to have highly experienced engineers on hand to ensure that these new offerings would complement the renowned standards of our etching division.


In addition to our extensive inventory of hundreds of stock universal tooling and custom tooling capabilities, our team developed a custom multi-slide tool for specialist curvature forming. This innovation is supported by a team of highly skilled metal formers, 40 presses, and the recent addition of an SP30 to our machinery lineup. With this expanded capacity, we can now process sheet metal up to 6mm thick and 500mm wide, providing an exceptionally diverse range of capabilities to meet our customers’ needs.

Achieving the Perfect Balance: Speed and Quality United.


We firmly believe that speed and quality are not mutually exclusive. Our processes strictly adhere to SC21, ISO9001, 14001, and 45001 standards, ensuring full traceability throughout every stage of production. This commitment to quality is seamlessly integrated with our focus on manufacturing efficiencies and automation, allowing us to provide our customers with the best of both worlds.


From rapid prototyping of small batches to fulfilling high-volume orders in as little as three days, our streamlined processes and exceptional 98% on-time delivery rate are designed to surpass your expectations. We are dedicated to delivering both speed and quality, enabling you to bring your products to market efficiently without compromising on excellence.

A Comprehensive Suite of Services.


We have cultivated long-standing partnerships with specialised providers to offer a comprehensive range of additional finishing services, including laser cutting, plating, anodising, and heat treatments. These strategic alliances enable us to provide a one-stop solution for our customers, ensuring that all additional processes are meticulously managed and delivered with full transparency and traceability.

Experience The difference.

We are committed to providing exceptional service and delivering tailored solutions that exceed your expectations. Our expertise in chemical etching, coupled with our extensive network of specialist partners, allows us to offer a comprehensive suite of services that cater to your every need. To find out how we can elevate your prototyping or precision manufacturing project, connect with our dedicated team of account managers today. Alternatively, reach out to us directly to discuss your unique requirements.

Account Management Teams

Call one of our dedicated team of account manager’s today or contact us now to see how we can add an extra dimension to your prototyping or precision manufacturing project. Keep up to date by following us on LinkedIn.

Take a look at other

NEWS from Photofab


- Photofab

Craig’s taste of victory with the Easter egg hunt

The winner of our Easter Egg Hunt, Craig Price, had an unexpected but delightful face-off with his colleague Adam.

Find out more
- Photofab

We have a long-standing history of meeting the needs of respected companies in the aerospace and space industries. Our expertise lies in the precise chemical etching process, which we use to create essential components for aerospace and space exploration projects.

Find out more
- Photofab

Experience Fast and Efficient Turnaround

With our unwavering commitment to quality, precision, and quick turnaround times, we are the go-to choice for all your chemical etching needs.

Find out more
Apprenticeships

Embracing Apprenticeships in engineering

At Photofab, we’ve enjoyed a long history of apprenticeships and developed some incredible successes including our very own Managing Director Neil Shorten and Operations Director Paul Rea.

Find out more
Photofab promotions

employees leading by example

At Photofab, our most valued assets are our dedicated employees. We are thrilled to announce several recent promotions to Team Leader for members of the Photofab team

Find out more
Account Management Teams

The outstanding value of a dedicated Account Manager

The importance of Account Managers in a business is unprecedented. These people in particular play a crucial role at Photofab, serving as the primary point of contact for customers, building strong business relationships with them to form a trusting bond.

Find out more
Photofab family fun day

Family Fun Day ensures smiles all-round

The Photofab team was proud to host a Family Fun Day on Saturday 23rd September, which included activities for people of all ages, including games, music, and food and drink. The event was also an opportunity for Photofab to raise money for 3 Pillars Trust, a charity that feeds and provides clothes and bedding to over 60 people each night.

Find out more
Chemical etching for medical components

Delivering precision etching for leading medical component manufacturers

The medical sector is constantly evolving. Getting essential medical components to market quickly and reliably is critical. That’s why leading medical device companies partner with Photofab for high-precision etched parts.

Find out more
Photofab_social-cards_Electronics feature image

chemical etching powering the electronics sector

Chemical etching carries the unique advantages of leaving the internal structure of the metal unchanged. Neither does it affect the properties of the metal with regard to hardness, grain structure, or ductility of the metal. This is critical for electronic components to ensure accuracy and consistency of the original specifications.

Find out more
Driving Renewables Forward with Chemical Etching

Driving Renewables Forward with Chemical Etching

Chemical etching is the ideal manufacturing process for renewable energy applications. The etching process yields components with remarkable accuracy and consistency thanks to Photofab’s state-of-the-art process and expert staff.

Find out more
Etching partner

Why choose a full-service chemical etching partner?

Chemical metal etching is a highly accurate machining process for producing precision metal components with incredibly tight tolerances. Chemical etching is sometimes known as photo chemical milling, photo chemical etching…

Find out more
- Photofab

Flexible Prototyping

Prototyping is a necessary stage in manufacturing to ensure the most efficient and cost-effective production run. Our customers prefer to use our prototyping service as it’s hassle-free, fast, and highly cost-effective, thanks to our digital tooling and innovations in automation.

Find out more
- Photofab

Introducing Our New Website

Photofab is delighted to unveil our new website, built from the ground up to wow our customers and to showcase our knowledge of metal etching services.

Find out more
- Photofab

Turning up the volume on chemical etching

Photofab’s chemical etching process allows for cost-effective, precision manufacturing of complex designs with tight tolerances.

Find out more
- Photofab

Why you should choose Photofab for chemical etching

Photofab’s chemical etching process allows for cost-effective, precision manufacturing of complex designs with tight tolerances.

Find out more
- Photofab

Supporting our employees during mental health awareness week

We understand that mental health is a critical aspect of healthcare and support our workers as much as we can, treating it in the same way we would for physical health.

Find out more
- Photofab

Protecting your electronics with EMI and RFI shielding

Choosing chemical etching for the manufacture of EMI and RFI shielding components offer a multitude of advantages.

Find out more
- Photofab

Photofab Odd Sock Day

Photofab is a proud to support local charitable causes and were just recently delighted to support World Down Syndrome Day.

Find out more
Photofab chemical etching

Shims and Spacers

Photofab commonly manufactures metal shims and spacers from as thin as 0.01mm up to 1.2mm. These are produced to a very high tolerance and can be available in a wide selection of metals, including popular materials such as mild steel, carbon steel and stainless steel. You can trust Photofab’s experts to deliver outstanding service and quality, no matter the product or process.

Find out more
Photofab chemical etching

Expect more from your metal fabrication partner

Whilst Photofab continues to be renowned as world leaders in chemical etching, our offering has expanded to encapsulate the whole process from start to finish.

Find out more
Neil shorten in front of union flag

Neil Shorten looks back on 2022 at Photofab

Neil Shorten, Managing Director at Photofab reflects on the year and looks ahead to 2023. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Find out more
Photofab chemical etching union flag

Time to reshore your manufacturing supply chain

Our country has faced many challenges in recent times causing a crippling domino effect of disruptions in the supply chain, forcing longer lead-times and reduced profit margins. Reshoring manufacturing services in Britain can help alleviate many of these issues.

Find out more
Photofab Volume Automation chemical etching

Photofab automates faster lead-times

Building on our 50 years’ experience and continuous investment in people and processes, we have evolved our high-volume chemical etching services to deliver industry leading standards in both quality and lead-times.

Find out more
Photofab Etching versus Laser Cutting

Chemical etching vs laser cutting, which one works best?

This is a question we’re often asked as both methods offer cost-effective, precision cutting and engraving of sheet metal

Find out more
Forming and hard tooling

On form to shape a new service

Proven to be an essential part of the production journey, Photofab have heavily invested in a dedicated secondary unit, the aim of this is to offer an even greater service and flexibility to our customers.

Find out more