OEM/ODM Metal Etching Watch Dials & Stainless Steel Industrial Dials

Dials Overview

Xinhaisen specializes in manufacturing precision-etched dials for instrumentation, control systems, and industrial equipment. Our chemical etching process produces burr-free dials that outperform laser engraving or screen printing in longevity and clarity. Ideal for applications requiring precise readability under harsh conditions.

Manufacturing Process

Our watch dials are crafted using a controlled photochemical etching process:

• Design & Tooling: Your design is translated into a digital phototool. No hard physical tooling is required, enabling rapid and low-cost prototyping.

• Material Preparation: Selected metal sheets (e.g., stainless steel, brass, copper) are cleaned and laminated with a photosensitive resist.

• Exposure & Development: The phototool is used to UV-expose the resist, transferring the precise dial pattern. The unexposed resist is then developed away.

• Chemical Etching: The panel is etched in a controlled chemical bath, which dissolves the unprotected metal areas to create the design, textures, and openings.

• Stripping & Finishing: The remaining resist is stripped. The dials then undergo various finishing processes such as electroplating (gold, rose gold, ruthenium, etc.), brushing, sunray polishing, or PVD coating as per specification.

• Quality Inspection: Each dial is meticulously inspected for dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and cosmetic perfection.

Dials Features

• Burr-Free & Stress-Free: The etching process does not touch the material mechanically, guaranteeing perfectly smooth edges and no internal stress that could cause warping.

• High Complexity & Precision: Capable of producing extremely fine guilloché patterns, delicate logos, minute indices, and complex cut-outs that are difficult or impossible with stamping or machining.

• Ultra-Thin Profiles: Ideal for creating sleek, modern dials as the process does not compromise material integrity, even at very low thicknesses.

• Material Versatility: We can etch a wide range of metals suitable for watch dials, including various grades of stainless steel, brass, copper, nickel silver, and titanium.

• Fast Prototyping: Design changes can be made quickly and inexpensively by modifying the digital phototool, significantly accelerating your development cycle.

Dials Specification

Dials Applications

• Industrial Controls: Valves, pressure regulators
• Aerospace: Cockpit instrumentation
• Medical: Diagnostic equipment dials
• Transportation: Dashboard controls
• Energy: Pipeline monitoring gauges

Our Advantage for Watch Dials

• 13+ Years of Specialized Expertise: Pioneering developments in photochemical etching for high-tech markets ensure reliable, high-quality production.

• Internal Professional Team: Our in-house design and engineering team can cooperate with you to develop and optimize the dial design for manufacturability and aesthetics.

• Strict Quality Control: Equipped with a professional test lab and strict process control system, we adhere to high standards admired by the industry.

• Flexible Service: Capable of handling both bulk orders and customized small packaging, supporting various shipping terms (FOB, CIF, DDP).

FAQ

• Q: What file format do you need for the dial design?
  A: We prefer vector-based files such as .AI, .DXF, or .DWG with clear layer definitions.

• Q: Can you create a sunray or brushed finish?
  A: Yes, we offer a variety of finishing services, including sunray, vertical/horizontal brushing, electroplating, and PVD coating, as part of our post-etching processes.

• Q: What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ) for a custom dial?
  A: Our process is very flexible. We can support low MOQs for prototyping and scale efficiently to high-volume production runs.

• Q: How do you ensure consistency across a large production batch?
  A: Our advanced automatic machines and strictly controlled etching parameters ensure every dial in the batch is identical, with uniform etching depth and finish.

Easy to order! Just contact us with your requirements.