Xinketching etches encoder discs and code wheels in Dongguan from your CAD pattern, in stainless steel, titanium, copper, brass and nickel between 0.05 and 2.5 mm thick, at diameters up to Ø600 mm. Slots are opened by photochemistry rather than cut or punched, so their edges carry no burr, the pattern holds ±10% of the sheet gauge, and a revised slot count costs a redraw — never a re-tool. Discs are one family in a factory that also etches the shims, shields and sensor plates used in the same machines.
Disc work we take on
- Servo and stepper code wheels — incremental discs for motor feedback, from compact hub sizes up to large diameters
- Vehicle sensor discs — slotted wheels for steering, throttle and speed sensing
- Timing and index discs — for packaging lines, printing machinery and textile equipment
- Aperture and chopper discs — for instruments and optical assemblies
- Legacy replacements — discs for encoders whose original maker no longer lists the part
Specifications
| Item | What we run |
|---|---|
| Materials | Stainless steel is the default; titanium, copper, brass and nickel are also etched here |
| Thickness | 0.05–2.5 mm |
| Diameter | Up to Ø600 mm maximum |
| Dimensional tolerance | ±10% of the sheet gauge — 0.1 mm stock holds ±0.01 mm, 0.2 mm stock holds ±0.02 mm |
| Smallest slot | A through-slot needs about the sheet thickness of width; workable band 0.8–1.2× the gauge |
| Pattern registration | Slots, index marks, bore and mounting holes are all defined by one artwork, so they sit in register by construction |
| Edge condition | Burr-free slot edges and faces — nothing raised crosses the sensor gap |
| Ordering | No MOQ, replaced by a US$100 minimum order charge; FOB; samples 3–5 days, production runs 7–10 days |
Pattern rules worth designing around
The slot rule sets the resolution ceiling. However many counts a design asks for, the narrowest slot cannot go much below the thickness of the disc carrying it. A 0.1 mm disc supports slots of roughly 0.1 mm; a design that needs finer slots has to start from thinner stock, not from a different process setting.
One artwork, no stack-up. Because the bore, keyway and slot field are exposed together, their relative positions never depend on a second setup. Concentricity between bore and pattern is a property of the file, which is why etched discs hold their registration across a production run of any size.
Big discs want a stouter gauge. Diameter and thickness trade against each other: discs approaching the Ø600 mm ceiling are normally specified in heavier gauges so they stay flat in service, while compact discs can exploit the thinnest stock for low inertia. Oversize thin panels are also run in reduced formats on the line to keep them from distorting during etching.
Budget the sheet’s own tolerance. The metal arrives with a thickness tolerance of ±0.02 mm of its own, separate from the ±10% pattern tolerance — worth carrying in any runout or gap calculation.
Programme supply, not just discs
A motion-control programme typically consumes more than the disc. The precision shims that set the sensor gap, the shielding cover over the encoder, and the etched sensor plates in the same assembly all come off this floor, and buyers commonly place them under one enquiry so the parts arrive together, documented together. Production runs carry material batch numbers and ship with a material test certificate; PPAP Level 3 and IMDS data are available for vehicle programmes, and NDAs are signed on request.
Where etching is the wrong answer
The very finest optical scales belong on glass, which resolves lines no metal process can match — if your counts-per-revolution target needs glass, we will say so at enquiry. Slots drawn far below the disc’s own thickness will likewise be flagged rather than shipped. And we do not etch aluminium discs.
FAQ
What is the biggest disc you can etch?
Ø600 mm is the ceiling. Close to that size, expect us to discuss gauge with you: a large, very thin disc is difficult to keep flat, so diameter, thickness and slot count are best settled together at quotation.
Can one disc carry two patterns — an incremental track plus an index track?
Yes. Multiple tracks, an index slot of a different width, timing marks and the centre bore are all features of a single artwork, so a combined-pattern disc is routine work here.
Do you bond the disc onto a hub or shaft?
No — we supply the flat disc itself, and mounting or bonding it to a hub stays with you. What we can do is build the bore, keyway or locating holes your mounting method needs directly into the pattern.
Which metal suits a corrosive or washdown environment?
Stainless steel is the standard answer and covers most sensor environments. Where corrosion is aggressive or rotating weight matters, titanium is etched on the same line and is worth specifying on the drawing.
Can discs ship together with the shims and shields for the same machine?
They can, and often do. One enquiry can cover the disc, the gap-setting shims and the encoder cover, produced on the same floor and shipped as a set with shared documentation.
CTA: Send your drawings to sales@xinketching.com — Xinketching, Dongguan · since 2005 · xinketching.com · +86 17388801739