Plate and chemistry together
Plate, etching additive oil, developer and the etching machine come from one producer, so the process is matched.
Patented coating process
Coated zinc etching plate is produced with Japanese technologies under patent no. 200,410,052,148.6.
Nine ranges from plate to finished etch
Zinc, magnesium, brass and copper plate, additives, developer, machines, other magnesium products and OEM etch work.
Order only from SGZ directly
We use only two company email addresses. Any similar-looking address is not ours, and we have not authorised other websites to sell under our name.
Product Range
Nine ranges from plate to finished etch. Everything listed here comes from the SGZ catalogue and is produced by us rather than sourced.
Coated zinc etching plate
Presensitised zinc plate for banner, wall calendar, printing, stamping, embossing and coining work, coated under patent no. 200,410,052,148.6.
Polished zinc plate
Uncoated polished zinc plate for workshops that apply their own photoresist, supplied flat and ready to coat.
Coated magnesium etching plate
Presensitised magnesium plate for fast, clean etching where the detail is finer than zinc will hold.
Highly polished magnesium plate
Uncoated magnesium plate with a high polish, used for CNC engraving as well as for workshops coating their own resist.
Brass and copper plate
Polished copper plate for photoengraving and etching, and brass plate produced specifically for CNC engraving.
Etching additive oil and developer
Zinc and magnesium etching additives and positive plate developer, formulated against the plates they are used with.
Powderless etching machine
A powderless etching machine for zinc and magnesium plate, supplied alongside the plate and chemistry it is designed around.
OEM etch service
Finished etch work to your drawing: wrestle belts, name cards, labels, medals and stainless steel embossing plates.
Other magnesium products
Magnesium tooling plate, vibration test plate, sacrificial anodes, ingot, rod, tube and bar from the same magnesium operation.
The Numbers Behind the Factory
Industries We Supply
Where the plates are used. The metal is chosen by how fine the detail is and how long the run has to last, not by preference.
Printing and publishing
Banner work, wall calendars and general letterpress printing, where plate cost per job matters more than ultimate detail.
Hot foil stamping and embossing
Die making for packaging, cards, book covers and labels, where fine type and clean shoulders decide the result.
Awards, medals and signage
Etched name cards, labels, medals and belt plates, either as plate supply or as finished OEM etch work.
Tooling and CNC engraving
Magnesium tooling and vibration test plate, and brass produced specifically for CNC engraving rather than sold as general stock.
Knowledge Centre
Reference for workshops that etch. Written around the variables that decide a result, not the ones that appear on a datasheet.
Zinc versus magnesium plate
Two metals, four differences that matter: etch speed, detail retention, weight and cost per sheet.
What undercut is and how additive oil controls it
The etchant cuts sideways as well as down. Everything about fine detail comes back to managing that.
Coated versus uncoated plate
Buying the coating means buying consistency and a shelf life; coating in house means the reverse.
Powderless etching explained
What powdering used to do mechanically, an additive now does chemically and continuously.
Choosing plate thickness against etch depth
Depth is set by the job, thickness by the depth plus what has to remain underneath it.
Handling and storing plate
Most plate that is scrapped was damaged before exposure, and almost all of that damage is preventable.
How an Order Runs
Tell us the metal and the job
Detail level and run length decide zinc, magnesium, brass or copper far more reliably than a price comparison does.
We quote the process, not the item
Plate, additive oil, developer and machine are specified against each other, because a mismatch between them is the usual cause of a bad etch.
Sample before volume
A trial plate run through your own exposure and etch line settles more than any specification sheet can.
Order direct
We use only two company email addresses and have not authorised other websites to sell under our name. Please check the address before you pay anyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use zinc or magnesium?
Zinc where the detail is moderate and the plate cost per job matters: banners, calendars, general printing and board embossing. Magnesium where the type is small and the rules are fine, such as hot foil dies, and where a lighter large-format plate is easier to handle.
Do I need your additive oil to use your plates?
No, but the additive is formulated for the plate it is sold with, and undercut control is what limits fine detail. Where a workshop already has a process that works, we supply plate alone; where results are inconsistent, the mismatch is usually in the chemistry rather than the metal.
Can you etch the parts for us instead of selling us plate?
Yes. The OEM etch service covers wrestle belt plates, name cards, labels, medals and stainless steel embossing plates. Send a drawing by email and our staff will come back on feasibility, material and price before anything is cut.
How do I know I am buying from the real SGZ?
We use only two company email addresses. Any other address, especially one that looks similar, is not ours, and we have never authorised any other website to sell under our name. If in doubt, telephone the factory on the number listed here before paying anyone.
Tell us the plate size and thickness you need
Send the size, thickness, metal and whether you want the plate coated or uncoated. If you also need additive, developer or a machine, say so and we will quote the process rather than the item.