Thin Metal Parts

What Thin Metal Parts does

Thin Metal Parts is a Colorado Springs-based custom manufacturer of precision thin metal components, founded in 1985 as the Specialty Products Division of Photo Stencil and incorporated as a standalone company in 2002. The firm operates four core fabrication technologies — chemical milling/etching, proprietary nickel electroforming, fiber-optic and UV laser cutting, and Mylar imaging/photo-tooling (via its FineLine Imaging division) — and uniquely combines these processes into hybrid parts unavailable elsewhere in the marketplace. Its capabilities span thicknesses from 0.0003" to 0.120", feature sizes down to 15 microns, and tolerances as tight as ±5 microns, serving medical device, aerospace and defense (ITAR registered), computer/electronics, industrial/automotive, battery, audio, and microwave customers.

The company makes money through project-based custom manufacturing with quote-based unit pricing that varies by material, complexity, volume, and process. It runs a direct sales model with no third-party distribution: customers engage engineers via phone, email, or website, request samples, and receive rapid quotes. Revenue is generated from prototyping through high-volume production runs across the same in-house facility at 4733 Centennial Blvd., Colorado Springs. Certifications (ISO 9001:2015 since 1997, ITAR, DFARS, RoHS) and Essential Critical Supplier status during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic anchor its positioning in regulated, mission-critical end markets.

On June 1, 2024, Thin Metal Parts LLC was acquired by Engineered Materials Solutions LLC (EMS), a 100+ year-old US producer of functional clad metals and part of Germany's family-owned Wickeder Group (15 facilities globally). The acquisition integrates TMP into a larger micro-components platform, expanding its geographic reach and customer access while positioning it to scale its precision capabilities into battery, electric motor, and adjacent high-growth applications.

Name

Thin Metal Parts

Legal name

Thin Metal Parts LLC

Website

https://thinmetalparts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Thin Metal Parts is a Colorado Springs-based custom manufacturer of precision thin metal components (chemical etching, proprietary electroforming, laser cutting, photo-tooling) serving medical, aerospace/defense, electronics, battery, and audio customers with micron-level tolerances.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Custom Metal Parts Manufacturing: Thin Metal Parts generates revenue through custom manufacturing of precision thin metal components. They produce parts ranging from prototype quantities to large volume production runs using chemical etching, electroforming, and laser cutting. All products are custom manufactured to customer specifications with quick turnaround times and competitive pricing. Revenue is derived from project-based manufacturing services with pricing based on complexity, volume, and materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thin Metal Parts is a custom precision metal fabrication manufacturer producing thin metal components using chemical etching/milling, proprietary nickel electroforming, and fiber-optic/UV laser cutting. It builds parts to customer specifications with tolerances as tight as ±5 microns for medical, aerospace, defense, electronics, battery, and audio applications.

Product overview

Thin Metal Parts is a precision metal fabrication company offering custom thin metal parts manufacturing through four core technologies: chemical milling/etching, electroforming, laser cutting (fiber optic and UV), and Mylar imaging/photo tooling. The company specializes in hybrid fabrication, combining multiple processes to create precision parts unavailable elsewhere. Their product portfolio includes encoder codewheels, metal mesh & sieves, battery components, audio diaphragm parts, electric motor laminations, and general metal components. All products are custom-manufactured to customer specifications with tolerances as tight as ±5 microns and feature sizes down to 15 microns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FineLine Imaging: A division of Thin Metal Parts offering full-service photo-tooling capabilities with highest plotting resolution and accuracy available in the industry at 50,800 dpi, 4 micron features with accuracy +/-.5 microns on Mylar film and glass masks.

Products and services

• Encoder CodeWheels High-precision metal encoder wheels (codewheels) for incremental and absolute rotary encoders, produced via electroforming, chemical milling, laser cutting, or Mylar imaging. Offer corrosion resistance and stability in high-temperature, high-shock environments.
• Metal Mesh & Sieves Electroformed non-woven metal mesh and sieves made from a single flat piece of metal with smooth finish. Used for optical light transmission, scientific devices, and gas/liquid filtration, with thicknesses down to 10 microns and ±2% light transmission control tolerance.
• Battery Components Custom ultra-thin components for battery and electrical applications including anodes, cathodes, insulators/spacers, ultra-fine mesh, deposition masks, bus pads, battery contacts, and electrical connectors, with tolerances down to ±5 μm.
• Audio Diaphragm Parts Thin metal and nonmetallic tight-tolerance parts for audio diaphragms used in microphones, earbuds, and headphones; supplied to some of the largest audio manufacturers in the United States.
• Electric Motor Laminations Electric motor laminations and lamination segments manufactured using UV laser technology for precision cuts on nonmetallic insulating materials such as Kapton and Nomex paper.
• Metal Components Custom precision metal component parts for aerospace, computer, electronic, medical, microwave, solar, and industrial applications, manufactured to ISO 9001:2015 standards across various metals and configurations.
• Chemical Milling/Etching Quick-turn, cost-effective photolithography-based metal fabrication service that retains structural integrity without heat or pressure, producing tab- and burr-free parts with through-hole features as small as 0.005 inch on thicknesses from 0.0005 to 0.060 inch.
• Electroforming Proprietary nickel electroforming process that grows metal parts in photolithographic patterns, creating tab-free, burr-free precision components with feature sizes as small as 15 microns and tolerances of ±5 microns.
• Laser Cutting Precision laser cutting using fiber optic and UV laser technologies, creating openings as small as 15 microns with a 25µm beam diameter on thicknesses from 25 to 635µm, without burrs or heat damage.
• UV Lasers UV laser cutting with shorter wavelength for higher-precision cuts without burrs or pressure damage, ideal for nonmetallic insulating materials including Kapton, PTFE, and Nomex paper. Positioning accuracy ±25µm, repeatability ±2µm, tolerance as low as ±13µm.
• Mylar Imaging & Photo Tooling Precision photo plotting service creating black markings on photographic film, with plots as small as 7 microns for lines and 10 microns for flash pads. Includes the FineLine Imaging division offering 50,800 dpi resolution with 4 micron features.
• In-House Forming & Bending In-house forming department offering simple forming and bending including 90-degree angles and multiple configuration forming, enabling shorter lead times and cost reductions for parts requiring forming.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tooling completed in hours instead of days, weeks, or months
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Engineered Materials Solutions LLC (EMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024On June 1, 2024, Engineered Materials Solutions LLC (EMS) acquired Thin Metal Parts LLC (TMP). EMS is a 100+ year old US company producing functional clad metals for li-ion battery, electrical distribution, thermal controls, consumer electronics, and automotive markets. EMS is part of the Wickeder Group, a German family-owned global manufacturing group with 15 facilities worldwide.
• Wickeder GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024The Wickeder Group's portfolio includes three companies in Europe producing micro-components. TMP complements the portfolio and expands market opportunities in the North American market. Paul Duffy, CEO of EMS noted the acquisition expands breadth of products and markets and aligns with Wickeder Group's micro-components capabilities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Precision Micro: UK-based specialist in photo-chemical etching and electroforming of precision metal components, serving aerospace, medical, and electronics customers. Highly comparable to TMP's hybrid chemical etching/electroforming model and ultra-thin, burr-free parts capability.
• Tech-Etch: US photo-chemical etching manufacturer producing precision flat metal parts and EMI/RFI shielding components. Directly comparable to TMP's chemical milling service and shared end markets in medical, aerospace, defense, and electronics.
• Fotofab: US-based custom chemical etching company producing thin-gauge metal parts with photochemical machining. Overlaps with TMP on prototyping-to-volume custom thin metal parts for medical, aerospace, and electronics OEMs.
• VACCO Industries: US precision metal parts manufacturer specializing in etched, photo-chemically machined, and laser-welded components for aerospace, defense, and space applications. Highly comparable to TMP's ITAR-registered, mission-critical defense and aerospace focus.
• Elcon Precision LLC: Custom precision sheet metal fabricator using photo-chemical etching, laser cutting, and electroforming for medical, aerospace, and electronics customers. Closely mirrors TMP's hybrid process offering and customer verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Norman Noble: US contract manufacturer of precision medical and aerospace components combining CNC machining, laser processing, and micromachining. Comparable to TMP in serving regulated medical/aerospace customers with tight-tolerance metal parts, but on a larger scale and with a different primary process set.
• Heidenhain: Global manufacturer of precision encoders and encoder components including metal codewheels, which is a core TMP product line. Heidenhain is both a potential customer (metal codewheels) and a partial competitor in the broader encoder value chain.

Others

• Materion Corporation: US specialty advanced materials supplier producing precision thin metals, alloys, and clad metal products for aerospace, medical, and electronics. Adjacent to TMP as a specialty metals ecosystem participant, and thematically connected through the recent EMS/Wickeder acquisition of TMP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thinmetalparts
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThinMetalParts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thin-metal-parts

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thin Metal Parts