What E-Fab does

E-Fab, Inc. is a privately held precision metal manufacturing company founded in 1982, headquartered at 1075 Richard Avenue in Santa Clara, California, with an additional manufacturing facility at 1009 Timothy Drive in San Jose. The company's core technology is photochemical etching (PCE), also referred to as chemical blanking, chemical milling, or photochemical machining — a subtractive process that uses photoresists and chemical etchants to selectively remove material from thin metal sheets, producing components with tight tolerances (as fine as ±0.0005 inches) and material thicknesses from 0.0005 to 0.063 inches, without inducing mechanical stress, thermal distortion, or burrs. E-Fab supplements its etching core with secondary capabilities including metal forming, thermocompression bonding, precision plating and finishing, engineering services, R&D collaboration, rapid prototyping, and end-to-end high-frequency laminate processing, producing finished products such as antennas, lead frames, EMI/RFI shielding, flex circuits, filters, mesh screens, encoder disks, electrical contacts, micro bumps, busbars, and precision apertures across 15+ metals and alloys including titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, Inconel, Kovar, and beryllium copper.

E-Fab serves enterprise customers in six primary verticals: aerospace, defense, medical, semiconductor, telecommunications, and energy, with the most recent visible expansion into LEO satellite components. Customer pain points addressed include the need for stress-free, burr-free thin metal components with complex geometries that traditional stamping, machining, and laser cutting cannot produce efficiently at prototype through mid-volume scale. The company is ITAR registered, AS9100D certified, ISO 9001:2015 certified, NADCAP-accredited for plating, RoHS compliant, and CMRT- and PCMI-compliant, providing a regulatory qualification that is a meaningful barrier to entry in defense and aerospace supply chains.

E-Fab operates a direct B2B sales motion with custom project-based pricing determined by material, complexity, tolerance, and volume, with no public pricing or customer names disclosed. Customer acquisition is inbound via website quote requests and direct engineering consultation, supplemented by content marketing through a resource library and blog. The company is a subsidiary of The Partner Companies (TPC), a consortium of specialty manufacturers that share capabilities and cross-refer business. The company does not disclose revenue, employee count beyond an 11-50 range, or private equity ownership.

Name

E-Fab

Legal name

E-Fab, Inc.

Website

https://e-fab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

E-Fab is a privately held, ITAR- and AS9100D-certified precision metal manufacturer founded in 1982 in Santa Clara, California, specializing in photochemical etching and complementary forming, bonding, and finishing services for thin metal components used by enterprise customers in aerospace, defense, medical, semiconductor, telecommunications, and energy industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Metal Manufacturing

NAICS

Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412), Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (334419)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadframes & Package Interconnect Materials (HDAHADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

PCB Fabrication (Rigid PCBs) (HDAHAOAG), Package Substrates & Interposers (ABF/BT, Silicon/Glass) (HDAHADAE), PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI), PCB Materials & Laminates (Copper Clad, Prepreg, Cores) (HDAHAOAJ)

Keywords

• Precision metal manufacturing
• Photochemical etching services
• Thin metal fabrication
• Chemical milling
• Precision metal components

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Precision Manufacturing Services: E-Fab generates revenue through custom precision manufacturing services including photochemical etching, forming, bonding, plating, and finishing for thin metal components. Projects range from prototype phases through high-volume production. Revenue is project-based with pricing determined by complexity, material, tolerances, and volume requirements. No publicly disclosed pricing; all quotes are custom.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

E-Fab is a custom precision metal manufacturer that produces thin metal components and parts through photochemical etching (PCE) and chemical blanking, supported by metal forming, thermocompression bonding, plating/finishing, and high-frequency laminate processing. The company serves aerospace, defense, medical, semiconductor, telecommunications, and energy customers requiring intricate geometries, tight tolerances, and burr-free/stress-free parts from materials such as copper, stainless steel, titanium, Inconel, beryllium copper, molybdenum, and tungsten. All work is done to custom project specifications with project-based quoting from prototype through high-volume production.

Product overview

E-Fab is a precision metal manufacturing company offering a suite of photochemical etching-based services as its core technology platform. The primary offering is Photochemical Etching (PCE)/Chemical Blanking, which serves as the foundation for producing all precision metal components including antennas, apertures, carriers, electrical contacts, electrodes, encoders, filters, flex circuits, lead frames, mesh screens, micro bumps, microwave/RF circuits, EMI shielding, shims, springs, and busbars/stiffeners. Supporting capabilities include Metal Forming, Thermocompression Bonding, Plating & Finishing, Engineering Services, Research & Development, Rapid Prototyping, and High-Frequency Laminates Processing. The company operates as a single unified manufacturing platform where photochemical etching is the core process supplemented by secondary services for complete part fabrication and finishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Photochemical Etching (PCE) Precision subtractive manufacturing process using photoresists and chemical etchants to produce intricate metal components with tight tolerances, stress-free and burr-free results for aerospace, defense, medical, semiconductor, and telecom customers.
• Chemical Blanking Specialized metal fabrication process that produces lightweight and durable components by selectively removing material using chemical solutions, with no mechanical stresses, burr-free edges, and micro-crack-free surfaces.
• Metal Forming Precision forming techniques including coining, bottom bend punching, dimpling (proprietary E-Fab process for electrical contact surfaces), heat treating, bending, and press forming.
• Thermocompression Bonding Bonding process using heat and hydraulic pressure to compress and bond lamination layers, joining metals to different substrates for multilayer laminations with mechanical strength and electrical conductivity or insulation.
• Plating & Finishing Comprehensive plating and finishing services including anodizing, bead blasting, black chrome, black oxide, chemical film coating, electropolishing, painting, copper plating, gold plating, NADCAP plating, nickel plating, silver plating, tin plating, passivation, and powder coating.
• Engineering Services Engineering team that analyzes customer designs to offer advice on materials and manufacturing processes, providing design-for-manufacturability guidance throughout the project lifecycle.
• Research & Development R&D partnership with customers to develop, refine, and deliver thin metal parts and components, specializing in concept-stage understanding and material/process recommendations.
• Rapid Prototyping Fast prototyping services enabling customers to test concepts, materials, and processes before mass production, facilitating design validation and iterative development using low-cost digital tooling.
• Microwave & RF Circuits High-frequency printed circuit boards and components designed for receiving and transmitting radio signals in communication devices, operating above 2 GHz.
• Custom Antennas Precision-etched antennas for telecommunications, IoT, aerospace, military, defense, and commercial electronics applications on various substrate materials, including microstrip, spaceborne, NFC, phased array, parabolic, helical, and spiral designs.
• Precision Apertures Photochemically machined precision aperture components for optical devices including cameras, microscopes, and telescopes with tight tolerances.
• Black Oxide Parts for Optics Precision conversion coating process for ferrous materials providing corrosion resistance and improved optical performance by reducing glare and controlling reflection in optical systems.
• Photochemically Etched Carriers High-precision carriers for securing, protecting, and aligning delicate semiconductor chips and integrated circuits during assembly and processing.
• Electrical Contacts High-precision, burr-free electrical contacts produced via photochemical etching for reliable conductivity, durability, and precision in high-performance circuits.
• Etched Electrodes Precision etched electrodes for medical devices, electrochemical cells, semiconductors, and electronics, including EDM and furnace electrodes.
• Encoder Wheels, Disks & Strips Custom photochemically etched encoder components for motion control systems, providing precise position, speed, and direction feedback.
• Photo Etched Filters High-performance filter solutions from solid thin metal sheets with burr-free, stress-free characteristics for medical, pharmaceutical, aerospace, and automotive applications.
• Precision Flex Circuits Flexible circuits made using metal insulated with polyimide, including precision flex, sculpted flex, and high-power application flex circuits.
• Lead Frames High-precision lead frames for semiconductor packaging providing electrical connection between silicon chips and external devices.
• Etched Metal Mesh Screens Custom metal mesh screens with aperture sizes as small as 25 microns for filtration, EMI shielding, and flow control applications.
• Micro Bumps Precision formed micro protrusions on metal parts for miniature switch contacts, IC test socket contacts, and electrically isolated test pins.
• RFI & EMI Shielding Custom shielding solutions to mitigate electromagnetic interference, safeguard critical systems, and maintain signal integrity in electronic devices.
• Custom Metal Shims Precision tailor-made thin spacers between mechanical components for absorbing impact, minimizing movement, and ensuring proper alignment.
• Photochemically Etched Springs Ultra-precision springs with intricate geometries and tight tolerances for aerospace, medical, electronics, and energy applications.
• PCB Busbars & Stiffeners Custom copper busbars with high current carrying capacity and PCB stiffeners for power distribution and structural reinforcement in circuit boards.
• High-Frequency Laminates Processing Complete processing of high-frequency laminates including drilling, etching, bonding, electroplating, machining, copper plating through holes, solder mask applications, solder paste applications, and laminate singulation for RF and microwave applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tolerances as tight as ±0.001 inches achievable in thin metal etching
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Partner Companies (TPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-Fab is a proud member of The Partner Companies (TPC) group of specialty manufacturers. The network shares experience, materials, capabilities, and expertise to serve defense, aerospace, medical, telecommunications, semiconductor, and renewable energy industries. If a customer needs a capability that E-Fab does not offer, they can connect the customer with another TPC company that can help. E-Fab is positioned as A TPC COMPANY throughout their branding.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tech-Etch: Tech-Etch is a US-based photochemical etching specialist producing precision thin-metal parts and EMI/RFI shielding across aerospace, medical, defense, and electronics — a near-identical product mix and customer base to E-Fab.
• Fotofab: Fotofab is a US photochemical machining shop producing custom thin-metal parts with quick-turn prototyping and short-run production, competing head-to-head with E-Fab's core chemical blanking and PCE services.
• Precision Micro: Precision Micro is a European leader in photochemical etching, serving aerospace, medical, electronics, and automotive with thin-metal precision components — comparable in process technology, materials range, and target verticals to E-Fab.
• Micro Etch Co. Micro Etch Co. specializes in custom photochemical etching and thin-metal fabrication for medical, aerospace, and electronics applications, directly comparable to E-Fab's precision etched components and micro-feature capability.
• Advanced Photoetching: Advanced Photoetching is a US photochemical etching manufacturer producing precision flat metal parts using the same photoresist-and-chemical-etch process as E-Fab, with overlap in electronics, aerospace, and medical end markets.
• Etched Metal Corporation: Etched Metal Corporation is a US-based photochemical etching house producing precision flat metal parts and nameplates with comparable process technology and customer mix to E-Fab.

Broad incumbents

• Protolabs: Protolabs is a large digital manufacturing platform offering CNC machining, injection molding, sheet metal, and photochemical etching with quick-turn lead times. While broader and faster than E-Fab, it competes for the same prototype-to-production custom metal-parts demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100087375955098
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/e-fab-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/efab_inc

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 E-Fab