In a precision manufacturing world obsessed with speed, the real differentiator in 2026 is something far harder to achieve, and that is repeatability at scale. That is why micrometal GmbH’s 20th anniversary matters, not as a retrospective milestone, but as a statement of intent for the next decade of engineered metal components.
Founded in 2006 in Müllheim, Germany, micrometal was built around a clear premise, that advanced photo-chemical etching (PCE) should not be a niche prototyping tool, it should be a production engine that enables new designs to become real, repeatable, and commercially viable. Two decades on, that belief has become micrometal’s signature, continuous reel-to-reel etching designed for high-volume manufacturing where the first part and the millionth part must behave the same.
“Twenty years ago, we were already focused on a problem many manufacturers still underestimate today, scale-up,” says Jochen Kern, Head of Sales & Marketing. “You can’t build a serious product roadmap on a process that changes shape when volume arrives. Our mission has been to make PCE a platform you can qualify, trust, and scale without drama.”
micrometal’s anniversary also sits within a broader industrial context. As part of the Wickeder Group, micrometal benefits from long-term investment, deep metallurgical heritage, and corporate stability, strength that matters to OEMs seeking dependable, resilient supply chains for critical parts.
But this is also a forward-looking story. micrometal is now a key pillar of the Micro Component Group, also part of the Wickeder Group, a focused precision manufacturing platform combining micrometal, HP Etch, Etchform, and Thin Metal Parts (TMP) Inc. Together, the Group brings one of the world’s most complete etched-component ecosystems to market, agile sheet-based development routes, micrometal’s world-unique reel-to-reel production, and complementary technologies such as electroforming and laser cutting.
“The industry is moving toward fewer suppliers, faster learning loops, and less risk at scale,” Kern adds. “Our Group model is built for that reality, prototype quickly, industrialise cleanly, and ramp without changing the underlying process logic.”
As sectors such as medical technology, electronics, EV systems, wearables, filtration, and semiconductors demand smaller features, tighter tolerances, and higher volumes, micrometal’s 20-year milestone is best understood as a commercial signal, precision is only valuable if it scales.
To discuss how production-grade PCE can strengthen your next product programme, connect with the Micro Component Group team.
