Photo Etching vs. "the Others"
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Photochemical machining is the industry's preferred moniker for this metal fabrication process. It is also readily called photo or chemical etching, The process derived from the then-nascent printed circuit board industry in the 1950s. The fabrication steps are nearly identical.
More recognized processes such as metal stamping and punching utilize hardened steel tools to shape metal parts and have long histories in metal fabrication. Plasma, laser and water jet cutting utilize directed energy to shape parts. And, wire EDM uses a wire electrode to burn away metal. In these cases the evolution of CNC (computer numerical control) in the 1970s allowed part geometries to be programmed directly into cutting machines.