Aluminium Nameplates

Anodised Aluminium printed with sequential barcode and adhesive backer.

Embossed, anodised & screen printed aluminium.

Machine Rating Plate made from anodised aluminium.

Anodised Aluminium Nameplates - for Permanent, Durable Labels.

Often used in tough environments because of this materials ability to resist high temperatures, when anodised, aluminium also provides good resistance to wear and abrasion, and is a good choice for uses where plastic or paper labels wouldn't withstand the conditions. Read more about why aluminium is durable here...

Applications

Because of the attractive finish that can be achieved along with durability, aluminium nameplates are used for a wide variety of applications, such as for branding, identifying equipment and to convey information, such as operating instructions, load limits, machine tolerance, rating and safety information. Permark have the ability to make not only name plates but parts that are printed and formed into such items as mechanical levers and switches.

Applications include:
Machine Rating Plates Serial Number Tags Rulers Dials & Scales Valve Tags V.I.N Plates Compliance Plates Control Panels Asset Tags Fire Door Rating Plates Promotional Items Business Cards Chain Tags	The etched background of the aluminium leaves the text raised in this example.

Decoration of Nameplates

Decoration of aluminium can be by surface printing with specially formulated inks, or more commonly by printing with a dye after anodising. In combination with this, aluminium can also be etched and then dye is screen printed or paint filled into the etch.

Surface printing is often specified when specific PMS colours are requested, or when special inks are needed, for example to withstand high temperatures.

Etching and then screen-printing or paint filling can be applied for decorative effect or when the extra security that an etched image provides is required.

Anodised Aluminium: Screenprinted and Embossed

Unique sequential barcodes and numbers can be incorporated into aluminium metal nameplates in a number of ways, such as:

Printing unique serialised barcodes)
Etching images & numbers.
Laser Engraving
Stamp Embossing sequential digits.
Diamond Scratch Engraving

Aluminium Gauges and Finishes

The gauge of aluminium Permark uses will depend on the application and ranges from 0.2mm to 5mm and more. When selecting a gauge, the following is taken into account:

Will the plate be shaped?
What processes will be used that affect material selection?
Is the plate going to carry load?
How will the plate be mounted?

Permark typically use finishes that are either natural or linished (brushed). There are a number of processes available to alter finish including chemical brightening, powder coatings, and polishing processes.

Cutting Shapes & Sizes

Aluminium nameplates can be pressed out, knifed to shape using a platen press, guillotined, or laser cut, depending on the gauge selected. Permark hold a large range of standard press tool shapes, such as rectangles and circles, with or without radius corners and mounting holes, and can also manufacture custom shaped press tools to suit specific customer designs. Further finishing options can include cropping of corners and pressing holes, and embossing text and symbols for decoration or function - for example Braille embossed onto the plates.

Warning tab: Anodised, Screen printed and knifed shape.

Mounting of Nameplates

Mounting of nameplates is usually by screw or rivet holes that are pressed into the metal plates. For thicker gauge plates, mounting is sometimes achieved by welding directly onto units at the point of manufacture.

Alternatively, or in combination with the above, adhesives can be applied to the back of the nameplates. A large range of adhesive options are available to suit adhesion to almost any substrate, for example other metals, plastic and powder coated surfaces. Most of the adhesives specified are suitable for outdoor and wet applications.

Why Aluminium Nameplates are so Durable

The anodising process opens up the pores in the surface layer of aluminium, after this, a dye is screen printed into the porous layer. Once printing is completed, the pores are sealed, which traps the inks into the surface of the material. The anodising process changes the chemical composition of the aluminium, making a hard anodic layer, which provides added protection from corrosion, and improves resistance to abrasion and wear. Permark ensure the anodic layer is thick enough to provide good protection by measuring the thickness of the layer for every nameplate batch of production. The resulting name plate image is colour fast, permanent and durable, whilst being resistant to marks and fingerprints, and has the appearance of a clean, modern looking label.

Click here to request a metal nameplate quote.