Nameplates

Nameplates

Among other industries, nameplates are manufactured for industrial use to withstand harsher environments including high temperatures, long term outdoor exposure, abrasion, salt spray and chemicals. Nameplates are made out of many different materials, including plastic, wood, glass, granite and metals like brass, aluminum and copper. Some are painted or plated with chrome or gold. Every nameplate is custom made to fit the text, graphics, size, material and type of printing done. The information that nameplates provide is generally short, concise and based on the limited amount of space provided. Office nameplates are usually one to two lines, the first providing the full name of the employee, and the second describing their job title. Nameplates can also designate work areas, give directions, and act as title plates for trophies, awards of merit or memorials. Suitcases, briefcases, trunks and chests are also adorned with nameplates. Automobiles and other vehicles like RVs, lawn mowers and golf carts usually have a nameplate that denotes the model or serial number.

All nameplates are displayed in one of three ways. Most commonly, they contain two pre-drilled holes at each end and are purchased with a set of pins or nails for mounting. Some are backed with strong adhesives. Many desk and office nameplates, which are usually heavy, work in conjunction with stands and sit upright on a surface. Printing processes include hot stamping, screen printing, sub-surface printing, etching, embossing, mechanical or laser engraving, photo anodizing and lithography. Screen printing involves applying a photographic stencil to a piece of porous, tightly stretched polyester through which enamel colors are forced. Chemically etched nameplates are manufactured by masking certain areas of metal with an acid resistant material, thus allowing the unmasked area to dissolve away. During the embossing process, the nameplate material is squeezed between a female metal die and a male counter one using heat and pressure to create the desired three-dimensional effect. Mechanical and laser engraving involves cutting the nameplate with a rotary tool or a laser beam. Simply put, photo anodizing is like developing a picture on specialized aluminum sheet. In lithography, a printing press is utilized to move a master image to the nameplate using an ink-transferring roller device.