Nameplate Manufacturers
Nameplate manufacturers produce plates that label and identify people, products and
contents. Industrial
nameplate manufacturers offer a variety of different nameplates
for a wide range of commercial, medical and manufacturing industries. They produce plates, tags, overlays and labels of company names and
logos for their products, and graphic
overlays, which provide decorative value for faceplates, control panels, instrumentation,
consumer appliances, food equipment, medical equipment and electronics. Labels are often needed for identifying the serial number or bar code
of specific equipment or parts. Especially in industrial environments,
safety labels are needed to indicate proper use of machinery or warn
of hazardous materials. Labels can also identify whether the product
has been endorsed by the government or different associations. Industrial nameplates can be found on aircraft brakes, Navy destroyers, the International
Space Station, restaurant equipment and outdoor signs.
Printing processes that nameplate manufacturers offer include hot stamping, screen printing, sub-surface printing,
etching, embossing, mechanical or laser engraving, photo anodizing and lithography.
Serial numbers can be hot stamped on the surface and sub-surface
of most materials. Screen printing involves applying
a photographic stencil to a piece of porous, tightly stretched polyester through
which enamel colors are forced. Etched nameplates are manufactured
by masking certain areas of metal with an acid resistant material. Embossing is done when
the nameplate is squeezed between 2 dyes to create a 3-D effect using heat and pressure. Mechanical and laser engraving
involve cutting the plate with a rotary tool or a laser beam. Photo anodizing is when a picture is developed 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. Materials used by name plate manufacturers include metal, stainless
steel, brass and
alloys, polycarbonate, Mylar®, rigid PVC or plastic, MetalPhoto®,
vinyls and foils.