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6 Industrial Nameplates & Labels Your Business Needs

Posted on: December 5th, 2021 by US Nameplate Co. | No Comments

Running a successful business involves a lot of details, and some important ones often get overlooked. If you’re in charge of operations, promotion, or manufacturing, you probably have a lot of decisions to make and too many options to count. Nameplates/Labels may not be high on your list of priorities, but they should be.

If your business involves any type of manufactured goods, machinery, electronics, or industrial equipment, find out how U.S. Nameplate Company can help your business. From inventory management to safety and efficiency, we’ll explain why these are the six nameplates/labels your business needs.

Serial Plates

Serial plates contain valuable information about your manufactured products including your company name, the model number and serial number, the date the product was made, and information regarding the batch the product was made with. Serial plates are attached to the products and the information is recorded before products are shipped off to be sold. This helps your company, your retailers, and your consumers easily communicate and track important information about each product.

Many companies manufacture similar products with just slight differences. If there are any issues with a product, consumers are expected to call the hotline number printed on serial plates. Having this information on serial plates helps consumers identify the specific model number and serial number for the particular product so that your representatives in customer service can quickly locate and provide troubleshooting information to the consumer.

Serial plates also help identify a product’s warranty information. From the terms to the lifespan and status of the warranty, serial numbers and model numbers on serial plates are able to easily provide warranty specifics when a consumer calls in for replacement, repair, or return.

At the end of the day, everything comes down to the bottom line – sales. With serial plates, you are able to track how many products were sold, at which dealers/locations/divisions they were sold, and which products had the highest number of sales.

Safety Labels / Warning Labels

To keep things running smoothly, it is important to keep both equipment and employees safe in what can be a dangerous environment. With the help of safety labels, companies are able to warn and inform employees about possible workplace dangers, including exposures to chemicals, loud noises, flying debris, and many other environmental dangers.

Warning labels are also necessary for dangerous equipment that can pose an injury to the operators, such as heavy equipment, electronics and machinery with high voltage. With the help of safety and warning labels, companies are able to lower the risk of injury and increase efficiency and production.

Control Panels and Graphic Overlays

Your equipment, machinery, or electronic devices have switches, buttons, or other means of controlling the system. Control panels and graphic overlays help ensure proper operating procedure by clearly labeling controls on complex machinery and equipment.

Control panels, graphic overlays, and deadfront graphics are just some of the different types of protective coverings you may need, depending on the physical needs of the specific device or equipment. Each of these are specially designed to correlate with the look, feel, and function of the specific application.

Control panels and graphic overlays can be placed on a variety of equipment, including industrial machinery, vending machines, sound systems, medical equipment, appliances, telecommunication devices, and many more. Any equipment with keypads, switches, or any other controllers need to have identification to keep the operator safe and the equipment from malfunctioning.

Property and Asset Tags

Whatever your industry, your business likely has physical assets that are important to keep track of for your own inventory and accounting purposes. Property and asset tags are used to more easily track and monitor those assets.

For moveable assets, tags help to keep track of where equipment is in each step of its transportation. This can also help with theft prevention since these products can change hands often and are at a greater risk of being stolen or misplaced. The asset tag contains your company identification and specific tracking information, so it is much easier to get products returned to the proper place.

Though fixed assets don’t typically change locations, it is still important to keep track of these for inventory audits. Property tags help you with inventory control and give you the ability to easily calculate the value of each asset over its life cycle.

Furthermore, asset tags with sequential numbering or barcodes can help track maintenance and repairs. Scanning a tag can quickly direct a user to a database of repair instructions or maintenance schedules.

Company Identification Plates

Branding is an important part of any business, in order to keep your company top of mind for consumers. Identification plates and products can contain your company name, logo, address and any other important information about your company.

Whether it is through the use of a building sign, industrial decal, or product label, identification products are long-lasting branding materials to promote your company and your products.

Data Rating Plates / Specification Plates

Data rating and specification plates document the different limitations of industrial equipment for several industries, such as construction, mining, and manufacturing. Common applications for data rating and specification plates are motors, pumps, fans, heating equipment, and lighting fixtures.

These plates help operators understand a product’s performance specifications to help ensure proper use and safety for both the operator and the equipment. Specification plates can display information about weight limits, temperature ranges, lifting capacities, electrical hookup information, and more.

How U.S. Nameplate Co. Can Help

With 70 years of experience in the industry, U.S. Nameplate Company has become the supplier of choice for over 3000 Original Equipment Manufacturers. We’ve manufactured identification products across multiple industries, including construction, mining, farming, transportation, medical, utilities and military.

We are also an ISO certified facility and a UL approved label supplier, so you can be sure your nameplates will meet industry standards. Our knowledgeable and experienced staff is happy to help provide solutions to meet any need specific to your industry.

Everything that we do is custom designed and we offer a variety of options for materials, thickness, finishes, attachment methods, and fabrication to meet your exact specifications. All of our products are built to withstand harsh environments and last for years so that your company’s brand and products are represented with professional, high quality nameplates.

Trust the staff at U.S. Nameplate Company for all of your industrial identification needs. Request a free quote or contact us today for more information.

What is Metalphoto Imaging?

Posted on: March 16th, 2021 by US Nameplate Co. | No Comments

Known as the most durable aluminum substrate on the market, Metalphoto® is a photosensitive, anodized metal used in a wide range of industrial applications. Developed in the 1950’s, Metalphoto is a preferred choice for many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s), particularly the government and military.

Because they meet military specifications, Metalphoto parts are often used for military-grade specifications and can withstand even the harshest conditions, including sunlight, corrosion, chemicals, and extreme temperatures.

For nearly 70 years, U.S. Nameplate has been the supplier of choice for large industries including construction, electronics, and the military. These original equipment manufacturers know they can trust the durability and performance of all our products.

From nameplates to asset tags and VIN plates to control panels, U.S. Nameplate uses an advanced process to protect all the products we produce.

You’ll appreciate how easily we can create and customize your Metalphoto products. If your image or text can be photographed, we can design a clear and crisp reproduction. We use your film and process it directly on to the plate. In fact, Metalphoto offers the highest graphic resolution capability of any metal. It is also more environmentally friendly than traditional acid etching used on many nameplates.

One of Metalphoto’s unique image features is that we can produce thousands of nameplates in a single run. Further, those plates can be very incredibly detailed and can include serial data, barcodes, and even symbols.

Here’s how the Metalphoto process works: We begin with an anodized aluminum base. Using your specifications, we imprint your plate with your custom instructions. Then we embed the metal with graphics by embossing the surface with metallic silver particles. Finally, we seal the image and cover it with a hard anodic layer. This tough coating resists chips, chemicals, and other debris.

Available in thicknesses ranging from .003″-.125”, Metalphoto can be finished in matte, satin, or satin gold and will accept a variety of adhesives for mounting.

The end result is an extremely tough (as hard as a sapphire), static resistant, and sharp image. In fact, the Metalphoto imaging process is so rugged that we guarantee our printing will last up to 20 years, even in the harshest conditions.

Our long-lasting Metalphoto products save you money and time and stress. Once you order with U.S. Nameplate, you know your labels will last. Why trust your important project to anyone else than U.S. Nameplate?
For more information, request a quote online or contact us at (319) 895-8804.

Anodized Aluminum Products from U.S. Nameplate Co.

Posted on: February 24th, 2020 by US Nameplate Co. | No Comments

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that coats metals, especially magnesium and aluminum, with a durable, decorative, corrosion-resistant, sapphire hard film. Unlike painting or plating, aluminum oxide is not applied at the surface but is fully integrated with the aluminum, so it cannot chip or peel. To accomplish this process, aluminum is immersed in an acid electrolyte bath. An electric current passes through combining the aluminum atoms with oxygen ions that are released from the electrolyte bath.

The benefits of anodized aluminum are plentiful. Durability, ease of maintenance, aesthetics, cost, and environmentally safe are all characteristics that make anodized aluminum one of the most widely used materials today in the production of consumer, commercial, and industrial products.

The shelf life of anodized aluminum is almost indefinite and with a simple mild soap and water cleanse of surface dirt it could last forever. Anodizing allows aluminum to maintain its metallic appearance; scars, scratches, and just general wear and tear are virtually non-existent.

Anodized aluminum has a low initial finishing cost, and combined with low maintenance costs, is a good ROI for your business.

Anodized aluminum is considered environmentally safe as it is fully integrated into the aluminum resulting in a non-toxic, heat resistant, producing few if any dangerous by-products.

Here at U.S. Nameplate Co., anodized aluminum is used in many industrial metal products. Our customers in the automotive, racing, electronic, and transportation industries will tell you our control panel overlays fabricated out of anodized aluminum are built to withstand the harshest conditions.

Metal nameplates can be fabricated from anodized aluminum as well as other materials. We have been delivering the professional, long-lasting metal nameplates on which we built our business for 70 years. Used in the construction, mining industries, and general equipment manufacturing industries, our nameplates are built to last

Whether you have a small or large order, we have the capability to produce property and asset tags with a number of materials including anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and brass. Whatever your material, finish, and design, we are sure to fit your specifications.

Anodized aluminum is a great material for data rating plates as they are put through some of the toughest conditions in the construction, mining and general industries that require their metal products to stand the test of time.

U.S. Nameplate is truly full service, every step of the manufacturing process is done under one roof. Since 1946, U.S. Nameplate Co. has been the supplier of choice to over 3,000 OEM’s and is equipped to handle any size of orders from one to millions. Request a quote or call us today.

Industry Labels: UL Decals (Underwriter’s Laboratory)

Posted on: December 23rd, 2019 by US Nameplate Co. | No Comments

What is UL?

Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) provides certification, testing, and training services to companies who make labels, panels, and decals for regulated industries. The standards set in place by UL, allow businesses to create quality safety labels for their products that comply with industry standards. Products marked by UL are thoroughly tested for safety, energy efficiency, and environmental concerns.

Products that require safety-related information including hazards and warnings, installation instructions, electric ratings, and other information must comply with UL’s Component Certification Program. The program allows label manufacturers such as U.S. Nameplate Company to make labels with materials that meet UL standards and print labels that meet standards as well. Labels must also be waterproof.

Products that are UL Certified wear the official UL mark. The UL inform customers that the product they are using is UL certified or safe, energy efficient, and environmentally sound.

For more than 40 years, UL standards have helped today’s manufacturers, including U.S. Nameplate Company, provide safe and compliant labels.

U.S. Nameplate: UL Authorized Label Supplier

U.S Nameplate is an authorized supplier of UL standard labels. UL certification allows manufacturers such as U.S. Nameplate Company to legally produce UL Labels; these labels adhere to very specific guidelines set in place by UL. To be considered certified, U.S. Nameplate Company adheres to the standards set in place by UL and produces quality labels for important products. Custom industrial labels and nameplates created at U.S. Nameplate Company meet and exceed standards set in place by UL and meet the conditions of acceptability laid out by UL that includes application surface, exposure condition and temperature rating. Labels from U.S. Nameplate Company are made to withstand indoor, outdoor, and harsh weather conditions.

For more information about UL authorized custom industrial nameplates and labels from U.S. Nameplate Company, visit our website or give us a call at 1(800)553-8871.

Control Panel and Graphic Overlays

Posted on: December 2nd, 2018 by Lisa Dougherty | 1 Comment

In our fast-paced, digital world, having accurate, easy-to-read information at our fingertips is crucial. Knowledge is power and speed is king.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEM”s) from all industries—including heavy equipment, appliances, and transportation—rely on the quality and integrity of control panel products they order from U.S. Nameplate Company.

CMI-Control Panel

Properly and efficiently labeling your industrial control panels or overlays saves time and money in the long run. Control panels can be grouped into four types and U.S. Nameplate Company can meet your graphic needs for any or all of the following:

Physical Control Panel
Remote Control Panel
Control Panel Overlays
Membrane Switch Overlays

Whether your business equipment requires control panels, graphic overlays or deadfront graphics, the U.S. Nameplate Company can customize the look, feel, and function of your product.

U.S. Nameplate Company prides itself on its precision. As an experienced one-stop-shop, they perform every step of the manufacturing process under one roof. Their innovative capabilities meet the highest quality standards.

Depending on your specifications, a flexible graphic overlay may include control markings, dials, safety instructions or brandings using screen or digital prints. A deadfront graphic blends into the background and is visible only when backlit.

Choose from polycarbonate and polyester for your overlays and graphics. You can also select thicknesses ranging from 0.003”-0.125” and finished sizes up to 24” x 60.”

Custom rigid control panels can be made from aluminum ranging from 0.032”-0.125” thick, with printed graphics and any size and shape of holes to accommodate the gauges, dials, knobs, and switches typical to controlling your equipment.

For the ultimate in durability and performance, graphic overlays with an optional glow-in-the-dark feature, can be laminated to your rigid aluminum control panels.

To further customize your look and fit your needs, you can select from a wide variety of finishes including clear gloss, suede, and brushed, among many others.

U.S. Nameplate is the “supplier of choice” to more than 3,000 OEM’s. As they do for all their customers, they will go the extra mile for you. Call or email U.S. Nameplate Company for a free quote today.