Hallmark Nameplate provides aluminum nameplates for harsh environments and for use on heavy duty-cycling equipment. For these environments and end-user applications, it is vital to have nameplates that can resist damage from high temperatures, chemicals, abrasion, and corrosion. Aluminum nameplates are a preferred choice under these conditions and are used to prevent the loss of readability and to increase the longevity of the nameplate.
Aluminum Nameplate Applications
Due to the inherent properties of aluminum, the material has become a preferred choice for nameplates in many industries, including food and beverage, chemicals, marine, aerospace, and military applications. They are often used on industrial equipment, including control panels and the labeling of equipment for identification.
Because certain environments can cause a nameplate to deteriorate faster than normal, aluminum nameplates are chosen because they are built to last under harsh conditions and extreme environments:
- Extreme Temperatures – as found in welding shops, freezers, ovens, engines, or from direct sunlight can distort the images on nameplates or cause the wording to fade beyond recognition.
- Abrasion – from persistent contact or scraping the nameplate surface can cause other materials to deteriorate, but anodized aluminum nameplates will resist abrasion to ensure nameplates remain clearly visible.
- Corrosion – can occur from moisture in the air or when nameplates are directly exposed to water. Since aluminum does not rust, they are the perfect choice for wet environments.
- Chemical Attack – nameplates can lose their readability when exposed to certain chemicals. Anodized aluminum nameplates provide excellent resistance to chemical and solvents.
Aluminum nameplates are rugged but lightweight, making them ideal for legend plates, circuit breaker panel tags, serial number plates, and for affixing on control panels for industrial processes. Hallmark Nameplate offers anodized aluminum nameplates in thicknesses from .003” to .032”, and are available in matte or mill finishes in a wide variety of sizes.
Benefits of Anodized Aluminum Nameplates
When aluminum is anodized, the microscopic material at the surface of the metal is changed, making the aluminum harder and more porous. The metal then goes through a process that seals the surface coating against chemical penetration. Sometimes the thickness of the plate is increased to improve the wear resistance of the anodized coating and the aluminum plate.
When text or graphics are screen printed on the aluminum nameplate, the pores of the metal are opened with a chemical treatment and the dye penetrates the surface of the aluminum metal. This process results in the plate and graphics being sealed underneath the protective anodic layer. For this reason, aluminum nameplates are weather resistant and provide excellent resistance to corrosion, solvents, and chemicals. When you use anodized aluminum nameplates, you can expect the following benefits:
- sealed graphics for long-lasting readability
- lightweight, yet durable through years of hard service
- multiple options for adhesion, including fasteners
- anodized aluminum is preferred for wet conditions
- best for hot works environments (steel mills, welding. etc)
- attractive finish for consumer products
- fabricated to the customer’s exact specifications
When you need a durable nameplate, that is tough and needs to remain legible in the most demanding environments, consider aluminum as the best choice. These metal nameplates will save your business time and money because of the high-performance that aluminum nameplates offer, lasting for years under harsh conditions.
Hallmark Nameplate has been in business for over 60 years, providing identification nameplates, membrane switches, graphics overlays, and electronic assemblies to the OEM, medical, telecommunications, and computer industries. We offer individualized customer service. This means your nameplates are specifically engineered for your environment or end-user products.
Our engineers and sales teams work directly with clients to determine their labeling needs. From there, we can design aluminum nameplates to fit your application or work from detailed drawings to manufacture nameplates to spec. Contact us today for a fast and free quote to keep your projects on schedule and within budget.
