Grabado quimico · anodizado · aluminio / inoxidable / laton
Placas metalicas: aluminio grabado y anodizado, acero inoxidable y laton
Placas ID metalicas rigidas con marcado grabado, anodizado o fusionado en el metal, hechas para resistir sal, solventes, calor y abrasion.
JASPER fabrica placas metalicas personalizadas para equipos OEM: placas de aluminio grabadas y anodizadas, placas de acero inoxidable y laton, placas de numero de serie y rating, tags de activo e ID de panel de control.
OEMs that ship with our interface parts inside
El extremo permanente y rigido de la familia
Cuando una etiqueta impresa no dura, se marca el metal.
Una placa metalica es una placa rigida, de aluminio, acero inoxidable o laton, y el marcado no esta impreso encima. Esta grabado, anodizado o fusionado en el metal. That difference sounds small until something goes wrong. Scuff a printed label hard enough and the print comes off with the dirt. Scuff an etched plate and you are just polishing it; the text sat below the surface the whole time.
So permanence is the whole pitch. Una grafica impresa es una capa encima. An etched or anodized mark is part of the metal, and short of grinding the plate away, it stays readable.
This is also where it parts ways with the rest of the family. A label nameplate is flexible printed film with adhesive behind it. A doming label is that same label with a resin dome on top. Metal is the odd one out: solid, rigid, usually screwed or riveted down, and specified when the environment is rough enough that plastic just will not survive it.
Respuesta rapida
What is a metal nameplate?
A metal nameplate is a rigid ID plate, made from anodized aluminum, stainless steel, or brass, with the mark etched, anodized, screen or digitally printed, or lasered into the metal. Put one through salt spray, solvents, abrasion, or years of UV and it keeps reading, where a printed label would have faded out. Which metal you pick comes down to the environment: anodized aluminum for the worst of it, stainless for heat and marine work, brass when it mostly has to look good. The jobs are the usual industrial ones — serial and rating plates, asset tags, equipment ID, control-panel and warning plates — often built to MIL-I-45208, UL, or ISO 9001. Short version: this is what you spec when a printed label will not last the life of the product.
Material and process options
Two decisions in one: which metal, and how to mark it.
We confirm both, plus finish and mounting, before quoting — and we check whether the part is really metal rather than a printed label nameplate.
| Choice | Typical options | Design note |
|---|---|---|
| Metal | Anodized aluminum, stainless steel, brass | Aluminum is light, non-magnetic, and most corrosion-resistant when anodized; stainless takes heat and marine duty; brass is decorative. |
| Aluminum alloy | 1100, 3003, 5052, 6061, and photosensitive stock | Alloy is chosen by forming, bending, and durability needs; photosensitive stock suits MetalPhoto imaging. |
| Thickness | .003" to .25" | Thin foil-gauge plates for flat surfaces; thick plates for rugged, screwed-down ID. |
| Chemical etching | Etch depth .0015" to .008"; no-fill or color-fill with baked enamel | Etching cuts the design into the metal, so it stays legible even after the surface color wears away. |
| Anodizing | Type I (chromic, aerospace), Type II (sulfuric, most common), Type III (hardcoat, military), photosensitive (MetalPhoto) | Anodizing adds corrosion resistance and locks in ink and dye; photosensitive gives the most durable variable data and barcodes. |
| Printing / marking | Screen printing, digital full-color, laser engraving | Screen and digital add color graphics; laser and etching give permanent monochrome marks and variable data. |
| Finish and protection | No-fill natural metal, color fill, protective coatings or films against scratches, solvents, and UV | Coatings extend outdoor life; etched-and-filled marks need the least protection. |
| Mounting | Screw or rivet holes, studs, heavy-duty adhesive | Mounting is chosen by surface, vibration, and whether the plate is permanent or serviceable. |
| Compliance | MIL-I-45208, UL, ISO 9001; IUID barcodes and serialized data | Standards and traceability marks are matched to the target market and contract. |
Etched vs printed
Why buyers cut the mark into the metal.
When failure is not an option, the mark cannot be a layer sitting on top. It has to be the metal. Chemical etching takes care of that: controlled acids eat the design into the surface, somewhere between .0015" and .008" deep, and the recess gets filled with baked enamel. The graphic ends up locked below the surface, so even after the top wears down, it still reads.
That is the whole reason buyers pay for etched metal instead of a printed tag. Salt spray and sun fade ink. Grit and friction scratch a surface print off. Hydraulic fluid, fuel, solvent, a high-pressure washdown — any of them will lift a printed graphic eventually. What it costs you is money and time, since metal runs through more process than a label, so you spec it when the part has to last, not when it has to be cheap.
Material route comparison
Metal, label, doming, acrylic, and glass each win on something different.
A metal nameplate is the rigid, permanent end of the lineup. The other routes win on flexibility, cost, or looks.
Metal nameplate
Rigid etched or anodized aluminum, stainless, or brass; for permanent ID in harsh environments.
Label nameplate
A flexible label nameplate in polycarbonate or polyester when the part needs a printed adhesive label, not a plate.
Doming label
A doming label for a glossy 3D resin brand emblem.
Acrylic / glass
A rigid acrylic panel or glass nameplate when the front is a clear or printed panel with windows.
Revisiones de diseno
The metal, the marking, and the environment.
A metal nameplate quote turns on all three. We work through the stack before quoting.
- Metal and alloy: aluminum, stainless, or brass, by environment and budget
- Thickness (.003"–.25") and plate size and shape
- Marking method: chemical etch, anodize, MetalPhoto, screen, digital, or laser
- Etch depth, no-fill or color fill, and protective coating
- Variable data: serial numbers, barcodes, IUID, sequential ranges
- Mounting: screw or rivet holes, studs, or adhesive
- Environment: salt, chemicals, UV, heat, abrasion, washdown
- Standards: MIL-I-45208, UL, ISO 9001, or contract requirements
What to send
Send vector artwork — an Adobe Illustrator file, an EPS, or a press-ready PDF — with the plate outline, hole positions, and any variable-data fields called out.
If a printed label or a resin-domed emblem would serve the application better than metal, we will say so before tooling.
Solicitar cotizacionMetal nameplate questions
What is an etched metal nameplate?
It is a rigid metal plate with the design cut into the metal by a controlled chemical process. Acids eat away layers — usually .0015" to .008" deep — to leave recessed text or graphics, which then get filled with baked enamel or left as bare metal. Since the mark sits below the surface, wear can dull the plate without erasing what it says, and that is exactly why etched plates end up on harsh-environment equipment.
Aluminum, stainless steel, or brass — which metal should I use?
The environment decides. Anodized aluminum is the most corrosion-resistant and the default for asset tags, equipment ID, and control panels — light, non-magnetic, and happy in salt and grit. Stainless is the one for heat and seawater, so it goes on outdoor and heavy-machinery tags. Brass looks premium and holds off ordinary rust, but it tarnishes, so save it for decorative plates, awards, and medallions rather than hard industrial duty.
How is a metal nameplate different from a printed label?
On a printed label the graphics sit on the surface of a flexible film, held on with adhesive. On a metal nameplate the marking is etched into or fused with rigid metal, then usually mounted with screws, rivets, or heavy adhesive. The label is cheaper, lighter, and faster; the metal plate is permanent and survives salt, solvents, heat, and abrasion that would destroy a printed label. Choose metal when durability, not cost, drives the spec.
Continue the front-surface material review
Graphic overlays
Head back to the Overlays graficos hub to weigh every printed front-surface option.
Review graphic overlays →Label nameplate
See the flexible printed label route when permanent metal is more than the job needs.
Review label nameplates →Doming label
Compare a rigid plate with a glossy 3D resin brand emblem.
Review doming labels →Graphic overlay materials
Weigh metal, PET, PC, acrylic, glass, and resin trade-offs in one place.
Review materials →Get a metal nameplate reviewed before tooling
Send the artwork, the plate outline, the hole positions, and the environment the part has to survive. We will confirm the metal and alloy, the marking method, the finish and protection, and the mounting, and tell you whether metal is the right route — or whether a flat label nameplate or a doming label fits the job better.
Start RFQ ReviewStill weighing materials? Start with our graphic overlay materials reference.