Model and serial plates are essentially metal nameplates attached to products that require such tags for identification purposes. These tags are made to be used to help identify items that are one of many, usually with the use of the model and serial numbers on them. These tags can also carry more than just these two identifiers, with other tags carrying data regarding the product’s brand, date of manufacture, the address of the company producing or even selling it, and many more.
These tags can be customized according to what a business wants, and in customizing, you will find these options available to you:
Metal Material Specification– this is where you get to choose what kind of metal to use for your model and serial plates. Since these are metal nameplates, then it stands to reason that what you use for these will be metals, and this selection features a number of options that are all tarnish and rust proof. What you choose will be dependent on what product these tags are to go on, with aluminum being the best choice for those who are concerned about budgetary constraints, and stainless steel being the usual choice for really heavy duty applications.
Marking Methods – another option you will be presented with is how you mark your plates and what method you will be using with these. There are many marking methods to choose from, with some creating a raised print on your plates and others creating a sunken print on them. Some of the more popular methods of marking include embossing, engraving, etching, and digital printing. Some of these printing methods will also give you longer lasting markings, with others better suited for outdoor use than others. To make your serial plate markings last longer, it is good idea to know where these plates are to be used and what these will be exposed to before choosing the marking medium for these.
Adhesive and mounting options – also part of the selections you will find being presented to you when you have your model and serial plates made is the mounting and adhesive for this. You can choose to mount these plates with the use of rivets, which is ideal for items that are exposed to very rough environments and situations. For those items that are not that exposed to rather rough conditions, you can choose adhesives for these. There are adhesives that are durable enough to withstand certain conditions, like moisture and heat, and there are some that are just sticky enough to allow a plate to adhere to a surface but won’t last when exposed to such conditions.
Marking Devices – more often than not, companies mark their plates with serial and model numbers after the products are manufactured. This means that the plates they will order will come with other information but not these two. These can be added to the plates before adhesion with the use of marking devices like stamps and steel dies that hammers in the details either one letter or number at a time, or in whole alphanumeric sequences.