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Home Resources Learning Center Marking Aluminum Nameplates with Serial Numbers – Case Study

Marking Aluminum Nameplates with Serial Numbers – Case Study

Marking aluminum nameplates is a popular application that can be done in a variety of ways. However, the best way to mark aluminum nameplates depends on your goals and specific application. Let’s take a look at different aspects of an aluminum nameplate application to understand why the proposed marking machine would be the best solution.

Application: Marking Aluminum Nameplates

This application consists of a serial number and other part identification data to be marked on an anodized aluminum nameplate.

The size of the text is small to ensure everything fits in their respective areas. As such, a solid, clean mark is important so that each character is not only legible, but easy-to-read despite their size.

Part Material

The part being marked is a 2” x 3” nameplate made of green anodized aluminum (a sample nameplate is shown to the right).

Requirements

  • The nameplate is thin and requires a shallow mark to avoid damage. However, the mark still needs to be permanent.
  • The serial number needs to automatically update after each mark.
  • A cycle time less than 20 seconds is preferred.

Marking Solution

A 20-watt marking laser is capable of the desired marks. Since the nameplate is anodized green, laser etching will be able to create a nice contrast mark that should be easy-to-read and will produce a permanent mark that has virtually no depth, maintaining the nameplate’s integrity. Making the mark with a laser can be done within 20 seconds.

Marking Machine

For this application, the GeoMARK Pro is an ideal marking machine. The GeoMARK Pro comes standard with a 20-watt laser and is capable of a number of different marks, including etching. Additionally, it can be customized with a nameplate feed (as seen in the video to the right) which will simplify and speed up the entire marking process. The GeoMARK Pro also comes with software that will automatically update the serial number after each mark. With the nameplate feed and software capabilities, the whole process can be automated.