Thin gauge metal plaques...printed?

[gnubler]

Bidding on a job for some thin gauge aluminum plaques, see sample pics. There's a laminate film on them with a black imprint. Are these printed? Etched? My sample piece is .020 aluminum, but the customer said they can be even thinner because they're applied to a curved surface. Looks like Gemini offers several varieties of thin gauge plaques but I'm not sure which production method I'm after. These are for outdoor use with exposure to elements. Thanks for any vendor suggestions.

 

[White Haus]

This probably won't be much help since they're in Canada........................but this is the company we use for aluminum plates: https://www.macnameplate.com/products/nameplates/

They do plates for us almost exactly like the one in your picture, minus the mask.

 

[2B]

JDS Industries

 

[gnubler]

Does JDS do production? I thought they only sold sign supplies.

 

[petepaz]

they can be etched, silk screened or metal photo process.
hard to tell for sure but looking at the photo they look metalphoto process. (when you look at the black it looks like it's absorbed in the metal, you can see the brush pattern )
we do that in house. we can do .003, .005 foil
the laminate is probably just a protective mask. normally nameplates like those don't get a laminate. no reason for it

 

[TXFB.INS]

+1 JDS

They are fully capable
design - supplies - production

JDS Industries Home - Wholesale Supplies for Awards, Personalization & Signs

browse.jdsindustries.com

 

[2B]

It could also be sublimated

When you touch it, can you feel any lip, texture, etc?

 

[Gino]

I would imagine the laminate is on there so they can change out the capacities and dates without staining the metal.

 

[gnubler]

No texture, the surface is totally smooth. Tried scratching the black with something sharp and it took a lot of effort to leave a mark. Agree that the laminate is just a protective film, it peeled off easily. Customer probably removes it when they apply the plaques. I'll check out JDS, thanks. Didn't know they did wholesale production!

 

[Notarealsignguy]

we use to screen print these data plates in groups on a single sheet with UV ink and they got sent back to the manufacturer for trimming, hemming or whatever finishing they did.

 

[Johnny Best]

If you are doing a lot of the same, then screen print them.

 

[gnubler]

The customer only goes through 200 or so a year, ordering 100 at a time.

 

[Johnny Best]

The customer only goes through 200 or so a year, ordering 100 at a time.

Looks like a screen print job, contact FireSprint.

 

[FrankW]

This will often be printed on specially prepared, anodized aluminium. I do not know the english name, in germany the print process is named „Eloxal-Unterdruck“.

With anodizing, the invisible oxid layer will grow thicker. then color is printed on that oxid layer (screen printing or digitally, we sell a special dye solvent ink for it, printed for example with modified Mimakis), after the printing the Aluminium will be cooked in a hot water bath with a special salt for around one hour: after that the pores of the oxid layer are compacted, and the print is very scratch resistant. The only disadvantage of our ink is that they do not last long under sunlight exposure.

 

[gnubler]

Don't see anything like this on the JDS site. Firesprint doesn't print on metal.

Any other vendor suggestions?

 

[weyandsign]

Never used them, so can't vouch for them, but they look legit to me.

Home

Barcode Labels, Industrial Nameplates, UID labels and Graphic Overlays and more. Custom Designed you get ISO Quality and Prompt Delivery.

www.expresscorp.com

 

[Notarealsignguy]

This will often be printed on specially prepared, anodized aluminium. I do not know the english name, in germany the print process is named „Eloxal-Unterdruck“.

With anodizing, the invisible oxid layer will grow thicker. then color is printed on that oxid layer (screen printing or digitally, we sell a special dye solvent ink for it, printed for example with modified Mimakis), after the printing the Aluminium will be cooked in a hot water bath with a special salt for around one hour: after that the pores of the oxid layer are compacted, and the print is very scratch resistant. The only disadvantage of our ink is that they do not last long under sunlight exposure.

I always wondered how they made these plates last as long as they do.

 

[CanuckSigns]

We buy these from identifab in Canada, they do a great job. For low quantities you could laser engrave them on black anodized aluminum sheet.

 

[FrankW]

I always wondered how they made these plates last as long as they do.

Our english documents name it "anodic printing".

We sell Mimaki solvent printers converted to flatbed and little chinese solvent flatbeds to print on that aluminium. The aluminium can be bought finally anodized and ready for printing.

 

[FrankW]

Anodic printing - GEDACOLOR AG

COST-EFFECTIVE AND FAST PRODUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL ITEMS: Since mid- 2009, we have been offering starter kits for digital anodic printing on aluminium which allow the processing of photo-realistic, multi-coloured signs and industrial plates. Anodic printing is a process of surface fi nishing for...

www.gedacolor.ch

I do alu cooking on a regular basis . Above not the company I work for, but a supplier.