Serial plates are a diverse and interesting product for many reasons and they are situated in many varying locations.

Their main purpose is to house information and therefore they are widely used across many industry sectors. GSM Graphic Arts has manufactured these plates from different materials to suit individual requirements and plate applications.

Generally speaking nameplates manufactured from metal are referred to as serial plates and if they are manufactured from plastic are often called serial labels.

Plastic Serial Labels

Due to our continuous investment, we have a state-of-the-art digital printing room which enables us to print on all plates and labels economically.

We work with various plastics so we can tailor our manufactured products to customers’ needs. Commonly used is vinyl, which is self-adhesive and can be printed with variable serial numbers to meet requirements.

An alternative option for a plastic serial label is polycarbonate which can be digitally, under-surface printed to create a robust and hard-wearing label that can be used for outdoors applications or where the environments may be subjected to cleaning and chemical products. Next time you pass a telecommunications mast, look up and you will see an under-surface printed polycarbonate serial label.

Although you may not realise these can be found in most household electrical equipment and in the office on any PAT tested equipment. Away from the household, plastic serial labels can be found lurking on sport and leisure items such as lawnmowers, bikes and golfing/sporting equipment.

Metal Serial Plates

Our digital room also houses specialist printers that can print onto and into metal to create durable and sturdy plates for use in a wide range of industries.

We use anodised aluminium that we can digitally print to provide a durable and hard-wearing serial plate. Anodising is the process of electrically charging aluminium to open it’s pores, we can then print the serialised detail along with any other information (e.g. logo) before we seal the label and secure the ink beneath the anodic layer. Sequential numbering can be printed, laser marked or dot peen marked onto the plates.

You may find an anodised aluminium serial plate lurking underneath the bonnet of various vehicles or stuck to a bicycle or piece of sports equipment. When out and about, our GSM team notice labels they manufacture everywhere. When watching a gig or concert we notice the amplifiers used by artists which house the control panels and metal serial plates that we have manufactured. When we take our children to the playpark, we notice the aluminium CE plates on the play equipment. Those of us who enjoy exercising in the gym notice the labelling and instruction plates on the apparatus housed here.

Stainless steel

The process for adding serial numbers to stainless steel is slightly different due to the harsh and unforgiving environments that the plate may be required to be in.

If static coloured information is required then we can chemically etch and infill the stainless steel to provide a brightly coloured plate. Chemically etching the information first ensures that the detail will remain legible for an incredibly long time. To add the serial number, we laser mark the individual information. This is where we use a laser to remove a certain amount of the surface of the metal to reveal a contrast to the area that is not lasered. Stainless steel plates are a little harder to locate as they are generally used in areas that are less accessible for instance; a marine or petrochemical environment in which not many members of the public go. Probably the most obscure place you will see a stainless steel plate manufactured by us is on a submarine or other marine equipment.

If you would like to discuss your individual requirement, please contact us.