Engraved legend plates and panel labels, explained.
What a legend plate is, where it's used, how it's made and what the trade terms mean. Phenolic, Lamacoid, engraving stock: all covered here.
What is a Legend Plate?
A legend plate is a flat plate that surrounds a push button, selector switch or indicator lamp. Descriptive text is engraved into the plate, so it wears far better than a printed label. Legend plates are used in industrial and commercial areas where printed labels won't last. They are sometimes called lamacoid labels or engraved tags.
They come in many colors and sizes and are customized with your text. A peel and stick backing makes them easy to install. You don't have to settle for pre-printed plates that don't fully describe what your system does.
Uses of Engraved Legend Plates
- Electrical switches, buttons and indicator lamps
- Field devices like limit switches, proximity switches and sensors
- Electrical junction boxes, motor control centers and disconnects
- Hydraulic and pneumatic systems
- Safety and warning signs
How They are Made
Plastic
The plastic has two layers in different colors. The laser removes the top layer to expose the inner layer, leaving durable, legible text.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel legend plates are laser cut and fiber laser marked. The fiber laser makes a permanent mark in the surface of the steel. It won't come off with anything short of a belt sander.
Engraving Materials
We use top quality Acrylic Engraving Stock, a durable layered plastic sheet. It is the modern alternative to Lamicoid and Phenolic, works indoors or outdoors, and has the largest choice of colors.
Some products are also available in Stainless Steel, made for harsh environments like food processing, meat packing and chemical plants.
Materials and Colors Phenolic vs Acrylic
Benefits of Engraved Nameplates
- Abrasion resistance
- Long service life
- High contrast, easy to read
- UV resistance
- Cost effective
- Many available colors
- Easy to customize
Ready to order?
Enter your text, pick your colors and see a proof before you buy. Online orders ship the next business day.
Some Definitions
- Legend Plate
- An engraved plate that surrounds an electrical operator (push button, selector switch, etc).
- Engraved Nameplate
- A rectangular engraved plate that mounts above or below an electrical operator.
- Engraved Label
- An engraved plastic plate used to label electrical and safety devices in a manufacturing environment. Could include legend plates or engraved nameplates.
- Acrylic Engraving Stock
- A layered plastic used for legend plates and engraved labels. Flexible, easy to laser process, suitable indoors or outdoors and cost effective, with the largest selection of colors. It has replaced phenolic in most applications.
- Phenolic
- A layered material made from paper or fiber and resin: hard, rigid and somewhat brittle. The term is often used for any layered plastic, so if your RFQ calls for Phenolic we may ask you to clarify. Phenolic vs acrylic
- Norplex, Micarta
- Brand names for Phenolic.
- Lamicoid or Lamacoid
- A generic term for a layered plastic, as in lamicoid tags or lamacoid labels. These can be made from either phenolic or acrylic engraving stock.