What Are Tool Marking Tags?

Metal tool tags allow for organizations to identify, track, and monitor their tooling. Manufacturing plants need tools for production and assembly, construction sites need tools for building, etc. Metal tool tags allow for organizations to identify, track, and monitor their tooling.

Industrial grade tools can be extremely expensive and are important resources for organizations. Both the acquisition and maintenance of specialized tools can be cost and time heavy.

This means many types of industrial tools are targets for theft due to high utility and resale value.

Marking each tool with a metal tag can help prevent these incidents from taking place. This is a very simple but effective practice for deterring theft.

In addition, tool marking is useful due to the ability for asset tracking and management which tags car provide. A simple numbering system is perfect for organizations which need a basic tracking method.

Durability

How durable are metal tags? That entirely depends on the material they’re produced from, and the process used for marking information on the tags. For example, a plastic decal with printed ink is not nearly as durable as a hand stamped aluminum nameplate.

Materials

Selecting a material for your blank tags is important as applications or tools may require specific materials.

Popular material options for tool tags include:

• Stainless Steel
• Aluminum
• Brass

Process Options

Embossing

If you invest your time and money into marking your tools with identification tags, you expect to get a ton of use out of them. With embossing, this is never a concern. In some cases, the embossed tags will last longer than the tool it is attached to.

This process utilizes a die set to mark your information directly into the metal with a raised impression. These characters are very easy to read (even when covered by paint or dirt). In addition, the design is incredible durable since it is formed from the metal material itself. A little bit of rain or wear and tear is not going to make your design scrape off. These nameplates typically exceed 20 years even in the harshest industrial environments.

Stamping Methods

Hand stamping is a very popular option as it only requires a set of hand stamps and a small hammer to turn any blank tag into a custom marked one.

Dot peen marking is one of the most common methods of marking direct onto equipment. This involves a machine which uses a small stylus to repeatedly strike the surface, creating small dot-like patterns. This is frequently used for marking tools and components that are too small to label with traditional identification labels.

The dot pin marking process allows for basic designs, and even data matrix codes if necessary. As the impression is not very deep, nor does it work on every material, the applications for this process can be limited. However, applications which it is suitable for often use it to great success.

Wrap Up

Every industrial type organization relies on their tools to keep their operation running smoothly. Effective marking of tools allows for quick and easy identification, traceability, and theft prevention. From tracking down the location of specific tools to labeling information, there are a large variety of uses for blank tags for tool marking.