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A manufacturer of valves was looking to improve their product tagging program. They make a large quantity and variety of valves for various applications.

They had been using an old hopper-fed metal tag embossing system to mark text onto bare metal tags. The tags were marked with a part number and manufacture date and attached to the valves with a metal ball chain. Metal tags were used because of their ability to remain intact on each valve throughout its service life once installed.

Their aging tag embosser experienced occasional jamming and maintenance issues and it was only capable of marking letters and numbers. They began a search for newer tag technologies to improve their process.

The company evaluated several possible tagging alternatives including more modern tag embossing systems, plastic labels, and printed metal tags. They ultimately chose Pannier printed MCL1000AL aluminum tags for several reasons:

Printing instead of embossing enabled the incorporation of their company logo and flow information graphics on the tags.

MCL1000AL tags are durable enough to withstand high temperatures, exposure to fluids and humidity, and prolonged UV exposure. Weather tests using the ASTM D4329 standard demonstrated that the tags could withstand extended exposure to weather and sunlight.

The PLUS3 metal tag printer could quickly print the tags needed for their high volume production needs. The PLUS3 integrates seamlessly with their ERP system to automatically retrieve production information. The printer can use a multitude of pre-programmed tag formats to create batches of tags for all types of valves, and each tag only takes a few seconds to print, eliminating any production bottlenecks.

MTO valve assemblies with ID tags
printed metal valve tag attached with a ball chain

Learn more about Pannier printed metal tags:

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