Metal

Two different jobs

Marking metal splits into two requirements that have almost nothing in common, and getting them confused is the most common mistake.

The first is coding: a date, a lot number, a batch reference printed onto a can, a lid or a coil. It has to be legible, it has to survive handling, and it does not need to outlive the product.

The second is permanent traceability: a part number, a serial, a heat number on a component or a structural element. It has to survive machining, heat treatment, paint, weather and years of service. Ink cannot do that.

What fits

For coding, continuous inkjet works on metal as it does on glass — non-contact, fast, and available in inks formulated for oily or coated surfaces. On a dark or reflective finish, pigmented ink gives the contrast that dye ink will not.

For large characters on sheet, plate or profile, a large-character system covers the size a workshop code needs.

For marking that is not on a production line at all — a component in a yard, a structural element already in place, a coil that cannot be moved — a handheld printer removes the fixed installation from the equation.

What to decide before you buy

Is the mark temporary or permanent? This is the first question and it changes everything.

Is the surface clean, oily, galvanised or painted?

Does the part move past a station, or does the station have to go to the part?

Related: metalworking covers this from the process side.