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Posted on 07 Sep 2019

Advantages and Disadvantages of Etched Metal Plates for the Businesses

The businesses can flourish depending upon lots of factors like business model, marketing and other things. There is one more thing which can leave an impression on the customers – the name plate or the metal tag. Right quality and style of tag can be very useful for establishing the identity of the business. There are a few kinds of plates available in the market:

- Digitally printed

- Plates with engravings on them

- Etched metal plates

Out of the above, most commonly used ones are etched metal plates. There are a few reasons behind this. But, to understand those reasons, you need to understand the technical side of how they are made. The process of etching involves the use of acids. The acids are useful so that the material of the plate can grab the marks made on it. The whole surface of the plate need not be exposed to the acid and to save those parts, a mask is used for coverage.



Coming back to the advantages, they are listed below:



1. Etched plates have a nice design as compared to engravings. To get an idea of how engraved

plates look, you can search for One to One Engravers Ltd.

2. They give a more fluid like look which looks very subtle and gives an energy to the content.

3. Etched plates does not give a factory manufactured look and is not as sharp as engravings. It gives a personal touch to the print.

4. It is easy to clean these plates since the edges are not very sharp so the chances of getting hurt are less.

5. The etched plates can be purchased in a very reasonable cost from a company providing chemical etching services.

6. It is almost impossible for anyone to modify plates with their own content because once the material develops the markings, they cannot be altered without affecting the look and quality of the plate. So the chances of anyone stealing and using the plate are very less.



There are also some disadvantages of etched plates as follows:



1. Only metals and glass can be used to make plates through the process of chemical etching. For those who provide services in UK, there is no option to use wooden or plastics plates. This is because acids won’t leave an impression on plastic and it will leak when used on woods. The etching is done only if acid stays inside the holes of the cover which won’t happen in case of wood and plastic.

2. There is another disadvantage of using etched plates. The content is placed deep into the plate because of which the chances of the plate catching dust increases. Although they are easy to clean with a brush and some suitable cleaning agent, but the cleaning will be required more frequently.

As it can be seen above, the etched plates have got more benefits than harm. They can be customized by a company who can provide abstract signage solutions to suit the needs of different businesses and even individuals.