Metal ID Tags for Pipes and Valves: Ensuring Efficiency and Security

Global demand for industrial valves continues to grow rapidly. It is expected to reach $99.8 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 4.4 percent over the next five years. Many reasons have contributed to this increase, however, demand from emerging markets, urban development, and increased use by healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, are among the main drivers of this growth.
Valves and pipes play a key role in managing the flow of liquids and gases within engineering systems. Although configurations may differ depending on the building or structure, some systems have hundreds or even thousands of valves and pipes, with specific purpose each. Marking programs then become a must to ensure a smooth operation and effective management.

What are the benefits of valve & pipe labelling with Metal Tags?

Enhancing Efficiency: ID tags play a pivotal role optimizing industrial processes. By labelling pipes and valves with relevant information such as function, content, flow direction, and pressure ratings, workers can quickly discern the purpose of each component. Tagging facilitates streamlined maintenance, repairs, and replacements, minimizing downtime and boosting overall operational efficiency.

Increasing Safety: Safety is paramount in industrial facilities and environments, and proper components’ identification significantly contributes to risk reduction. Clear labelling enables personnel to identify hazardous substances or high-pressure systems, enabling them to take appropriate precautions and follow established safety protocols. During emergency situations, an accurate identification of components can be crucial to prevent accidents and ensuring the well-being of workers.

Simplifying Maintenance: Maintenance of pipes and valves can be complex, involving many interconnected components. ID tags facilitate guidance, aiding maintenance teams identifying specific components that need attention. Whether it's a routine inspection, repair, or replacement, having information readily available on tags, helps streamline these tasks and ensures that correct actions are taken.

What are the most common Metal Valve Tags?

Some of the most common applications of valve metal tag are listed below.

Chemical Valve Plates: These plates are used to mark valves connected to pipes carrying chemical substances. By properly using the substances, a high level of safety can be achieved.

Drain/water valve plates: Pipes carrying water, wastewater or other liquids should also be labelled with standardized metal plates.

Gas valve tags: Gases that are delivered through a facility's piping system are usually kept at high pressure. This characteristic, along with the fact that there are many types of gases, requires careful identification.

Which Material is the Best Choice for Your Valve Tags?

Valve plates can be made of a variety of materials. The choice should be made according to the use and specific environmental conditions in which the valve or pipe is located. Materials are typically selected based on the following criteria:

Aluminium is a lightweight metal that has excellent durability. The most used is anodized aluminium available in different colours. Aluminium Valve Tags are resistant to many corrosive materials, but not to strong acids and alkaline.

Stainless Steel is the preferred choice for Valve Tags where environmental conditions are heavy, such as high temperature differentials, high corrosion potential, or immersion in fluids. The high density of stainless steel makes it a very clean metal known for its antimicrobial properties.

Brass is popular because it is highly resistant to corrosion, and because it has natural anti-microbial properties. It can also withstand extreme temperatures. Brass tags are ideal to use in environments where hygiene is a must, and in damp zones.

How To Choose the Right Tag Marking Technology?

There are several technologies for marking tags: embossing and laser are currently the most widely used.

Embossing machines are capable of permanently marking metal tags with numeric and alphanumeric characters by embossing or indent. CIM offers the ME series with the automatic and semiautomatic versions.

Laser marking machines enable fast and defined, yet superficial marking of alphanumeric codes, 2D data matrix barcodes, QR codes, and logos on all types of metal tags. CIM offers IRON systems.

Another key factor to analyse is the marking time and the quantity of pieces to be marked. When the number of metal tags is high, it is recommended to use automatic solutions, such as the versions with Automatic Feeder, ME2000S embosser system and IRON HP laser system, featuring fully automatic batch processing.