Custom Aluminum Control Panels
Rigid operator interfaces, built complete
Custom aluminum control panels machined, finished, and printed to your enclosure drawing, with openings, graphics, finish, and attachment released together. Panel fabrication and graphics happen under one roof, so the interface arrives ready to install instead of in pieces from three suppliers.
About aluminum control panels
An aluminum control panel is a fabricated metal part that happens to carry graphics. It is punched, formed, and finished to fit an enclosure, and marked directly in the metal rather than wearing a printed layer on top.
That distinction decides where it belongs. Where a machine is operated in a cab, a plant, or a workshop, a printed overlay on a metal backer is usually right. Where the panel is outdoors, washed down, exposed to solvents, or simply expected to last decades without attention, marking that lives in the aluminum itself is the specification that survives.
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Operator control panels and machine fascias
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Instrument and gauge panels
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Enclosure doors and access panel faces
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Switch and breaker identification panels
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Legend and schematic plates mounted inside cabinets
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Outdoor and wash-down control faces
Marking methods
Metal etchingA chemical process recesses the graphic into the metal, left natural or color filled. Anodized aluminum is the most commonly used substrate. Excellent for harsh, outdoor environments and chemical resistant. See
metal etching.
Metalphoto® processingA photographic image developed inside the anodic layer and sealed over, producing panels that last more than 25 years in harsh environments. Meets or exceeds the strictest military standards. See
Metalphoto processing.
Screen printingDense, opaque ink with strong abrasion and solvent resistance on metal, and the most economical route in production quantities. See
screen printing.
Digital printing
Near-photographic quality and color imagery directly on aluminum, with variable data and no tooling.
EmbossingRaised characters and tactile features on material up to .032″ thick. See
embossing and forming.
Panels can also be surface printed and then overlaminated with a flexible overlay, combining a metal body with a printed face.
Panel materials and finishes
Aluminum — .005″–.125″
Bright, mill, and foil finishes. Lightweight, temperature resistant, with good chemical and corrosion resistance, and it machines and forms well.
Anodized aluminum — .005″–.125″
Black, clear, red, and gold. Sapphire-hard surface with exceptional abrasion resistance, insulative and static resistant, roughly 20-year exterior life. The standard panel substrate.
Metalphoto® — .003″–.125″
Matte, satin, and satin gold. The most durable aluminum substrate available, fire, abrasion, and corrosion resistant, and UL recognized.
Stainless steel — .010″–.035″
2B mill finish, where the panel has to resist caustic or acidic conditions.
Brass — .020″–.032″
Brushed and UV coated, non-sparking.
Anodized black and clear are the usual choices for operator panels, because the anodic surface resists the scuffing that makes a painted panel look old quickly.
Fabrication, holes, and forming
Parts are finished using standard or custom punch holes and shapes. We run a full in-house machine shop alongside the printing floor, so the panel and its graphics are produced against one drawing.
Punching and hole patterns
Holes cut in almost any location, from .05″ to 3.5″ in size, varying by material and thickness, machined to your print.
Switch and display apertures
Cut to clear the hardware you are fitting, including flats and anti-rotation features.
Custom outlinesDigitally routed or die cut to shape, including radii and notches. See
die and digital cutting.
Press brake formingBending to your specification, so returns and flanges fit the enclosure directly. See
punching, machining, and forming.
Roll forming
Rigid panels formed to conform to curved surfaces.
There is no tooling fee for any of our in-house equipment. A one-time charge applies only when your part needs a shape no existing die covers and a new tool must be created.
Graphics and hole registration
The failure mode on a control panel is almost never the printing or the machining on its own. It is the relationship between them — a legend that does not sit beside its switch, or a window a millimetre off its display.
Because we print and machine in the same building, both come from one drawing and one revision history. When those operations sit with two suppliers, registration is exactly what is lost, and it is usually discovered at your assembly bench rather than at either vendor.
How an aluminum panel order runs
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Send the panel drawing and your artwork. Our seasoned art department turns a blueprint or artwork into a press-ready proof at no charge, and quotes are free on every order.
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We confirm the build. Substrate, finish, marking method, hole pattern, and any forming, chosen against the environment and the enclosure.
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You approve the proof. Graphics, colors, and the position of every aperture against the hardware being fitted.
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First article. Worth taking on a new panel, so fit is proven against the actual enclosure before a production run.
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Production and delivery. Most jobs finish 7–10 days after proof approval in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility, shipping within a 10% over/under standard.
Panel RFQ checklist
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The panel drawing with overall size, cutouts, mounting holes, and any bends
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Artwork, with colors identified if you have brand targets
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Material and thickness if specified, or the application so we can recommend one
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The switches, displays, and connectors that pass through the panel
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The environment — indoor, cab, outdoor, wash-down, chemical exposure
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Whether you need the bare fabricated panel, a marked panel, or a finished assembly with an overlay
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Quantity and your timing, including the date the line actually needs parts
If you do not have all of that yet, send what you have and call 319-895-8804. Customer service is open 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday, and you will always reach someone in person.
Since 1946
Family-owned and operated in Mount Vernon, Iowa
3,000+
OEMs supplied across the U.S. and abroad
25 years
Outdoor exposure, some products guaranteed longer
7–10 days
Typical production after proof approval
$0
Tooling fee on in-house equipment
Why U.S. Nameplate Co.
Why OEMs source aluminum control panels from U.S. Nameplate Co.
One partner, one roof
Metal identification and flexible labels are produced under one roof in Mount Vernon, Iowa, so a single supplier covers plates, tags, overlays, decals, and safety labels instead of three.
No tooling fee on in-house equipment
U.S. Nameplate Co. does not charge a tooling fee for any in-house equipment. A one-time charge applies only when a tool has to be created for your order.
You reach a person
Customer service representatives are available 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday. You will always reach someone in person.
Built to outlast the equipment
Metal nameplates are built to withstand up to 25 years of outdoor exposure, with some products guaranteed for 25 years or more. Safety labels are UL authorized and OSHA compliant, produced in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.
Family-owned since 1946
Supplier of choice to more than 3,000 original equipment manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad, with team members averaging 10+ years of service.
One piece or one million
The 55,000 sq ft climate-controlled facility is equipped to handle orders from a single plate to production volumes, on repeat release schedules.
Request a quote for aluminum control panels
We offer free quotes on all aluminum control panels orders. Send the drawing, artwork, quantities, application, and timing you have today — our art department turns a blueprint into a press-ready proof, and we will tell you what is still open.
Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved. Rush orders can be produced in 3–5 business days for an additional fee. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard.
Request a Quote or call 319-895-8804 and you will reach someone in person.
