Patch Panel Label Maker

[Danny Hosford]

Tokeep a competitive edge, you need to increase jobsite efficiency, control costs, and ensure safety and compliance. With easy, on-demand electrical labeling solutions, you can save time, manage projects like a pro, and print accurate and compliant electrical panel labels, breaker labels, and more.

Print durable laminated electrical labels that remain affixed and clearly legible for years. Brother tapes are resistant to abrasion, harsh UV exposure, extreme heat or cold, grease, water, grit, grime, and industrial solvents.

The last panel I had done a little over a year ago (on the airplane that I sold in November) they powdercoated a thick layer of white underneath the gray color that I wanted. The CNC machine was able to engrave just through the gray and into the white so that the white letters came out nice.

Cliffy- probably the most cost-effective option that actually looks decent is the Brother P-Touch. The one below costs about $35. The two tape options I use most often are Black on Clear, and White on Black.

The key to make it look good is to trim as closely as possible around the lettering, otherwise the plastic tape will reflect too much light and be noticeable. Trimmed down (like mine, below) is a bunch of extra work, but worth it.

Aerographics will print a sheet of any vinyl labels you want. Send them a pdf, they'll print and mail it to you. Cut to size. That's what I did. They'll give you a second sheet in case you need a spares or to fix mess-ups. Not as sexy as laser-etched top-coat, but functional and professional looking.

This is to be a "bottom line price" project for a complete paradigm shift in panel technology in a vintage airframe in an effort to keep these vintage airframes relevant to an ever advancing world of aviation. Affordable to the "average" owner (if there is such an owner) vs total airframe value. What is the bane of all of small GA? What keeps values down and keeps some airplanes as airport derelicts? DEFERRED MAINTENANCE! And what do we see in most every antique airplane out there (and YES our Mooneys are antiques, OK)? MOST all vintage airplanes have a few or many panel instruments and/or radios that don't work properly or at all. Be honest - how many small GA airplanes have you been in or owned where EVERYTHING in the cockpit worked as it should?

My thoughts have always been that we can keep the basic airframe in tip top shape mechanically but we are constrained by the 75 year old technology on the instrument panel. One only has to look at the Sport plane market to see the "new technology" and it application to efficiency and safety.

Thoreau once said, "Simplify, simplify, simplify" He had the right idea. The more you can simplify the less you have to break on the panel. Complication brings headaches with reliability and usability.

Where we had a simple ILS (most were almost identical), a simple NDB procedure and a simple VOR approach we now have a plethora of different approaches all with differing formulations to try to decipher in flight by "armature" pilots (NOT disparaging PPs, just stating facts that they do not do this IFR flying stuff on or in a professional frame work of every day occurrence and training). Different levels of capability yet the same complexity of the system and cockpit design philosophy.

For the average non-professional pilot flying doesn't have to be complicated. Now with the new technology the panel doesn't need to be complicated and still retain full usability. We fly because we want to be in the air looking out the windows at the world going by below NOT having to spend every minute staring at TV screens trying to decipher what they are all conveying. If an owner wants to hang all the shiny objects on the panel so be it but no one seems to want to go or talk about the other direction- Simple and full usability can go hand in hand.

SIMPLIFY. SIMPLIFY. SIMPLIFY. That's what this project is all about- simplify and keep costs to the bare minimum yet move into a new paradigm for vintage airplane instrument panels. No mix and match, No half way measures. Just a complete shift to new technology using the old adage- KISS- Keep it simple Stupid!

For a professional look, I can strongly recommend engravers.net. Lots of choices, but I recommend black 0.020 Lexan with silver text. Matches vintage-era placards very nicely, plastic rather than metal as PT20J suggests. What I really like about the engravers.net guys is that they'll custom cut the placard to any shape you want, drill holes, etc. You just have to give them a detailed template. I send them a to-scale PDF with dimensions, and I get back exactly what I spec. Very inexpensive, too.

I silk screened mine when I redid it in 17. A local silk screen company only charged $40 to make the screen. Which was ridiculously cheap for the work they did. It was about another $20 for the paint and squeegee. It came out really good.

After due deliberation on ALL of the good ideas I've decided to start with the Brother P-Touch idea first as I have only 2 "signs" with only 7 words between them to put on the panel. I go that way to see what it looks like and to keep in touch with my predetermined ideas about a new "affordable" all glass panel.

Continuous patch panel labels add visual identification of ports and a more professional presentation than individual labels. However, not all label makers make printing patch panel labels easy and intuitive, making it smart to buy an industrial label printer intended for use cases such as patch panel label printing. With a patch panel label printer such as those listed below, you can:

Portable patch panel printers can go wherever you go, making it easy to print custom patch panel labels as needed. Features such as built-in carrying handles, battery operation, integrated QWERTY keyboards, built-in industry codes and symbols, and hot keys lend work together for convenient, professional label printing.

Meanwhile, compatibility with different tape sizes and materials allow the patch panel label printer to be used for other functions such as printing heat shrink tube labels, fabric iron on labels, reflective tape labels, and more.

DuraFast Label Company sells Epson LabelWorks patch panel label printers. Though the specific features vary from one label maker model to the next, the patch panel label printers listed below are highly recommended with options and features to meet just about any budget or need.

It can also be purchased in the Deluxe Kit also known as the LW-PX700PCD ($209). I ALWAYS recommend getting the deluxe kits as they include a lithium ion battery, an AC adapter, a USB cable, magnetic mounting feet, and a roll of tape to get you started. Top that off with a hard carry case and you are all set.

However, this time I did not get the Deluxe Kit. I already own the Epson LW-PX900PCD Deluxe Kit. All the accessories are the same. Most of the extra cost is wrapped up in the lithium ion battery ($79) which is NOT included when you buy just the LW-PX700.

Users can label with a variety of colors and materials to include fluorescent, die cut, heat shrink tubing, magnetic tape, and ribbon. Additionally, Epson now has I think, over 130 different cartridge options. That is far and above more choices than any other label maker manufacturer. Not only can you label the warehouse shelves you can create a myriad of fun projects and get organized to boot.

Otherwise, know this. More dots per inch means more cost. Speed, and heat of the thermal print head plays into this as well. More heat and faster speed during the thermal transfer process equates to reduced battery life as well.

If you are just making labels for general organization or for crafting, or gifting know that 180 dpi is going to be way more than adequate though. Here is a comparison between 360 dpi and 180 dpi. The label LW-PX800 was printed at 360 dpi on the PX800 label maker. Conversely, the label LW-PX700 was printed at 180 dpi. From a normal viewing distance they both look almost identical in legibility. It is only when you zoom in on them that you see a difference in pixelation.

The LW-PX700 can be tethered to a computer and used with their free Epson Label Editor Software. Sadly, the software is Windows only. The software is adequate but is a little clunky at times. But, the price is right. Designing labels always seems to take a minute longer than I think it should. That being said, I seldom use the software so I never have gotten very proficient with it.

Best of all, the videos are short and focus on one subject only. Most videos are 2-3 minutes in length. You are able to get the information you need fast without a lot of superfluous other info added.

Another aspect of support is their Lifetime Warranty. They claim that if anything goes wrong, including you breaking the machine that they will replace it, no questions asked. That is unrivaled among Label Maker manufacturers. No one else does this.

Choose to fully cut each individual label or cut through the front part of the label whilst leaving it attached to the backing paper. This produces labels in a long strip, keeping them in the correct sequential order and makes them quick and easy to peel and apply to your cables and equipment.

Create labels for cables, patch panels, faceplates and more using the Brother Pro Label Tool app. This app is template based, allowing you to quickly select the label type required, edit the text and then print. Download from the App Store or Google Play.

Using tough, durable and dependable professional grade materials and adhesives, our self-laminating and flexible ID tapes are developed for network cable identification, while our strong adhesive tapes have 3 times more strength on textured surfaces than Brother standard tapes on average making them ideal for patch panel and equipment identification.

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