In brief
The nameplate is a plate permanently attached to a product, showing the manufacturer, type designation, serial number and the most important technical rating data.
Contents
What is Nameplate?
A nameplate, also called a rating plate or manufacturer’s plate, uniquely identifies a device or machine and states the data needed for operation, inspection and replacement. For machinery, the Machinery Directive and, in future, the Machinery Regulation prescribe minimum information, such as the name and address of the manufacturer, designation, series or type, serial number, year of construction and the CE marking.
Depending on the product, technical information is added. For electric motors, this includes rated power, voltage, current, speed, frequency, power factor, degree of protection and thermal class. Pumps show flow rate, head and material; valves show nominal size, nominal pressure and medium; pressure equipment shows the maximum allowable pressure and temperature. The manufacturer’s article or order number is often given as well.
For spare parts procurement, the nameplate is the most important source of information. If it is illegible, lost or painted over, identifying the right replacement becomes considerably more difficult and must be done using dimensions, drawings, bills of materials or the plant documentation.
In practice: maintenance and procurement
Photograph the nameplates of critical components as a precaution and store the images in the maintenance system. When sending a spare parts enquiry, include a sharp photo of the complete plate, as the serial number and year of construction often determine the correct version.
Synonyms and abbreviations: rating plate · type plate · data plate · manufacturer’s plate · identification plate
Frequently asked questions
What information must a nameplate contain?
For machinery, EU law requires at least the name and address of the manufacturer, the designation of the machine, series or type, serial number if any, year of construction and the CE marking. Product-specific standards add technical information, for motors, for example, power, voltage, current and speed. Which information is mandatory in an individual case depends on the respective regulation and product standard.
How do you read the nameplate of an electric motor?
Important are the rated power in kilowatts, the voltage with connection (star or delta), the rated current, the frequency, the speed and the power factor. In addition, there are the degree of protection, thermal class of the insulation, duty type, mounting arrangement and, where applicable, efficiency class. For a replacement, the frame size, mounting arrangement and shaft dimensions are also decisive, and these are not always on the plate.
What should you do if the nameplate is missing or illegible?
First, it is worth looking at the plant documentation, bills of materials and spare parts lists from the machine manufacturer. Sometimes markings are also stamped or cast into housing parts. Otherwise, dimensions, photos from several angles, connection diagrams and technical data from operation help. With this information, a part can often be identified or a suitable replacement determined.