Nameplates and serial numbers

A classic day at a marking station: a tray of blank plates, a layout with a logo, fixed captions and a number that has to change on every part. Zenom keeps that loop short.

The layout

• Import the logo from DXF, SVG or AI — it lands as editable vector objects; see Import and export.
• Fixed captions — TrueType/OTF text with millimeter-exact height, spacing and justification.
• The changing part is a variable text object: a template mixes fixed fragments with a serial number, date/time or lines from a TXT/CSV file — SN-0042-2026-07-15 from one template string.
• Field boundaries, snapping and alignment tools place everything exactly; a red-light trace outlines the layout on the part before any burning.

Numbering a whole tray

• Lay the plate out once, then build an editable array — rectangular with brick shift or circular. Edit the source object and every copy updates.
• In an array each copy takes its own value: serials and file rows advance copy by copy, so one press of MARK numbers the entire tray.
• Auto-advance after marking steps the counter between trays; repeat count, increment (negative counts down), wrap limit and zero padding are all configurable.
• The part counter and session timers keep the shift’s tally; Continue Mode restarts the red-light trace after each burn so the next plate is positioned without extra clicks.

Dialing in the mode

• Material Test generates a parameter matrix right on the canvas — sweep speed against power or frequency, burn it once on a spare blank, pick the best cell and transfer the mode to a pen. Like the other calibration tools, the test grid is still going through final on-machine validation.
• Modes you have verified on your own blanks live in the pen preset library with material and notes fields; an existing EzCad .lib base imports in one step.

Good to know

• Serial number sources are Serial / Date / File / Fixed — there is no keyboard-prompt source (type-before-mark); edit the template value manually when a job needs an ad-hoc string.
• Marking runs on stationary parts — there is no conveyor (fly mark) marking yet.

See it in detail: Objects, Automation. Try it on your parts — request the 30-day demo.