When the Standard Label Isn't Enough

The buttons are ordered, labelled and ready to go. Then the customer wants different wording.

Most of the time, that never happens. A pushbutton comes with the label it needs already on it, ON/OFF, START/STOP, an arrow, and nobody gives it a second thought. It's worth knowing the situations where that changes, before one catches you out.

When the standard label doesn't fit

• The wording or symbol you need isn't in the standard set

• The design might change before the build's finished, or after it's in service

• The equipment is going to a market where English isn't the main language

• The part can't be labelled directly, like a keylock switch or a USB feed-through

Print your own, without a factory reorder

RAFI's FLEXLAB and C-LAB pushbuttons, used across the RAFIX, RAMO and LUMOTAST ranges, work differently to a standard printed button. Instead of printing directly onto the button, a small printed insert sits under a clear cover. RAFI supplies blank insert sheets sized for a standard office laser printer, so wording can be printed, changed and reprinted without waiting on the factory.

That covers custom wording, a design that might change, and multiple languages, since each is just a reprint. Standard symbols (arrows, on/off, start/stop, reset, plus/minus) are also available as ready-printed inserts, if custom wording isn't needed at all.

When a part can't be labelled directly

Keylock switches, USB feed-throughs and a few other parts have no surface to print on. RAFI's label holders solve that: a small holder sits next to the device and holds a printed label. Available for the RAFIX 22 QR, RAMO 22 and RAFIX 22 FS+/FSR ranges.

Emergency stop is its own case

An emergency stop needs to be understood straight away, by anyone on site, regardless of what language they speak. That's why RAFI supplies ready-made adhesive labels with standard wording in multiple languages for the RAMO, RAFIX FS+ and LUMOTAST ranges. A custom-specified label is also available if the standard wording doesn't fit the site or the job.

Questions to ask

• Does the standard wording or symbol already cover what you need?

• Could the wording change before or after the build?

• Is it going to a market where English isn't the main language?

• Can the part be labelled directly, or does it need a label holder?

For most builds, none of this comes up, the standard label already does the job. The three situations to remember are custom wording, a design that might change, and a part that can't be labelled directly. Each has a straightforward fix: print-your-own inserts for the first two, label holders for the third.