Dot Peening

Permanent markings are dot peened onto each part after it is cut, but before it is bent.
The identification codes are generally marked on flat areas of an enclosure, however they may be put over a bend line as well (although this will result in some distortion of the text).
Can be used on aluminum parts with or without a powdercoat finish as the depth of the peening is sufficient to show through the powdercoat, and both allow for good visibility.
For powder-coated steels, dot peening should be done after powder coat to ensure text is visible.

Proto Tech Tip

Dot Peening Examples by Font

NOTE: The last three examples show dot peening under powder coat.

Marking Area

The maximum area of each marking window for text is X=1.875" (48mm) (x) Y=1" (25.4mm)

NOTE: The text CANNOT be rotated to create a window that is X=1" (25.4mm) (x) Y=1.875" (48mm). However, customers can request smaller X and Y values for their text window - please inform our sales team if this is the case.

Tolerances

Positional tolerance of text is +/-0.125" (3.18mm) on x and y. Tighter tolerances are possible, but you should contact our technical support should this be necessary.

Thin Material

When requesting Dot Peen Marking on aluminum material thinner than 0.051" (1.30mm), ghosting or witness marks may appear on the reverse side of the print area. However, this is not an issue with other material (i.e: Cold Rolled and Stainless Steel) above 0.048" (1.22mm).

Serialization

We have the capability to add incremental serial numbers as part of a marking.

Order Information

When placing an order with dot peening required, ensure you provide us with:

Characters to be "peened"
Character size
Specific location of the text; in particular, the location of the first character

Font Capabilities

Our system contains 5 different fonts with 2 dot pitches and variable text heights. We currently offer five font types: Varidot (default font), Varidot OCR, 5x7 Dot, 7x9 Dot, and 5x9 Dot OCR. Our standard text heights are between 0.075" (1.86mm) to 0.150" (3.52mm). The following are maximum lines and characters varying by our standard text heights:

Text Heights	0.150" (3.52mm)	0.125" (3.10mm)	0.100" (2.48mm)	0.075" (1.86mm)
Lines of Text	5	6	8	8
Characters / Line	14 (13 for 7x9 Dot)	16	20	26 (25 for 7x9 Dot)
Characters / Window	70	96	160	208

Lower case text is available but may be obscured under powder coat; testing will be required.

Please contact our sales team if you require non-standard text heights, as testing will be required.

MIL-STD-130 (Table II)

Dot Peening is a permanent part marking method which is recommended for applications requiring MIL-STD-130 (Table II).

This standard provides criteria for the selection of the application process, as well as all other specific requirements that will be part of the deliverable item, such as marking protocol, content, font size, type, location, etc.

Simply stating in the product definition data that the marking be in accordance with MIL-STD-130 is not sufficient. The item identification marking requirements must be determined by the Design and/or Acquiring Activity in their contractual instruments, and tailored to meet the needs of their specific application.

Protocase is recognized solely and exclusively as the Manufacturer.

The customer is recognized as the Design Activity. They retain full design and quality assurance control, as well as full responsibility to the acquiring activity for the delivered product.