Engraving.
Text, a symbol or your own artwork, on the button face or on the coverplate beside it. A laser cuts into the finish. Silk screen prints onto it.
Two methods.
Which one suits the job depends on the finish, and on whether the mark should be felt as well as seen.
A laser cuts through the lacquer and exposes the material under it, so the mark can be felt as well as read. That is also why the colour it reveals changes from one finish to the next.
Ink is printed onto the button, matched to the finish. Flat, with no depth to feel. It holds fine lettering and small symbols better than a cut does.
Backlit engraving pairs a laser cut with a 24V LED, so the mark is lit while the switch is live or on standby, in white or amber. It needs a 24V with LED variant.
On the button, or on the plate.
The two read differently, and they are charged differently.
The mark sits on the button face and moves with it. This is the one to specify for labelling rooms, scenes and zones.
The mark sits on the plate beside the button and stays put when the button moves. Use it when the lettering is meant to read as part of the design.
Coverplate engraving is charged per module, meaning the section of plate beside each button rather than each button, and it costs considerably more than the button face. Where the label is doing a job rather than making a point, engrave the button. Ask us for a quote covering both and compare them.
A Cockpit toggle and a Dimmer knob cannot be engraved, so on those two the label goes on the plate.
What the cut reveals.
A laser removes the lacquer and exposes the material underneath. What colour that is depends on the finish, and on whether the cut is on a button or on a coverplate.
On the matte, textured and anodic finishes the button and the coverplate do not reveal the same colour. The button shows brass; the plate shows black or light grey. The table below splits them.
| Finish | Code | Where | Reveals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal finishes. Button and plate reveal the same. | |||
| Stainless Steel | 01 | Button and plate | Black |
| Nickel | 09 | Button and plate | Black |
| Brushed Brass | 06 | Button and plate | Black |
| Copper | 29 | Button and plate | Black |
| Tin Antique | 19 | Button and plate | Black |
| Bronze Antique | 17 | Button and plate | Brass |
| Brass Antique | 20 | Button and plate | Brass |
| Gunpowder Black | 03 | Button and plate | Red copper |
| Matte, textured and anodic. Button and plate differ. | |||
| Matt White | 02 | Select button | Brass |
| Matt White | 02 | Coverplate | Black |
| Textured White | 13 | Select button | Brass |
| Textured White | 13 | Coverplate | Black |
| Textured Black | 14 | Select button | Brass |
| Textured Black | 14 | Coverplate | Light grey |
| Matt Black | 18 | Select button | Brass |
| Matt Black | 18 | Coverplate | Light grey |
| Anodic Bronze | 44 | Select button | Brass |
| Anodic Bronze | 44 | Coverplate | Light grey |
| Anodic Brown | 45 | Select button | Brass |
| Anodic Brown | 45 | Coverplate | Light grey |
| Chrome | |||
| Chrome | 08 | Takes neither laser nor silk screen. Specify another finish where a label is needed. | |
Eighty symbols, or your own.
The standard library covers lighting, climate, scenes, audio and video, security and shading. Text in any language is accepted, and so is your own artwork when you supply vector files.
Quote the symbol number when you order. Artwork is cut from AI, EPS or SVG files.
How to specify it.
Engraving happens at the end of production, so the wording does not have to be settled when the order is placed.
Say which buttons or coverplates are engraved, and which method. For backlit, confirm the 24V with LED variant.
The text, the symbol number, or vector artwork. Or write "text to follow". Production starts either way.
Lithoss send a digital proof before cutting. Nothing can change after you approve it.
Engraving adds about a week. It is done at the end of production.
Lithoss finishes are applied by hand, so engraved units vary slightly from one another. That is the process, not a fault.
An order can be placed before the wording is settled. Production starts, and the content is confirmed before finishing.
Symbols, a logo or a monogram can be cut from vector files. AI, EPS or SVG.