| abstract |
The present invention broadly is addressed to the marking, labeling, or tagging of hot metal or hot coils at elevated temperature with human readable and/or machine readable (e.g., bar code) characters. To this end, the present invention broadly is directed to a label which can be secured to hot metal stock (e.g.., coil stock) which is at a temperature of up to about 1200° F. The label is formed from a sheet of metal having a face and a back. The sheet face is coated with a layer of paint that is resistant to temperature of the hot metal stock and receptive to being thermally transfer printed. The metal sheet label is of a thickness so that the paint layer can be thermally transfer printed using conventional markers designed for paper or films. Alternatively, this paint layer can be marked upon using conventional dot matrix (wire) printers with carbon ribbon. The layer of paint also bears one or more human or machine readable identification bar code characters which were applied by a thermal transfer or wire matrix printer. The sheet face also has unpainted zones of bare metal for spot welding of the label to the hot stock while hot. While hot or upon cooling of the hot metal stock and label, the human identification characters can be readily read by humans, and the machine readable identification characters can be readily machine read even after exterior storage of the labeled stock for extended periods of time. The paint composition which finds efficacy for use in manufacturing the label of the present invention preferably comprises a phenyl silicone resin, an aluminum stearate extender in an amount effective to provides gloss for the paint of less than about 35, and opacifying amount of titanium dioxide pigment, and a solvent in an amount for application of the paint composition. |