Plain-English definitions

Electrical labels & engraving glossary.

Name: RBZ 3D
Address: Townsville, QLD, 4810, AU
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The terms, standards, and materials that come up in Australian switchboard labelling, engraving, and on-demand manufacturing.

Australian Standards

AS/NZS 3000: The Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules, for electrical installations. Energy Safe Victoria's defect lists name the 2018 edition's clause 2.10.5.1 (switchboard equipment identification) and clause 2.10.5.2 (circuit breakers labelled to show what they supply).
AS/NZS 3008: The Australian/New Zealand standard for cable selection. Covers cable sizing, current-carrying capacity, voltage drop, and installation conditions.
AS/NZS 4777: The standard for inverter energy systems, such as solar. Solar Victoria's switchboard audit checklist cites AS/NZS 4777.1:2024 clause 6.3 for label wordings such as MAIN SWITCH (INVERTER) and MAIN SWITCH (GRID).

Label Materials & Methods

Traffolyte: The Australian common name for engraved plastic laminate labels. Made from two or three layers of coloured phenolic or acrylic laminate. The top layer is engraved away to reveal the contrasting colour underneath. Asset owner switchboard specs, such as Unitywater's, ask for device labels engraved from traffolyte laminate.
Engraving Laminate: The generic industry term for traffolyte-style layered plastic sheets used for engraved labels. Available in dozens of colour combinations and thicknesses from 0.8mm up to 3mm.
Per-Label Pricing: How engraved label jobs are priced: per label, driven by size, material, and quantity rather than a flat setup or artwork fee. Small circuit ID labels start from around $3 each, with automatic quantity discounts on larger runs.
Laser Engraving: Non-contact engraving method using a CO2 or fibre laser to ablate the surface layer of a material. Produces crisp, fine-detail results on traffolyte, anodised aluminium, stainless steel, and other engraving-grade materials.
Rotary Engraving: Mechanical engraving using a spinning cutter (burin) to remove material from the surface. Used for deep engraving on metals and plastics where laser marking is unsuitable.
DXF: Drawing Exchange Format. A CAD file format used to send vector artwork to laser engravers and cutters. The Label Designer accepts DXF uploads for custom shapes.
Anodised Aluminium: Aluminium with an electrochemically formed oxide surface that can be laser-marked. Used for outdoor and industrial labels where plastic isn't suitable.
Stainless Steel Tag: Laser-engraved or mechanically stamped stainless tag. Used in marine, wash-down, food-processing, and high-temperature environments where other materials fail.

Electrical Terms

RCD: Residual Current Device. A protective device that monitors the difference between incoming and outgoing current on a circuit, and trips if there's a leakage to earth above a set threshold (typically 30mA).
RCBO: Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent. A combined circuit breaker and RCD in a single device. Protects against both overcurrent and earth leakage.
Main Switch: The switching device that isolates the entire installation from the supply. Energy Safe Victoria lists main switch identification (AS/NZS 3000:2018 clause 2.3.3.5) on its installation defects list.
Arc Flash: A sudden release of energy from an electrical fault, creating a plasma arc that can reach 19,000°C and produce severe thermal, pressure, and blast hazards. Managed via risk assessment, PPE, and hazard labelling.
Arc Flash Label: A hazard label fitted to switchboards and electrical equipment showing the results of an arc flash hazard study: incident energy, arc flash boundary, PPE category, working distance, and study date. On engraved traffolyte versions the text is cut into the material, so there is no ink or printed film to fade or peel.
Incident Energy: The thermal energy a worker would be exposed to during an arc flash event at a specified working distance. Expressed in cal/cm². Used to determine the required PPE category, and it drives the severity colour on an arc flash label: green below 1.2 cal/cm², orange between 1.2 and 40, red above 40.
PPE Category: The personal protective equipment rating required for work where an arc flash hazard exists, derived from the incident energy at the working distance. Higher categories require arc-rated clothing and equipment with a higher calorie rating. The PPE category from the hazard study is one of the key fields shown on an arc flash label.
Lockout / Tagout (LOTO): A safety procedure where equipment is isolated, physically locked in the OFF position, and tagged to prevent accidental energisation during maintenance.
Multiple Supplies: A switchboard fed from more than one source, e.g., mains plus solar, mains plus generator. For solar, Solar Victoria's audit checklist cites AS/NZS 4777.1:2024 clause 6.3(g) for the wording "Multiple Supplies Isolate all Supplies before Working on this Switchboard".
Circuit Schedule: The list of circuits in a switchboard: circuit number, breaker rating, description, and RCD protection. Usually laminated or engraved and fitted inside the switchboard door. Should match the physical labels exactly.
Earth Fault Loop Impedance: The total impedance of the fault current path from the active conductor, through the fault, and back to the source via the earth return. Low impedance is needed to ensure protective devices trip fast enough during a fault.

Industrial & Facilities Terms

Cable Tag: An identification label attached to a cable, typically showing the circuit number, voltage, phase, and source. Used extensively in commercial and industrial installations for traceability.
Valve Tag: An identification label attached to a valve, showing valve number, system, service (e.g., chilled water, steam), and normal position (open/closed). Standard in mechanical services and process plants. Usually ordered as numbered sets: sequential runs like V-001 to V-250 following the P&ID, colour-coded by service.
Numbered Valve Set: A sequential run of valve tags made as a single kit: a prefix plus a number range (e.g., V-001 to V-120), engraved one tag per number. Made to the site schedule rather than sold in fixed pre-made ranges, so any start number, end number, shape, and service colour combination is possible.
Asset Tag: An identification label fitted to equipment or infrastructure for inventory and maintenance tracking. Usually includes an asset number, barcode or QR code, and owner details.
QR Asset Tag: An asset tag with a laser-engraved QR code linking the physical equipment to its record in an asset register or CMMS. Because the code is engraved rather than printed, there is no ink or printed film to fade, peel, or wear off. Sets are generated sequentially, or straight from an asset register CSV.
P&ID: Piping and Instrumentation Diagram. Engineering drawing that shows pipework, valves, instruments, and control loops. Valve tag numbering typically follows the P&ID.
Service Tag: A tag attached to equipment after in-service testing (e.g., test and tag), recording the test date, tester, and next test due date.

3D Printing Terms

FDM: Fused Deposition Modelling. The most common 3D printing method. Molten plastic filament is extruded through a heated nozzle and deposited layer by layer. Used for functional parts, prototypes, and enclosures.
PLA: Polylactic Acid. Biodegradable thermoplastic. Easy to print, rigid, low warp. Good for prototypes and indoor parts but softens above ~60°C, so not suitable for automotive or hot outdoor applications.
PETG: Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol. Tougher than PLA, slightly flexible, UV and moisture resistant. A good all-round choice for functional parts that see mild heat or outdoor exposure.
ABS: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. Tough, temperature-resistant engineering plastic. Used for enclosures, automotive parts, and tools. Harder to print than PLA. Requires an enclosure to prevent warping.
TPU: Thermoplastic Polyurethane. Flexible, rubber-like material, used for seals, gaskets, phone cases, and wearable parts.
Nylon: Strong, wear-resistant engineering plastic used for functional mechanical parts. Requires a dry filament. Absorbs moisture readily.
STL: STereoLithography file. The standard 3D model format for 3D printing. Represents geometry as a mesh of triangles. Most CAD software can export to STL.

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