How to Customize a Perfect Membrane Switch?
Many industries in all walks of life have adopted membrane switch. The main reason is the reliable performance of the membrane switch and the very independent custom design.
How to customize a membrane switch that belongs to you needs to remember some things. Membrane switch use environment and conditions, some potential problems that may exist in the manufacturing process, cost and aesthetic issues, etc. This series of problems need to be customized and solved by the customer and the supplier.
When the customer informs the use of Niceone-tech products in detail, then Niceone-tech will select the appropriate materials according to the use, the appropriate design will solve potential problems, reduce costs, and improve aesthetics.
Common designs are:
Membrane switch connector options:
Membrane switch is connected with the PCB board of the machine or equipment board by the conductive part of the wire. There are generally three types of conductive parts of the lead wires: ZIF, Female connector or Male Conncetor, and even PCB pin headers: Most Membrane switches have very flexible circuits, and the conductive area on the circuit can be connected to the PCB connector through different bends. through. Sometimes it is even necessary to be soldered on the printed circuit board by means of thermal fusion of the connector. But this type of connection is gradually being eliminated.
Three common types of connectors:
ZIF
Female connector
Male connector
The distance between the pins of the PET membrane switch leads is 1mm, 1.27mm and 2.54mm.
The distance between the PINs of the FPC membrane switch leads are 0.5mm, 1mm, 1.27mm and 2.54mm.
The thickness of the stiffener required at the end of the ZIF line is usually 0.3mm. The distance between ZIF’s PINs is 0.05–1.27mm. The maximum distance between connectors with male or female connectors is 1.27–2.54mm.
What needs to be considered in the customization of Membrane switch?
The previous article said that one of the advantages of a Membrane switch is an independent design, which can meet customer needs by changing different structures and designs. So we are very happy to work with customers to design membrane switches, what should we consider?
1. Waterproof performance-the IP rating that the membrane switch needs to meet, NEMA4, etc., usually the membrane switch can reach IP65. If you need IP68, you need to send data to Niceone-tech to analyze whether it is feasible.
2. Cost considerations-how to control costs under the premise of ensuring quality. If the number of products is particularly large, there are several ways to save costs-
A. Use a silicone rubber keypad as the panel.
B. Screen printing is changed to color printing. When customers can accept the color difference of digital printing, the cost of color printing can be reduced by 3–5% relative to screen printing.
C. The product does not need too long life. Sometimes the product is a one-time or temporary product, then we can use cheaper PC materials as the panel.
D. Use Nondome membrane switch to reduce the cost of a metal dome.
Although there are many ways to reduce costs, the prerequisite is to ensure customer quality.
3. Noise problem-when the product is in a recording studio or a product that cannot make membrane switch sound, we need to choose Non-tactile membrane switch.
4. Backlight option-if the product is used in the dark or in a place with low light, then the backlight membrane switch needs to adopt the backlight technology. Can also be the “star” in the night.
5. The circuit is small in size and requires more electrical functions: FPC and printed circuit boards are very good choices as membrane switch circuits. At the same time, the circuit can be used in a high-pressure and high-humidity environment without silver migration.
6. Outdoor use-The biggest problem outdoors is humid weather or ultraviolet rays. Need to choose anti-ultraviolet material or waterproof structure.
It also needs accurate tactile feedback and the Membrane switch has two forms to meet this requirement.
1. There are shrapnel in the Membrane switch, the driving force is generally between 150–600G, and the life span is 100,000 to 1,000,000 times.
2. The Graphic overlay is embossed by hot pressing and hardware molds to obtain better tactile feedback. The interior does not contain shrapnel, and more often it requires silver dots.
Is there any difference in the material selection of the Membrane switch?
Most membrane switch panels made by Niceone-tech use polyester instead of polycarbonate. Although polycarbonate is more economical than polyester, its practicality is far less than polyester. Niceone-tech did an experiment. After 1,000,000 cycles, the panel made by polyester showed no signs of wear, but the polycarbonate was damaged after 100,000 cycles. Polyester is more resistant to corrosion. If you need to know more about the difference between these materials, you can click membrane switch design guide to get a more detailed understanding
Does the product need a shielding layer?
Customers sometimes ask that the third layer of the membrane switch sometimes sees silver oil grid, PI, or ITO coating. What are the functions of these? As more and more devices can use plastic casings instead of traditional metal products, the main reason is that plastic casings are very portable and flexible in design, and the price is also affordable.
Although plastic products have many advantages, they also have obvious shortcomings: they cannot completely resist the interference of ESD, RFI, and EMC, which causes electronic failure of the equipment. However, such problems can be solved by combining methods such as printing silver oil grid, PI or ITO coating with membrane switch.
When we need to shield ESD, RFI and EMC, we need electrostatic shielding layer
What will the metal dome in the membrane switch affect?
1. Although the Metal dome is an inconspicuous component of the membrane switch, it is a very important component. It is one of the key points of whether a membrane switch can become a perfect membrane switch.
2. Load: A load of different metal domes is different. According to the structure of the product, select the most suitable shrapnel, generally between 280–350G.
3. Size: metal dome between 8.4–12.2 is very commonly used and the hand feel is also a relatively good range
4. The difference between different coatings: most of the time the membrane switch will use the conventional stainless steel metal dome. But when the product is used in products with very sensitive electrical properties and low resistance, nickel-plated or gold-plated shrapnel should be considered.
5. Whether the product should be rectangular or round: choose according to the specific situation of the product.
6. Life requirements: the smaller the size of the shrapnel, the greater the load, and the lower the life. So the shrapnel in the 8.4–12.2mm range is more selected by Niceone-tech. Longer life.
When Niceone-tech knows more, we can help you design better products. A good China Membrane switch requires the efforts of suppliers and customers. Niceone-tech has always been committed to developing the most suitable and perfect membrane switch for customers, because we treat each product very carefully. Contact Niceone-tech for more information now
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