The Silicone Rubber Keypad and Its Design Specifications.

Silicone rubber keypad has been around for decades, but it has gained rising importance in the past few years. From their utilization in industrial equipment to household remote controls and children toys, these keypads have varying applications.

A Guide to Silicone-Rubber Keypad

Working of Silicone Rubber Keypad

A silicone rubber keypad is provided with a top key. This key can be of either plastic or silicone. A silicone webbing supports this key and contains the conductive pill beneath it.

When the user presses a key, the webbing deforms, and causes the conductive pill to connect with a circuit board to complete the circuit. Which then carries the command over to the device.

There is an air channel between the conductive pill and the PCB that provides insulation for when the force on the key lifts and the circuit breaks. The dimension of this air channel ranges from 1.5-2.0 mm.

Features of Silicone Rubber Keypad.

Silicone rubber keypad has become increasingly sought-after owing to its dynamic features. With the boom in the tech and construction industry, the need for durable and long-lasting material has increased. Hence, the demand for silicone keypad shot up directly increasing its popularity.

Tactile Response

Silicone rubber keypad comes with a tactile feedback system. A tactile feedback system is the one that enables the user to know that the key has been pressed and the function carried to the processor.

This is mostly due to the tiny metal hemispheres which are present beneath every key. The pressure applied on the keys flattens these hemispheres, hence giving that “feel” to the user.

Ability to Withstand Rough working conditions.

The reason silicone rubber keypad is so popular is due to its their ability to withstand rough working conditions. Being made of silicone, these keypads can bear extreme temperatures.

They are durable and stay in service for a longer period without wearing out. Their durability can be further increased by coating them with polyurethane.

Backlight Feature

Owing to its application in a wide range of industries, silicone rubber keypad allows backlight connections. This enhances visibility in low-light conditions. These backlights can be light-emitting diodes (LEDs), Electroluminescent (EL) lamps or a fibre optic lighting system.

Highly Resistant

Being made with silicone, the silicone rubber keypad is highly resistant to moisture and harsh chemicals. This feature enables their use in chemical industries and in hospitals where exposure of equipment to harsh chemicals and moisture can be frequent.

Conveniently Customizable

Another feature that sets the silicone rubber keypads apart is its customizability. This feature allows wide-range applications of these keypads as they can be moulded into any shape, size, and design and can be made in any user-required colour.

Standard Design Guide for Silicone Rubber Keypads

General specifications of a silicone rubber keypad

The key travel of this keypad, that is the distance between the conductive pill and the circuit board normally ranges between 0.8-1.5 mm. The rubber keypad can work at temperatures ranging from -40 ˚C to 150 ˚C making them very good candidates for applications in high-temperature conditions.

These keypads can withstand force ranging from 60 grams to 300 grams. A single switch in the keypad has a life of about 1 million keystrokes. The life of the keypad is the number of strokes that the keys can bear before the membrane switch damages.

Design Features

Silicone rubber keypads, because of their dynamic applications, need to follow some standard dimensions and design features for them to be applicable in user-defined conditions.

Following are some other design features that the engineers and manufacturers of silicone rubber keypad take into consideration while designing and manufacturing a silicone keypad.

Standard Physical Characteristics for Silicone Rubber Keypad.

The hardness of the material used as an insulator in the silicone rubber keypad ranges between 40 to 80 Shore A with a tolerance of +/- 5. While, for the conductor in the keypad, the hardness should be 60 Shore A.

The tensile strength for standard material should be 70 kg/cm for conductor and between 55-75 kg/cm for insulator. And a tear strength of 10 kg/cm for conductor and 8-12 kg/cm for insulator.

Button Travel

The button travel of a keypad is the distance between the inside of the key and the circuit board beneath it. The ideal button travel distance for a silicone rubber keypad would be between 0.8 mm and 1.5 mm.

Increasing or decreasing the button travel comes with certain trade-offs between tactile response and life cycle of the keypad.

Increasing the travel beyond 1.5 mm would mean increased tactile response but decreased life. While, decreasing the button travel below 0.8 mm would result in reduced tactile feel but increased keypad life cycle.

Actuation Tolerance.

Tolerance is an allowable range within which a certain value can fluctuate without incurring any consequences on the machine or its part.

Actuation is the force with which the user must press the key for it to complete the circuit and allow the PCB to transfer information to the processor.

The design of silicone rubber keypad requires it to be within certain limits with regards to actuation specifications.

Ideally, the optimal actuation force for enhanced performance ranges between 80 grams to 150 grams but many keypads and keyboards have been designed with much wider actuation ranges.

The tolerance for different actuation forces is different. For 50 grams design actuation force, the tolerance is around +/- 15 grams. Similarly, for 75 grams of design actuation force it is +/- 20 grams and for 100 grams design force, the tolerance is +/- 25 grams. This defines a relationship that for every 25-gram increase in design actuation force, the tolerance changes by +/- 5 grams.

Tactile Characteristics of Silicone Rubber Keypad Keys.

A keypad is said to have a good tactile feel if it’s click ratio is greater than 50 %. A keypad has a poor tactile feel if it’s click ratio is less than 50%. Designers of the keypad calculate the click ratio by dividing the difference of actuation force and the contact force by actuation force.

Dimensional Requirements

All the silicone rubber keypads are required to follow a set of standard dimensional requirements. Such as, key spacing on a rubber keypad should be 1 mm minimum.

The edge of the key to the guide hole distance must be at least 1 mm. The radius of inside corners of cut-outs should be minimum 5 mm. While, the inside radius of internal cut-out should be 1 mm.

The minimum key pitch, that is the distance between two adjacent keys should be 3 mm minimum. And the clearance between the key and the bezel should be 0.3 mm minimum.

A keyboard bezel is the hard surface on the keyboard on which the keys are supported. It shields the keyboard interior from human touch.

Dimensional Tolerance
Dimensions for a silicone rubber keypad range from 0.1 mm to over 100 mm. In this case, the dimensional tolerance is different for different dimensions.

For a dimension range of 0-10 mm, the dimensional tolerance is +/- 0.10 mm. While for a range of 10-20 mm, the dimensional tolerance is +/- 0.15 mm and for a range of 20-30 mm, the dimensional tolerance is +/- 0.20 mm. For a dimensional range of 30-50 mm the tolerance changes by +/- 0.25 mm.

Beyond this dimensional range, the tolerance changes by +/- 0.05 mm for every 10 mm change in dimensional range.

Legend Printing

The graphics (letters, numbers or symbols) are printed on the surface of the key using silicone ink. These graphics are known as legends. Keeping the legends-printed keypads at high-temperature makes the legends more durable. The legends can be made resistant to wear and tear by coating them with translucent ink.

The legend size should be 1 mm minimum with the width of the lines of the legend at least 0.2 mm. The minimum spacing between two adjacent legends should be 0.3 mm minimum.

Conclusion

The Silicone rubber keypad finds numerous applications in a wide range of settings We, Keypad-FD offer top quality keybads, keyboards membrane, membrane overlays, etc. This is due to its easy adaptability as per the requirements. There are many features of a rubber keypad that set it apart from its predecessors.

The silicone rubber keypad has many fundamental design standards that a design engineer should consider before designing a rubber keypad. From standard material properties to keypad graphics, all the basic design parameters of the silicone keypad require attention during it’s designing process.

For more information regarding different products, Please Contact Us Today.

Starring Role of Graphic Overlays in the Our World

Graphic Overlay is a sheet or film that forms the outer surface of any product. You can also call the outermost jacket of any product. Often used for ornamental purposes, they also have a purposeful and practical motive. This reveals much about the product such as the essence and idea behind its manufacturing.

As mentioned before, it is the outermost layer hence it is viewable to the user. It shows the nature of the product as well as what the product is promoting. Since this is the first thing that the buyer notices, it has to have a compact yet bold way of telling about the company’s story.

A Graphic Overlay can bear a company’s logo, the product title, and some other features too. Due to its versatile functionality, it has been in business for many different industries. It covers medical, manufacturing, building, industrial, technological, and business world too.

Materials Used in Graphic Overlay Production

Graphic Overlay is the view that is the visible first layer of any product. You can also say that it defines the face of the company the product is representing.  As its functionality suggests, graphic overlays have to be very versatile.

The versatility is very important because every company has its own set of needs and requirements. And of course, to fulfill these needs different materials are required. This is a basic function of an overlay to perform the specific duty that is required of it to highlight the features of the product at its best.

How to Choose a Best Graphic Overlay:

Since this is a very important feature for any product, its importance increases ten folds. To decide on the material that suits you the best, you have to have the information regarding the materials used to make a Graphic Overlay. This is the only way to make an informed decision.

Polyester Graphic Overlay:

Polyester Graphic Overlay is a highly utilized plastic. Its worldwide uses make it the most common material in making a Graphic Overlay. They are renowned for their endurance qualities in extreme pressures.

The Polyester Graphic Overlay stays the most preferred overlay material in the world. It holds great qualities in enduring high temperatures. Hence, it has a higher demand in comparison with other overlay materials.

Due to its abundant qualities, it is a highly favorable material for industries that have to deal with a lot of hard conditions. It has a lot of chemical endurance therefore making it ideal for chemical industries. It can undergo severe environments, altering extreme temperatures and acid-resistance properties.

Another feature that makes Polyester Graphic Overlay a favorable choice is that it is very thin. This quality earns many plus points in its favor. It is both overwhelming and thrilling; that the existence of material can bear almost any kind of exterior pressure without getting affected.

Moreover, the thin-ness of Polyester Graphic Overlay adds to the attraction of using one. It prevents the formation of a hard covering around the product itself. Hence, it helps in keeping the product most close to its original design.

Although it does have its flaws and being opaque is one of them. But this doesn’t hinder its use industry-wise. They are extremely popular in medical, chemical, and safety equipment companies.

 

Polycarbonate Graphic Overlay:

Polycarbonate Graphic Overlays are also one of the most common overlays use industrially. They are transparent yet an effective choice for the telecommunication and IT industry.

 

They are resistant to impacts. This is why they are the most ideal overlays. It is great to achieve a translucent look with unbreakable qualities. Its qualities also include the ease with which it is cut-able. Its changeable and resilient qualities have earned it a valuable reputation in the telecommunication and IT industry.

Unlike, polyester graphic overlay, it is not resistant to chemical contact. Hence, it needs defense against such interaction. To use it in a chemically persistent environment, polycarbonate graphic overlay needs an outer coating. This reduces the damage to zero.

They are naturally heat-resilient but their resistance level is much lower than the polyester overlays. Moreover, their confrontational feature when hit with a hard or tough surface makes it the king amongst all overlay materials. It can withstand even high-level impacts.

Another of its highlighting feature is the Fire Retardant Polycarbonate. This is widely used to douse down flames. This is the reason it is extremely popular in automotive, telecommunication, safe precautionary industry, IT, and Mobile Manufacturing Industries.

Acrylic Graphic Overlay:

It is a kind of plastic graphic overlay. Though it is an unusual choice in comparison with other graphic overlays, it has its own appeal and uses. Its key attractive feature is its trivial weight. Along with being light in weight, it is also transparent. This adds up to the features of an Acrylic Graphic Overlay.

It is often interchangeable with glass as it is lighter in weight than glass. Its quality of being translucent makes it feasible to use instead of glass. Just like glass, it has refractive qualities. They can easily diffuse light; hence their usage as diffusers is quite common.

Some other additive features of an acrylic graphic overlay are its strength and suppleness. They are unbreakable with the ability to be resistant to high-pressure forces. This also makes it a sturdy long-run choice.

They are most popular in medical, automotive, decorative, and ornamental industries.

Applications of a Graphic Overlay:

A Graphic Overlay enhances the applications of any product. They help in improving the functionality of any product.

A Graphic Overlay is a feature that comes in direct contact with the user. Being a touch-indulgent feature it has distinct importance. It’s a map that helps the consumer in using the product successfully. Some common overlay features include on/off, volume control, light control buttons, and much more.

Since overlays are made to suit the client’s requirements, they are customizable. The overlay often bears the company’s logo or branding name. This helps indirectly in promoting the company. Unconsciously, the user gets used to the brand name or logo.

Mostly transparent overlays are common so that backlight can enhance its features even more. Moreover, any product durability increases when layered with an overlay. Without an overlay, it is almost impossible to use a product. When the map (overlay) of a product is missing, you might feel uncomfortable using the product without a user interface.

Furthermore, as an overlay is customizable, you can design it any color, pigment, or style. Its flexibility in designing abilities helps you maintain/create your brand as you want it.

Conclusion:

It is very important to choose wisely between Overlays. They are the face and the recognition element for your brand. It is a necessity to make an informed decision in this regard.

Always keep your priorities in mind when selecting an overlay. Keep it clear in your mind what your products signifies and represents. It helps you in making a space in the market for your desired product. Always select what is best for your product quality, feature, and functionality wise.

We have been dealing with Graphic overlays, Membrane overlays, Membrane switches, silicone rubber keypads and many more. For more information regarding our products and services, Contact Us today.

The Silicone Rubber Keypad and Its Design Specifications.

Silicone rubber keypad has been around for decades, but it has gained rising importance in the past few years. From their utilization in industrial equipment to household remote controls and children toys, these keypads have varying applications.

A Guide to Silicone-Rubber Keypad

Working of Silicone Rubber Keypad

A silicone rubber keypad is provided with a top key. This key can be of either plastic or silicone. A silicone webbing supports this key and contains the conductive pill beneath it.

When the user presses a key, the webbing deforms, and causes the conductive pill to connect with a circuit board to complete the circuit. Which then carries the command over to the device.

There is an air channel between the conductive pill and the PCB that provides insulation for when the force on the key lifts and the circuit breaks. The dimension of this air channel ranges from 1.5-2.0 mm.

 

Features of Silicone Rubber Keypad.

Silicone rubber keypad has become increasingly sought-after owing to its dynamic features. With the boom in the tech and construction industry, the need for durable and long-lasting material has increased. Hence, the demand for silicone keypad shot up directly increasing its popularity.

Tactile Response

Silicone rubber keypad comes with a tactile feedback system. A tactile feedback system is the one that enables the user to know that the key has been pressed and the function carried to the processor.

This is mostly due to the tiny metal hemispheres which are present beneath every key. The pressure applied on the keys flattens these hemispheres, hence giving that “feel” to the user.

Ability to Withstand Rough working conditions.

The reason silicone rubber keypad is so popular is due to its their ability to withstand rough working conditions. Being made of silicone, these keypads can bear extreme temperatures.

They are durable and stay in service for a longer period without wearing out. Their durability can be further increased by coating them with polyurethane.

Backlight Feature

Owing to its application in a wide range of industries, silicone rubber keypad allows backlight connections. This enhances visibility in low-light conditions. These backlights can be light-emitting diodes (LEDs), Electroluminescent (EL) lamps or a fibre optic lighting system.

Highly Resistant

Being made with silicone, the silicone rubber keypad is highly resistant to moisture and harsh chemicals. This feature enables their use in chemical industries and in hospitals where exposure of equipment to harsh chemicals and moisture can be frequent.

Conveniently Customizable

Another feature that sets the silicone rubber keypads apart is its customizability. This feature allows wide-range applications of these keypads as they can be moulded into any shape, size, and design and can be made in any user-required colour.

Standard Design Guide for Silicone Rubber Keypads

General specifications of a silicone rubber keypad

The key travel of this keypad, that is the distance between the conductive pill and the circuit board normally ranges between 0.8-1.5 mm. The rubber keypad can work at temperatures ranging from -40 ˚C to 150 ˚C making them very good candidates for applications in high-temperature conditions.

These keypads can withstand force ranging from 60 grams to 300 grams. A single switch in the keypad has a life of about 1 million keystrokes. The life of the keypad is the number of strokes that the keys can bear before the membrane switch damages.

Design Features

Silicone rubber keypads, because of their dynamic applications, need to follow some standard dimensions and design features for them to be applicable in user-defined conditions.

Following are some other design features that the engineers and manufacturers of silicone rubber keypad take into consideration while designing and manufacturing a silicone keypad.

Standard Physical Characteristics for Silicone Rubber Keypad.

The hardness of the material used as an insulator in the silicone rubber keypad ranges between 40 to 80 Shore A with a tolerance of +/- 5. While, for the conductor in the keypad, the hardness should be 60 Shore A.

The tensile strength for standard material should be 70 kg/cm for conductor and between 55-75 kg/cm for insulator. And a tear strength of 10 kg/cm for conductor and 8-12 kg/cm for insulator.

Button Travel

The button travel of a keypad is the distance between the inside of the key and the circuit board beneath it. The ideal button travel distance for a silicone rubber keypad would be between 0.8 mm and 1.5 mm.

Increasing or decreasing the button travel comes with certain trade-offs between tactile response and life cycle of the keypad.

Increasing the travel beyond 1.5 mm would mean increased tactile response but decreased life. While, decreasing the button travel below 0.8 mm would result in reduced tactile feel but increased keypad life cycle.

Actuation Tolerance.

Tolerance is an allowable range within which a certain value can fluctuate without incurring any consequences on the machine or its part.

Actuation is the force with which the user must press the key for it to complete the circuit and allow the PCB to transfer information to the processor.

The design of silicone rubber keypad requires it to be within certain limits with regards to actuation specifications.

Ideally, the optimal actuation force for enhanced performance ranges between 80 grams to 150 grams but many keypads and keyboards have been designed with much wider actuation ranges.

The tolerance for different actuation forces is different. For 50 grams design actuation force, the tolerance is around +/- 15 grams. Similarly, for 75 grams of design actuation force it is +/- 20 grams and for 100 grams design force, the tolerance is +/- 25 grams. This defines a relationship that for every 25-gram increase in design actuation force, the tolerance changes by +/- 5 grams.

Tactile Characteristics of Silicone Rubber Keypad Keys.

A keypad is said to have a good tactile feel if it’s click ratio is greater than 50 %. A keypad has a poor tactile feel if it’s click ratio is less than 50%. Designers of the keypad calculate the click ratio by dividing the difference of actuation force and the contact force by actuation force.

Dimensional Requirements

All the silicone rubber keypads are required to follow a set of standard dimensional requirements. Such as, key spacing on a rubber keypad should be 1 mm minimum.

The edge of the key to the guide hole distance must be at least 1 mm. The radius of inside corners of cut-outs should be minimum 5 mm. While, the inside radius of internal cut-out should be 1 mm.

The minimum key pitch, that is the distance between two adjacent keys should be 3 mm minimum. And the clearance between the key and the bezel should be 0.3 mm minimum.

A keyboard bezel is the hard surface on the keyboard on which the keys are supported. It shields the keyboard interior from human touch.

Dimensional Tolerance
Dimensions for a silicone rubber keypad range from 0.1 mm to over 100 mm. In this case, the dimensional tolerance is different for different dimensions.

For a dimension range of 0-10 mm, the dimensional tolerance is +/- 0.10 mm. While for a range of 10-20 mm, the dimensional tolerance is +/- 0.15 mm and for a range of 20-30 mm, the dimensional tolerance is +/- 0.20 mm. For a dimensional range of 30-50 mm the tolerance changes by +/- 0.25 mm.

Beyond this dimensional range, the tolerance changes by +/- 0.05 mm for every 10 mm change in dimensional range.

Legend Printing

The graphics (letters, numbers or symbols) are printed on the surface of the key using silicone ink. These graphics are known as legends. Keeping the legends-printed keypads at high-temperature makes the legends more durable. The legends can be made resistant to wear and tear by coating them with translucent ink.

The legend size should be 1 mm minimum with the width of the lines of the legend at least 0.2 mm. The minimum spacing between two adjacent legends should be 0.3 mm minimum.

Conclusion

The Silicone rubber keypad finds numerous applications in a wide range of settings We, Keypad-FD offer top quality keybads, keyboards membrane, membrane overlays, etc. This is due to its easy adaptability as per the requirements. There are many features of a rubber keypad that set it apart from its predecessors.

The silicone rubber keypad has many fundamental design standards that a design engineer should consider before designing a rubber keypad. From standard material properties to keypad graphics, all the basic design parameters of the silicone keypad require attention during it’s designing process.

For more information regarding different products, Please Contact Us Today.

A Guide On Choosing the Right Custom Membrane Keyboard Manufacturer

When it comes to outsourcing your custom membrane keyboard, there are several factors that require consideration. After all, one wrong decision can lead to numerous problems. Therefore, ensure that the manufacturer doesn’t face problems like poor material choices, unexpected costs, plain custom service, and manufacturing inexperience.

Moreover, the manufacturer needs to meet your expectations and requirements. After all, you would be investing a great deal of time and money, so making the right decision the first time is important.  Below, we have listed down some of the important things that you need to consider when choosing the vendor.

Effective Tips for Choosing for Custom Membrane Keyboard

Pick a Partner with Experience in your Respective Application

There are different reasons that can lead to the failure of the membrane keyboard switch. The most common one is mis-match between the operating environment and the materials that the manufacturer uses.

Therefore, it is important for the respective vendor to understand the end-use application. They should focus on factors like would the switch be exposed to cleaning solutions, chemicals, heat, or moisture. Also, they should switch the backlit and similar other features.

When you list all the requirements, you will be able to make the choice between silver or copper printed circuit board, silicone keypad vs embossed button. In addition, you can also decide between light guide films or individual LEDs. Choosing among these options would become easy when you and your supplier has a clear understanding of the application requirement.

Switch Installation onto the Product Matters

Yes, you can easily have a pressure-sensitive adhesive present at the back of your switch. But, what matters here is that is your respective vendor using the right quality of the adhesive. There are majorly two, main types of adhesive, the Low-Surface Energy Adhesive and the High-Service Energy Adhesive.

The type that you choose greatly depends upon the surface of the application. The higher energy surfaces generally include acrylic, fiberglass, polycarbonate, epoxy, and some plastic materials. On the other hand, the low plastic surfaces incorporate certain plastic types such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and some certain coating like the Teflon.

Since these items tend to display a weak attraction, therefore, they need to have specialized adhesives. Therefore, communicate well with your custom membrane keyboard switch supplier regarding the application surface.

Metal Fabrication Capabilities

Sometimes for the mounting purchase, you require the structural rigidity of the metal back that comes with studs. So to ensure the quality of all this, we recommend that your vendor provides in-house metal fabrication services.

This would ensure that the design is in accord with your part. Thus, there are no delays due to outsourcing.

Pick an ISO Certified Partner for you Membrane Keyboard switch

Even though a membrane switch looks simple, but it is an extremely complex part especially when you are aiming for custom membrane keyboard switches. Every layer of the switch – overlay, spacers, printed circuit, or the back panel—should mate and register accurately to the adjacent layers.

The vendor needs to ensure that that specified material, mounting method, colors, and the adhesives need to be according to the application. They should design them to ensure the survival of the application.

Therefore, it is important that you choose an ISO certified supplier as their designers and other staff members would be able to work with you. Even in your local language and time zone to ensure smooth customer relationships.

After all, it is their main objective to understand your requirement and ensure that the product meets those requirements.

Membrane Keyboard Switch Partner Should be Responsive

Even though the good design and customer service should be the norm, but the hard reality is the opposite. Only a handful of companies actually focus on their customer services and their designs. So, the shopping secret here is to ensure that your supplier is highly responsive.

If you feel that the supplier is taking the time to respond, we recommend looking for a new vendor. With so much competition out there, you will be able to find another vendor on time. However, it is imperative that you look out for expected costs such as the high-unit cost/low volumes or the Non-Reoccurring Expenses.

Other Product Identifications

In addition to a custom membrane keyboard, you also need to think about other identification requirements. Therefore, it is important for you to choose a vendor that can provide you with identification for other products such as safety placards, barcode labels, nameplates, and a few more.

1. This would not only reduce the paperwork but also decrease the overall cost.
2. Importance of Using a Keypad-FD for Custom Membrane Keyboard Switch
3. There are several benefits, and we have listed some of them below.
4. The custom keyboard switches are of the finest quality. They come with the guarantee of pressing up to one million.
5. Ensures robustness and longevity even in the most aggressive operating conditions. After all, the manufacturer up to IP65.
6. They offer prototyping at low cost along with full high-volume production.

Services

In order to meet the needs of the clients, the industry-leading suppliers offer a range of technical solutions. To make their custom membrane keyboard switches to be waterproof and meet the outdoor conditions, they would offer different finish options and button features.

Below are some of the solutions that they offer.

1. Circuit Design
2. Embossing Options such as Pillow, Rim, Dome, or Decorative
3. Non-tactile Response Keys
4. Tactile Response Keys
5. EMC/ESD/RFI Shielding
6. Materials that are Anti-Microbial, Chemical Resistant, and UV resistant
7. IP65 as well as IP54 Rated
8. LED integration can be an option
9. Filters
10. Backlighting
11. Mounted to Aluminum or steel panels
12. Secret Til-LIT
13. Interchangeable inserts – Legend
14. Membrane Switches Approved by the UL

For more information check out their Custom Membrane Switch Specification page.

What’s Next?

Looking into some of these factors would help you choose a vendor that is not only professional, but it also has extensive experience in your respective application. For expert designing and development of your upcoming custom membrane keyboard switch product, you should reach out to us.

Their highly responsive staff would get back to you regarding all your queries in no time.

Step by Step Technique for Inspecting Your Microwave Oven Membrane Keypad

The microwave oven membrane keypad switch plays when it comes to operating the microwave oven. So, if something goes wrong with the membrane keypad, you will not be able to operate the machine. Therefore, you need to have the keypad intact.

There are different types of problems that can occur with the membrane keypad. We will not be covering every problem individually. On the contrary, we will offer a more generalized solution so that you can inspect your oven membrane keypad yourself. So, without any further delay, let’s begin.

A Comprehensive Inspection Guide

In case, the touchpad on your microwave open doesn’t respond, however, the display does light up, it means there is a problem with the membrane switch. The component that people generally refer to as the touchpad is basically a series of soft-touch electrical switches.

Membrane Keypad

It is important to understand the basic concept of a membrane keyboard, before you on inspecting and repairing one. To make things easy, a membrane keypad consists of pads or keys that have some sort of printed symbols on it.

The symbols can be alphabets, signs, numbers, etc. Although the keys seem individual, the keypad doesn’t contain individual keys. The entire pressure pad is without any breaks in it. It is more like a single surface that stretches out on the entire device.

Due to the single surface, the membrane keypad is compact in comparison to the mechanical keyboard. There are three important parts of the membrane keypads.

1. The top layer. This layer consists of all the symbols.
2. Then you have the middle layer. This is basically the inert.
3. Lastly, we have the bottom layer. This layer is important is it is responsible for connecting the rest of the device.

There are numerous conductive traces present on the bottom layer. These traces are responsible for triggering the required command against every pressed symbol. There are two types of variation for a membrane keypad.

One is that comes with all symbols printed on the same pad. Whereas, the other one uses the dome design. IT means that the symbols would provide more tactile feedback. Mainly because they shape them into the domes.

Advantages

One of the main reasons that a membrane keypad is more popular than its mechanical counterpart is its size. Membrane keypads are of small size, thus they fit nicely to the modern compact devices. They work well with gadgets with slimmer designs.

This is something the mechanical keypads cannot achieve. Moreover, the membrane switches do not have space in their keys, thus eliminating the chance of dust accumulation. This is something very important for medical devices. Also, these keypads are more robust and they have a long shelf-life.

TouchPad

The touchpad is the collaboration of soft-touch electrical switches. It has two layers of thin Mylar plastic. There is also the presence of conductive material in the inner surface of these layers. To keep the two coated surface separates, there is a formed gap between them.

The gap would stay intact until the user applies the pressure. The contact of the two conductive surfaces results in the completion of an electrical circuit. This then provides the control board with an input signal. When the conductive coating is used repeatedly it eventually wears out.

Thus, making it difficult to make good contact to send the input signal to the control board. If this is your problem, you would have to work on the coating layer.

Control Board of Oven membrane keypad

The Control board is often the main cause when the touchpad does respond, but the display lights up. After all, the control board is responsible for generating a low voltage. This voltage then transmits to the membrane switch.

The membrane would use these signals as the inputs and then would generate the respective output. These output replies are responsible for controlling a number of microwave components such as the magnetron, or the turntable motor.

So, when a control board is unable to generate the low voltage signal, it would lead to a lack of response of the touchpad. Likewise, the lack of a control board to sense the input would also result in the same problem.

Microwave Oven Membrane Keypad Problem

In order to start the inspecting process, we have listed the steps below.

1. In order to gain access to the membrane switchof the microwave oven you would have to disconnect it by unplugging the unit.
2. Make sure that the cord is out of the switch, instead of you turning only the switch button off while the cord remains plugged in.
3. Next, you need to remove the cabinet of the microwave oven.
4. You will find the membrane switch attached to the control panel, at the same time, it has a connection with the electronic control board as well via a connector. The connector has a flat ribbon style.
5. Before you dig any deeper, check the connection. It is there is no problem with that, then you can go on testing the membrane switch.
6. In order to test the continuity of the membrane switch, you would be using a multi-meter.
7. See whether the ere is of only a few ohms of resistance against every touchpad you press.
8. To perform the test, you would need the membrane switch’s matrix layout. The layout would be present in the electrical schematic.
9. If are unable to find the problem, you would have to either reach out to replace the entire control board or contact the best membrane keypad repair service, provider.

Take Away

Inspecting and identifying the problem related to a microwave oven membrane keypad might seem simple. However, if you are new to this and have no information, it is better to reach out to a reliable repair services provider.

For those who can identify the problem and they are searching for reliable membrane keypad providers, they should contact FD-Keypad Manufacturers. Their extensive experience in designing and developing high-quality membrane keypads would help you choose the best one for your device.

The Importance of Having the Right Components for Critical Devices?

Choosing the right keypad membrane technology is imperative for critical devices such as factory equipment or medical devices. Since reliability and accuracy are among the key success factors for these kinds of devices, therefore, they need to incorporate the right products and tools including a touch keypad membrane, or any other technology. Everything needs to be according to the device to ensure reliable results.

So, may it be a pressure transmitter for a chemical processing factory or an automatic external defibrillator used for people suffering from heart issues that cannot fail? After all, the lives of people depend upon these devices.

Although, the end product gets the credit for high quality and performance, rarely do you think about the parts that make up the beautiful piece of technology. You would hardly think about the parts quality and development process. The great thing is that you really don’t have to concern yourself with all the information as a lame man.

However, if you are planning to invest in the machine, then we recommend a little research is due. This article will be focusing on the different factors that come into play to ensure that you choose the right membrane technology, touch & otherwise, for your critical devices.

Choosing Keypad Membrane Technology

Even though you have little to no information as to what goes inside the device, yet it turns out to be nearly perfect. The reason being there are dedicated teams of engineers that evaluate different components and determine the best one.

These engineers would focus on everything starting from the nuts and bolts to the Printed Circuit Boards of the device. After all, they have to ensure that the devices are able to withstand the challenging job that is destined to perform.

Selection can be extremely difficult especially when the designers have a wide of material options and design variability. Below, we have listed some of the factors that need consideration during the designing mission of all critical devices.

Size

Another important thing that requires undivided attention is the component footprint and size during the design process. Regardless of the product domain, there are numerous factors including increased features, functionalities, and pressurizing the designers to reduce the size of the component.

The increased demand for smaller medical devices makes it a must for the engineers to use small Printed Circuit boards, components, and even the touch keypad membrane switches.

Performance Requirements

Among the different factors, the machine’s performance requirement is among the most important factor to consider for the end application. The engineers need to understand that there is a mark difference between the requirement of the consumer product.

For instance, an electric toothbrush or an electro-surgery instrument. It is not possible for the latter to fail, however, for the other one it might just cause minor inconvenience. Therefore, it is vital to assess the performance difference of every application before finalizing the keypad membrane technology for it.

Take AED as an example, the switch that engineers would use for this need has the anti-oxidant ability. It is critical for the switch to prevent oxidation as this product would once placed stay intact for years. Nonetheless, the switch has to keep on emitting a low-level signal when activated.

Likewise, the components that would be part of the utility meters should have the capacity to withstand extreme outdoor weather.

Customization of Touch Keypad Membrane and Other Components

Despite having a large number of suppliers as well as a massive catalog of off-the-shelf commercial components. You still need to put in the effort to fit the right fit. Moreover, even after you find the right one, you would have to make slight alterations to it to ensure the exact required performance from it.

Since customization of products seems difficult and expensive, thus the suppliers tend to make alterations to the existing products. This not only saves time but it also allows us to acquire required changes at a minimal cost.

The type and the level of customization vary from product to product. In some cases, you might just need to change a certain feature or the size. On the other hand, you would even integrate components into a complete sub-assembly or module.

Other common customization options include snap-in mounting, graphics, and lighting. This might be a daunting task for a lame man, however, a professional supplier such as the Keypad-FD would help you make the right decision.

They would fully comprehend the supplier’s product requirement and then make changes to the existing product within minimal time and budget.

Production Factors

Sometimes, the manufacturer as well as the client dismiss the location factor during the design phase. However, this is something you should never ignore. After all, the longevity and the performance of the device greatly depends upon this particular factor.

To yield effective and efficient results, it a good idea to work in close proximity to the supplier. Thanks to all the modern technological advancement staying connected with the supplier is no longer an issue. You have high-speed internet, outstanding communication software.

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Environment

Mission-critical devices need to hold up against extremely harsh conditions. For instance, they would have to survive in extremely high temperature, against body fluids or extreme winters. Therefore, the suppliers need to focus on the corrosion resistance in order to find the right touch keypad membrane switches or other types of components.

In addition, it is important to ensure that the components are of the highest quality and they are robust.

This is extremely important for the global supplier as they would be able to better gauge the environmental conditions of the region the product is to be deployed. They would be able to upgrade the product or make changes to the existing one. Thus, they would meet the demands of the respective region.

Also, it is important to focus on the designing phase of the assembly process. So, regardless of the type of assembly process. May it be automatic or manual, it is important to design the components as per the need of assembly processes.

The Right Touch Keypad Membrane

For Mission-Critical devices, it is vital to have all the right components including the touch keypad membrane switch. After all, lives depend upon these devices and their failure is extremely dangerous. To ensure the quality and reliability of your device’s membrane switch, you can Contact Us Today.

An Introduction to membrane key switches functions and pressure bearing features

Modern day’s technology actually has totally changed our way of living. In fact, innovative technologies of today have made our lives better than ever. And the technology of microwave oven membrane keypad also belongs to these remarkable technologies. These genius techniques have allowed us to make impossible into possible.

Nowadays technology has made impressive progress in a very small duration. Moreover, these keypads are more innovational discoveries of this technological era. Manufacturers have mostly used these membranes in all hardware and software control systems. We can see their use in our daily routine lives. Such as we use them in,

• Dishwashers
• Washing machines, etc.

Furthermore, we also operate microwaves through these membrane keypads. However, this technology is smaller but it is able to bring easier solutions to more complicated devices.

What is microwave oven membrane keypad?

Microwave oven membrane keypad basically contains pads or keys along with printed symbols. In fact, these keypads do not have individual keys. Instead of it all the pressure pads do not have any breaks. But there is a single surface that has stretched all over the device.

Hence, because of this single surface, it has become more advantageous. Because it has made it extra compact in comparison of mechanical keyboards. In addition, these kinds of membrane keypads contain three necessary parts, like

1. Top layer with symbols
2. Middle layer that is inactive
3. Bottom layer that unites to the rest of the device.

When we press any symbol, the bottom layer which have many conductive traces will provoke a proper command. Moreover, there are two kinds of designs avail for microwave oven membrane keypad.

• a flat keypad
• dome design keypad.

Flat keypad:

In flat type of membrane, all symbols are present on the same pad.

Dome design keypad:

In this style of keypad, the symbols are present in the shape of a dome. Moreover, this shape gives feedback of better tactile.

How can microwave oven membrane keypad save to spread CoVid-19?

These membrane keypads have sleek designs and a surface of flat glass. This perfect designing helps to keep away the viruses. Because on these types of surfaces virus can not settle easily. So, it has ability to secure from CoVid-19.

In addition, these keypads have designed specially. These special designs are water resistant. So, you can clean these type of membrane keypads with,

• sanitizer
• soap

You can easily clean microwave oven membrane keypad after or before any use. Moreover, because of this fantastic feature, they are ideal choice for using in medical use. Additionally, there is not any kind of mechanical movement on these keypads.

So, these keypads are better in functionality when we compare them from traditional keypads. You can customize these membrane keypads according to the needs of your machine.

Since the toper most glass is hardened, this quality makes it rigid. Hence, we can use it for several applications like,

• vending machines
• public utility machines
• kiosk machines, etc.

Its keyboard has Bluetooth, so we can easily connect it with CPU without any data cable. Moreover, its characters are bright so you can also use it in the areas of dim light.

How many kinds of microwave oven membrane keypad are?

Manufacturer generally use microwave oven membrane keypad in industrial as well as domestic applications on a vast variety.

Its main types are:

• Non-Tactile Membrane Switches
• Tactile Membrane Switches

Furthermore, here are some of its more famous kinds are:

• backlit keypads
• capacitive touch fascias
• embossed versions and so on.

What are some beneficial applications of microwave oven membrane keypad?

The basic mechanic which is behind each membrane keypad is that, they are straightforward and relatively simple to use. Basically, its keys have a conductive metal on its bottom. So, when we press the buttons, they create a circuit with the help of underlying components.

When we take a look on the history of membrane keypads, we find that applications of these keypads have firstly introduced in 1980s. At that time, microwave oven membrane keypad had generally used in home computers.

Moreover, they mostly had used in similar consumer electronic devices. Nowadays they have become most popular. Because these keypads are very easy and simple to produce and low cost. So, all these qualities make them an ideal choice for every budget-conscious customer.

Furthermore, there are several other reasons that make these keypads a better choice in comparison to conventional mechanical keypads.

Hence, manufacturers use them in

• electronics
• industries
• medical
• white goods
• marine
• security, etc.

What is the environmental performance of microwave oven membrane keypad?

The best environmental performance of microwave oven membrane keypad is here:

Large air pressure	86~106KPa
Storage temperature	-40 ° C ~ +85 ° C, temperature 95% ± 5%
Working temperature	-20 ° C ~ +70 ° C

Moreover, the button life has ability to determine according to the customers’ requirements.

In addition, it has no oxidization on the silver paste line and no impurities.

What are the benefits of microwave oven membrane keypad?

Microwave oven membrane keypads have several benefits which we cannot count. But here we are describing some of them.

These kinds of membrane keypads are,

• waterproof
• oil proof
• dust proof.

So, all these features make these keypads a perfect option to use in outdoor applications.

Moreover, they are anti-erosion from many dangerous gases.

In addition, they are,

• light weight
• long service life
• small volume
• wide ranges of colors
• and have elegant appearances.

Here are 5 more advantages of these keypads

1. These keypads are extra smooth and their surface is totally seal. they are easy to clean. As manufacturers know that mechanical switches and keypads attract almost all kinds of dirt, while

Microwave oven membrane keypad is an ideal choice of manufacturers.

2. They are extra durable and long lasting. keypads are waterproof. These keypads are extra hygiene and hence are best for medical devices.
3. These keypads are easy to protect against harmful ultraviolet radiation. Because these harmful radiations can damage our electronic appliances.
4. Several companies favor to make use of these keypads because they provide a huge variety of several different backlights. They also include fiber optic and light-emitting diode (LED). Companies also prefer to use them because they do not produce any extra noise.
5. These keypads are easy to construct according to all the needs of customers.

 

What are some drawbacks to use a microwave oven membrane keypad?

Although microwave oven membrane keypad has many advantages but it also has some drawbacks.

It has lack of tactile feedback. So, it is not sure that all time you press the correct button. Hence, in order to avoid this drawback, the engineers make use of dome-type membrane keys.

Furthermore, it helps to imitate the tactile feedback.

Conclusion:

As we have already described that these types of membrane keypads are best in many ways. They provide several advantages in all industrial manufacturing as well as in home appliances. Although these keypads have some drawbacks but they are extremely useful for its extra beneficial advantages.

Furthermore, microwave oven membrane keypad is a smart choice of all industrials.

A Detailed and In-depth Guide on LGF Membrane Switch

As we see the technology evolve, consumers across industries are looking for thinner and advanced lighting solutions. They want the backlighting membrane without all the additional hassle. Engineers are working hard to come up with solutions that are as effective as the LGF membrane switch.

After the visible shift towards the Human Machine Interface designs incorporating backlighting systems require sophisticated and advanced lighting techniques. Engineers are trying to design technologies that could fill the purpose without compromising on quality and are cost-effective.

At the moment, the best option we have when it comes to backlighting membrane switches is the LGF. It is the perfect solution for uniform lighting, backlight areas, nearness to backlit areas, multiple colors, and low profile.

In this blog post, we will be focusing on the LFG technology and along with other custom membrane switch backlighting options.

LGF Membrane Switch: The LGF Technology

LGF stands for Light Guide Film that is responsible for directing light generated via right-angle LEDs or side-firing across areas where you need the backlit. It is basically a thin film backlighting technology that industries across the world have been using for backlit purposes.

The great thing about LGF technology is that it provides consistent backlighting regardless of the area shape. It also offers uniform lighting across multiple areas within the switch. It is possible to use multiple LG films within a certain application in order to offer discrete backlighting to different graphic features.

In order to achieve unique lighting effects, you can use different colored LEDs.  On the overlay, you can associate different lighting colors with different printed graphics.

 

Working of Light Guide Film Technology

The thickness of the Light Guide Film ranges from 0.005 to 0.020”.  The layer has microdots incorporated in it. These dots are pressed onto areas that are to brighten up once you supply power. This particular area is referred to as the imaged area.

In order to place the side view LEDs in the right location, manufacturers tend to perform cut-outs in the film. The side view LED generates light rays. These rays travel via the film and hit the microdots. When they make contact with microdots, they are refracted upwards towards the overlay surface. Thus, ensures uniformity in the backlighting effect. Something every LGF membrane switch user wants.

Advance Backlighting Solutions for Human-Machine Interaction

Human-Machine interaction design requires sophisticated and smart lighting solutions. Therefore, they greatly depend upon the Light Guide Film technology to yield effective and efficient results. After the LGF membrane switch offers the advanced functionalities required by this type of technology.

It is possible to place this thin layer onto the spaces and the metal domes to ensure uniform backlighting on every part of your product’s overlay. What more is that the layers do not add to the thickness of your product.

The reason being, the layer generally is 0.010 inches or thinner. You can incorporate the LGF layer that is only 0.005” thin. Do remember that the technology is effective when you want to backlight your product using the discrete LEDs as it uses fewer LEDs.

We simply can’t deny that this technology is an excellent choice for all your backlighting options. It requires fewer LEDs, thus resulting in limited power consumption and occupying less space. You would have ample space on the circuit layer to incorporate other components.

Application of Light Guide Film

Being a cost-effective backlit option, LGF membrane switch is fairly common among a number of industries. For instance, it is perfect for designs that need backlit tactile keys. With the LGF membrane switch, you can either light all the keys are the same time or you can brighten them up individually.

This majorly depends upon the requirement of your product. It is possible to backlit big areas using multiple colors. Thus, making this an amazing technology even for status indicators including the sensors and the batteries, etc.

Below are some other applications that are well suited for LGF technology.

1. Medical Device Panels
2. Personal Protective Equipment
3. Keyboards
4. Aerospace Lighting
5. LCDs
6. PRNDLs
7. Human Machine Interface
8. Control Consoles
9. Automotive Light interior
10. Automotive Light Exterior
11. Badges
12. Commercial Vehicle Lighting
13. Membrane keypads
14. Membrane Switches

Advantages of LGF Lighting

1. LGF lights are available in almost any shape. Their versatility and flexibility make them the top choice for backlit switches.
2. LGF membrane switch is very useful for compact and thin devices.
3. It ensures minimal to almost no impact on the tactility of the switch buttons of the membrane.
4. With LGF switch, you can enjoy uniform lighting across one or more areas within a switch.

Backlighting Options: Membrane Switch

LGF membrane switch is not the only type of backlight membrane switches available.  So, we are going to talk about some other membrane switches as well.

Fiber Optic Lighting

Another effective and smart way to ensure smoothly backlit of your product, use the Fiber optic lighting.  It basically uses rectangular fiber-optic cloth. At one end of the cloth, the fibers are bundled together. They pair with an additional light source, it most cases it is the LEDs.

This is an effective method for the uniform distribution of light emitted from LEDs across the entire surface area.

Fiber Optic Lighting Advantages

1. Fiber optic lighting is extremely durable. They have the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, along with humidity and several other challenging conditions. Therefore, they are highly acceptable in products that would have direct contact with the outside environment.
2. You will get uniform light across the entire graphical surface of the overlay.
3. They do not generate electromagnetically and heat interference.
4. They are extremely power efficient.
5. Longevity is among is their biggest advantages. The LEDs can last up to 100, 000 hours.

LEDs

LED or the Light Emitting Diodes are also among the most common choice for backlighting in a number of products. The reason for their popularity is that they are extremely cost-efficient and highly durable.

You would find LEDs on the surface or products that are lit almost all the time. Also, they are the best choice for energy-saving devices. LEDs are seen in indicator lights, along with symbols on membrane switches, icons, and keys. They are also extremely important in the medical industry.

Light Emitting Diodes Advantages

1. They are highly cost-effective.
2. They have a long life. In general, an LED can work up last up to 100,000 hours.
3. LEDs are an extremely reliable source of light
4. In addition to being inexpensive, they are also low on power consumption.
5. These lights are available in a number of colors and intensities for you to choose from.

Electroluminescent Lighting

EL lighting is an excellent and reliable source of light. It uses the phosphors to turn the electrical energy into light energy. However, do bear in mind that this type of lighting works well with products that do not require constantly on backlit.

Wondering why? Because it uses phosphors for the lighting purpose. The phosphors decay over the period of time. Therefore, the backlit wouldn’t last if it is used around the globe. In addition, you would need the DC/AC inverter for the light to function.

Electroluminescent Lighting Advantages

1. You can enjoy a wide range of colors.
2. Offers evenly balanced backlighting across the switch area
3. It is universal, so you can incorporate it with most of the switch constructions
4. For applications that do not require the constant activation of backlighting, electroluminescent is durable.

 

Take Away

When it comes to choosing the right kind backlight technology, there is no better than the LGF membrane. All you have to do is provide us with your lighting configurations and requirements and we will do the rest. Our experienced and highly skilled team of engineers would craft the best possible solution for you.

Our designs are not only reliable, but they are also aesthetically pleasing in terms of the user interface. What more is that our products have the ability to exceed IP 67 rating. So, contact us today and allow us to help you in the best possible way.