Membrane Switch

Cost Savings With Membrane Switches Membrane switches can be an economical alternative to mechanical switches. Tooling costs are low because we use steel rule dies to cut the circuit layers and overlays to your exact design specifications. You can even use multiple custom overlays with a single circuitry design lowering your overall cost of switch design and manufacture. Rapid Prototyping At OLY we take pride in being able to develop and deliver rapid prototypes quickly and accurately. Short Lead-Times Time-to-market is crucial to your business. A short lead- time is your advantage over the competition. We are able to create a delivery schedule that is consistent with your inventory and budget objectives. Backlighting Embedded LED, Fiber optic & electroluminescent (EL) backlighting are options that can save you money, time and/or board space. ESD/EMI Shielding can be fabricated from aluminum, copper, or other alloys. Screen-printed silver conductive ink on polyester can also be used. Window areas can be shielded with a transparent ITO film. Grounding can be achieved through the flex tail or a separate tab. Tactile Response Metal domes, polydomes and graphic tactile domes are available. Because of the relatively short travel of membrane switches it is often desirable to provide users tactile feedback. Tactile Switches are created by adding domes to the basic membrane switch construction. Two types of domes can be used for this, polyester or stainless steel. There is no significant difference between these two types of tactile switches. Tactile switches constructed with stainless steel domes have a stamped steel dome placed above each switch contact. Domes are available in a variety of sizes and actuating forces. Tactile switches constructed with polyester domes have domes formed into either the graphics layer or the top circuit layer. This creates the need for a special forming tool and increases tooling costs. Because individual domes do not need to be placed above each contact, polyester domes often are more cost effect in higher quantities.