Membrane Switch Laser Cutting Technology | Hochuen

Employ the laser cutting techonology in your membrane switch production. Fast in production, the final product has a smooth cutting surface and precise size.

Membrane Switch– Special User Interface Utility

A Membrane switch is a switch that can toggle a circuit from on and off. It is a special user interface utility. Hochuen creates some advanced membrane switches for different usages.

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In the world of technology, we were introduced to various types of controllable machinery and parts. Among them, the membrane switch is a special switch, which is capable of turning on or off a circuit board. It works the same way as a mechanical switch, keyboard, touchscreen, or many other input devices. However, the building design for a membrane switch is different from all of them. It basically is a circuit with Indian tin oxide or polyethylene terephthalate as a base material. Meanwhile, a mechanical switch or a keyboard is made of copper or plastic. Well, copper is also a common material for membrane switch screen print inking, along with graphite and silver.

To cope with the advanced technology, Hochuen has started manufacturing different membrane switch types. They use expensive parts, materials, and designs to create them. So, the switches turn out to be reliable, durable, and fast. In other words, they are doing their best to upgrade their products further. They even create their own prototype that is even more effective than the regular one.

Layers of a Membrane Switch

The construction and design of a membrane switch are not that complex or effortful. It is built on a design of four layers where each layer has its own purpose. The front layer is the user interface that allows the user to touch or toggle the switch. This part is created from graphite. The second or third layer will be a circuit board that can be either printed or a flex circuit. If it is a flex circuit, then its primary materials will be copper. For printed circuits, the inks used for them can be graphite or silver.

Putting a bit of pressure on a sticky material, researchers connect the layers of a membrane switch together. Usages of other techniques and methods are also seen often. A common example of that will be keyboard housing. Manufacturers use a metal dome for the assembly of different traces.

Membrane Switch Back Lighting

To form the backlighting of a membrane switch, there are three unique ways that manufacturers use. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here is an elaborated detail for every backlighting.

• LED- Light-emitting diodes are a popular backlighting choice many manufactures use. It is cost-effective but not exactly the best option for membrane switches. The bright spots from LED can be an issue while using them on a circuit layer.
• Optical Fiber- Judging by all the traits of optical fiber, it is easily the best option for backlighting. Manufacturers wove several optical fibers into a single lighting panel. Afterward, the fiber that sticks out will be bonded to a ferrule. Optical fibers are highly durable fibers and can survive up to 100 thousand hours. They are also highly heat resistant.
• Electroluminescent- It is a cheaper option than the two above and is easily installable. But it has a half-life, reaching which can make it fade. With a half-life of 3000 to 8000 hours, they are not an ideal option for backlighting.

A membrane switch is an effective and creative way for utility interfaces and control panels. Usages of them can be found in various machinery around us. Starting from the TV remote, we can see them in microwave oven panels, membrane keyboard, touch-screen, or air conditioner control.

They are easy to handle and clean. Not to mention, the manufacturing and installing process of membrane switch is also not that expensive. Hochuen is trying to make them more available by planning the prototype and packaging process for membrane switches.

Technical Introduction:

Hochuen medical has abundant experience in silkscreen printing to make electrodes and labels. We can produce electrodes for glucose sensors and other electrochemical detection based sensors.

Advantages:

Not limited by the size and shape of the substrate, soft printing small, suitable for all types of ink

Weakness:

Accuracy and ink thickness is relatively difficult to control;

Application:

Bio-electrodes