design options
Reliaswitch® custom membrane switches are created with Double-Sided Polymer Circuitry (D/SPC®) for superior durability in harsh environments. With 30 years of custom design and manufacturing experience, Reliatrace® not only offers you the most reliable technology on the market, we also have deep industry knowledge you won’t find with any other printed electronics supplier.
Ideal for high-performance applications with user interfaces exposed to dust, moisture, extreme hot or cold temperatures and harsh cleaning solutions, Reliaswitch can be designed for a wide range of challenging needs.
Specifications
Physical Characteristics
Life Cycles: 5 million cycles, metal dome
Actuation Force: 3 - 25 oz typical tactile
Overall Thickness: 0.017” to 0.062” typical
Environmental Characteristics
Operating Temperature: -45⁰C to 100⁰C
Storage Temperature: -55⁰C to 100⁰C
Humidity: 95% RH
Electrical Characteristics
Contact Resistance
Tactile on Silver: 13 Ohms or less, based on application
Non-Tactile on Carbon: 25 Ohms - 50 Ohms, based on application
Open Circuit Resistance: greater than 2 MOhms
Contact Rating: 50 VDC maximum, 100 mA maximum, 1 Watt maximum
Contact Bounce: 0.3ms to 0.6ms
Contact Material: Stainless steel to silver or carbon, based on application
Depending on the materials, construction and circuitry of your custom Reliaswitch® membrane switch, specifications may vary.
Why We’re Different — Reliaswitch’s Double-Sided Circuitry Construction
In the design of your custom membrane switch, most single-sided suppliers will guide you to focus on the visible elements of your design first, such as the graphic overlay. At Reliatrace, we take a different approach. Knowing reliability is what matters most to engineers of high-performance applications, we start your design discussion at the most critical element — the circuitry.
The unique double-sided construction of Reliaswitch provides engineers with a wide variety of design options that simply aren’t possible in single-sided circuitry. With silver traces printed on both the top and bottom of the flexible substrate, engineers gain twice the design capabilities and vastly increase their circuit reliability. Even better, D/SPC doesn’t require additional space — Reliaswitch can use the same footprint as your single-sided design. At Reliatrace, we like to call this, “being able to fit 10 lbs. of potatoes into a 5 lb. bag.”
What are some of the challenging design requirements you can meet with Reliaswitch? High-density keypad positions, exceptional water resistance and a thin profile are just a few examples. Powered by D/SPC, Reliaswitch can be custom designed from a wide range of options to uniquely meet the needs of your high-performance application.
Our Reliaswitch Design Guide outlines some of the key criteria our engineering team will expertly guide you through when creating your custom membrane switch, including:
Standard Membrane Switch Design Options
Type: available as either tactile or non-tactile
Domes (tactile): available as stainless steel or polyester
Actuation Force (tactile): any force available; typical range from 3 to 25 oz.
Materials: custom-tailored to meet your budgetary and quality requirements:
Substrates: Polyester thick film recommended
Inks: several high-quality options available:
Silver and carbon ink for conductive traces
UV-curable dielectric ink for circuitry protection / insulation
Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives (PSAs): wide variety of options available using 3M™’s industry-leading technologies
Graphic Overlay: digitally-printed in Class 100,00 clean room with multiple options available:
Substrates: polyester recommended, but any commercially available substrate permissible
Hard coatings: textured (non-glossy) — matte or velvet, glossy or UV
Silicone rubber keypads: available
Embossing: rim, pillow, LED/Bulb and hydro forming alternatives available
Interconnect: most standard connectors and housings available
Mechanical Tolerances: standard, using steel-rule dies, with hard tooling and laser cutting available for applications requiring tighter tolerances
D/SPC Membrane Switch Design Options
Electrical Layout: design as a Common Bus or Matrix Layout with enhanced capabilities over single-sided circuits, including:
Denser packaging
Smaller circuitry footprints
Safer alternatives to cross-over circuitry and dual-circuit/tail layers
Tail Exit: leverage our single-tail design to eliminate the risk of tail fracture
Windows (LED or other display): route tail traces around the window without the use of cross-over circuitry or a dual-tail design
Surface-Mount Technology (SMT): employ a higher number of SMT components (e.g., LEDs or resistors), without increasing your circuitry footprint
LED / Backlighting: add LED backlighting without resorting to a dual-tail/circuit design
Gasketing: add watertight protection against moisture, dirt and corrosion with gasketing features compliant with NEMA 4X / IP66 standards
Shielding: enable a wider outer perimeter between traces and switch edges, and add carbon or silver shielding for extra protection against ESD and RFI
