CONTENTSPAGEINTRODUCTION2MATERIALS2OVERLAYARTWORK22MATCHINGCOLORHARDCOATS3ULTRAVIOLETEMBOSSING3INSPECTION3COSMETICTOLERANCES3MECHANICALCUTTING4LASERPINOUTS44SHIELDINGESD/RFIEXITPOINT4TAILINTERCONNECT4SCREENPRINTEDFLEXCIRCUITS5CREASINGOFFLEXCIRCUITS5RIGIDMEMBRANESWITCHES5DURASWITCHTECHNOLOGIES5DOMES56FORCEACTUATION6PERFORMANCEELECTRICALRESISTANCELOOPRESISTANCEOPENCIRCUITRATINGCONTACTLOADMAXIMUMBOUNCECONTACTTEMPERATUREOPERATING6TESTINGLIFECYCLEWINDOWS6LEGENDS6INSERTABLELEDs7EMBEDDEDADHESIVES7MOUNTINGSUBPANELS7BACKLIGHTING7DRAWINGSANDSPECIFICATIONS7APPENDICESA-PRICINGCONSIDERATIONSCONSTRUCTIONSSTANDARDB-OVERLAYMATERIALGUIDESAMPLEDRAWINGS-CD-MEMBRANESWITCHCHECKLISTE-REQUESTFORQUOTATIONWORKSHEETMunsellcolorsamplesavailable.Xingan'sfilesTheartworkwillbeplottedatXinganonour2000dotprovideXinganwithahardcopyofadrawingifaothervectoredgraphicsprogram.However,Xinganproperties.ContactyourXingansalesengineerforXinganrecommendstheuseofpolyestersinmostisverybeneficial.XinganNameplateCompany’serstoXinganNameplateINTRODUCTION:Membraneswitchtechnologyisahighlyreliableinterfacesolutionwithmanyadvantages.Thesealednatureoftheoverlaysmakesmembraneswitchtechnologyanexcellentfrontpanelsolutionwhereenvironmentalconcernsareanissue.Thesuccessofanymembraneswitchdesigneffortisfacilitatedbyeffectivecommunicationbetweenthedesignengineersandthevendor.ThisdesignguideisintendedasanoutlineforcommunicatingtherequirementsofourcustomCompany.Amutualunderstandingofthetechnologyengineersareequippedtohelpyoudesignaswitchthatwillmeetallofyourrequirements.OVERLAYMATERIALS:Avarietyofoverlaymaterialsareusedinmembraneswitchapplications.Themostcommonlyusedbasematerialispolyester.Polyesterisamaterialthathassuperiorlifecycleandchemicalresistancepropertiesincomparisontootherflexiblematerials.Inlifecycletesting,polyestershowsnosignsofwearat1,000,000cycles.Atonetime,polycarbonateofferedpricingadvantages.Polycarbonateisstillusedforcertainapplications,however,thelifecycledatashowsthatitbeginstocrackasearlyas40,000cycles.Forthisreason,applications.Bothpolyesterandpolycarbonateareavailablewithavarietyoftexturesandhardcoats.Intheiruncoated,glossyformbothmaterialsareverysusceptibletoscratching.Forthisreasonglossmaterialsshouldalwaysbehardcoated.Specialtymaterialshavealsobeendevelopedthatoffersomeofthebenefitsofbothpolyesterandpolycarbonate.OutlinedinAppendixBarethemostcommonlyspecifiedmaterialswithasummaryoftheiradditionaltechnicaldataonanyofthesematerialsorvisitourwebsite:ARTWORK:Mostcustomerssupplyanelectronicfilein.ai(AdobeIllustrator,.cdr(CorelDraworofferscompleteartworklayoutservicesifrequired.Thecustomershouldspecifytypestyles,colors,andsizesofallcopy.Artworkshouldbeprovidedtousforanylogosorspecialsymbols.DRAWINGS:WeusethelatestversionofAutocadtogenerateourdrawingsandartwork.ItishelpfulforcustomerstosupplyuswithanAutocadDWGfile,orasanalternate,aDXForIGESfileformechanicaldimensions.Wecanconvertotherfiles,includingMacintosh,ifnecessary.Itisalwaysagoodideatoconversionisnecessary.perinchphotoplotterthatiscapableofholdingplusorminus.0005"tolerancesovera20"X26"area.Proofsoftheartworkwillbesenttoourcustomerpriortoproduction.COLORMATCHING:Therearemanysystemsthatacustomercanusetocommunicatecolorrequirementstous.PantoneMatchingSystem(PMSisthemostpopularcolorstandard.Itidentifiescolorsbyspecificnumbers.Thissystemwasoriginallydevisedforuseintheoffsetprintingindustrybuthasbecomeacommontoolforalltypesofprinting.ThePantoneSystemisverypopularbecauseitisinexpensiveandsimpletouse.Thereareover1000colorsdisplayedinaPantonecolorguidethatcanbepurchasedforlessthan$90.Thedisadvantageofthissystemisthatthereareslightvariationsinthecolorsfromsamplebooktosamplebook.Thecolorsalsofadewithtime,andbooksneedtobereplacedannually.Thesesamplesareprintedwithoffsetinksonwhitepaper,andthereforewemaynotbeabletoexactlymatchacolorbyscreenprintingorpaintingonaparticularsubstrate.TheMunsellColorSystemidentifiescolorsintermsofthreeattributes:hue,value,andchroma.Thephysicalsamplestowhichwematchusingthissystemsareopaque,pigmentedfilms.Thereareover1500containmany,butnotall,ofthesecolorsamples.WeTofacilitatethisXinganhasdevelopedastandardXinganNameplateCompanyCosmeticInspectionnotformascrisplyaspolycarbonate.ContactaXinganhardcoats.Xingan'sproprietarycoatingsarecalledlevels.Wehavesamplesforall595acolorsatXingan.areabletoordersamplesforcolorswedonothaveonfile.FederalStandardNo.595aisusedbytheU.S.Governmentinitsspecifications.ThisstandardhasalimitednumberofcolorsampleswithvaryingglossCIE(InternationalCommitteeonIllumination:TheCIELABcolorsystemisthemostwidelyrecognizedsystemfordescribingcolorswithnumbers.Theadvantageofusinganumericsystemisthatitisobjective,andcomputerscanbeusedtomatchcolorsandquantifytheclosenessofacolormatchWerequireaphysicalcolorchip(2"X2"minimumaswellasthenumericcolorcoordinatestomatchacolorusingthissystem.Customersuppliedcolorsamples:Wecanmatchthecolorofacustomersuppliedsampleifrequired.Ourpreferenceisthatthesamplebeatleast2"X2"onpaintedmetal.Thesampleshouldalsobeopaque.Itshouldbekeptinmindthatcolorswillappeardifferentwhenprintedondifferentsubstrates.Thisisespeciallytrueinthecaseofsubsurfaceprintingonmembraneswitchoverlays.Colorsamplesaresuppliedtocustomerswhenrequested.Wesupplyasampleoftheactualinktobeusedinproductionappliedtothesamesubstratefromwhichthepartwillbemade.ULTRAVIOLETHARDCOATS:Themostdurablehardcoatsarethosethatarecuredbyexposuretoultravioletlight.ThesecoatingsarecalledUV"Neltex".Neltexhardcoatsareappliedthroughscreenprinting.Consequently,theycanbedepositedinselectiveareas.Thisisusefulincreatingcoatingsforwindows,aswellasenhancinggraphicsthroughtheuseoftexture.Anotherimportantaspectof"Neltex"hardcoatsisthattheyarecuredinannitrogenenvironment.Becausenitrogendoesnotreactwiththecoatingchemistriesasoxygendoes,Neltexhardcoatsareharderthanair-curedhardcoats.Intheabsenceofoxygenmorepolymersbondtootherpolymersinsteadofoxygen.Manytimesoverlaymaterialsareusedthatcomewithahardcoatonthem.Neltexhardcoatscanbeselectivelyaddedtomanyofthematerialstoproducepartswithavelvettexturedbackground,andglossoranti-glarewindows.Refertothesectiononwindowsformorespecificrecommendationsregardingwindowtexture.EMBOSSING:Inmanyapplicationsitisdesirabletoembossorhydroformthekeysofaswitch.Thephrase"PlateauEmbossing"isusedtodescribekeysthatareraisedandflatonthetop."RimEmbossing"isusedtodescribeonlytheborderofakeybeingraised.Embossingistypically.010"highandtwodimensional.Embossingexample:Hydroformingcanbeusedtoattainhigherembossments,upto2-3timesmaterialthickness.Threedimensionaldiescanalsobebuilt.Overlayscanbehydroformedwithdomesinthemtoprovidetactilefeedback.Hydroformingtoolsaresignificantlymoreexpensivethanembossingtools.Hydroformingexample:Wehavemadesamplesofbothhydroformingandembossingonpolyesterandpolycarbonatethatwillhelpillustratethedifferentresultsthatcanbeattained.Polyesterhasgreatermemoryandconsequentlydoessalesengineertorequesthydroformingandembossingsamples.COSMETICINSPECTION:Inevaluatingthecosmeticattributesofamembraneswitch,itisimportantthatthevendorandthecustomerhaveacommonunderstandingofhowthepartwillbeinspected,andwhatthecriteriaforevaluationwillbe.cosmeticinspectionspecification.Intheabsenceofacustomerspecificationwewillusethisstandard.TheStandardisavailablefordownloadingatThisstandardisalsousefulinsettingastandardformatforspecifyingcosmeticinspectionrequirements.Itisrecommendedthatincaseswhereacustomerdesirestoestablishhisowninspectioncriteria,theformatofourspecificationbeused.Thekeyrequirementsinclude;viewingtime,viewingangle,viewingdistance,andallowabledefectsizes.MECHANICALTOLERANCES:Steelrulediesarenormallyusedtofabricatethevariouslayersconnector.XinganistooledtocrimpNicomatic,AMPamembraneswitch.Standardtolerancesshouldbe+/-.015".Tolerancesof+/-.010"canbeheldoncriticaldimensionssuchastheperimeterorcutouts.Holecentertoholecentertolerancesof+/-.005"canbeheld.Tolerancesonverylargepartswillbegreater.Tightertolerancescanbeheldbylasercutting,orwiththeuseofhardtoolingifnecessary.Theswitchlayersundertheoverlaywilltypicallybefabricatedsmallerthantheoverlay.Thisallowsfordiecuttingandassemblytolerances.Alllayerswilltypicallybe.015"insetfromtheoverlayatalledgesandcutouts.LASERCUTTING:Thevariouslayersofamembraneswitchcanbecutoutbyusinganumericallycontrolledlaser.Thistechnologyofferstwoadvantages.Tightermechanicaltolerancescanbeheld,andnotoolingisrequired.Whilelasercuttingisarelativelyexpensiveprocess,inmanylowvolumeapplicationsitiscosteffective.Inmostcases,ifweareproducing100partsorless,itismorecosteffectivetolasercutthantopurchasesteelruledies.PINOUTS:Theschematicorpinoutofaswitchmaybespecifiedbythecustomerifnecessary;however,aswithanycircuitlayout,themorefreedomweareallowedthemoreefficientlayoutwecanproduce.Thishastheadvantageofshorterdevelopmenttimeandasimplercircuitlayout,whichcouldaffectswitchcost.Membraneswitchescanbedesignedwithacommonbusorinamatrix.Matrixlayoutsaredesirableforkeyboardswithmanykeystosimplifytheinterconnect.ESD/RFISHIELDING:Severaloptionsareavailableforshieldingmembraneswitches.Themostcommonmethodsareprintedcarbon,printedsilver,andaluminumfoil.Fromafunctionalstandpoint,themaindifferenceamongthesematerialsistheirconductivity.Bothcarbonandsilvercanbeprintedonthetopsideofthetopcircuittoactasashield.Carbonshieldsarelessexpensivethansilvershields.Silverisusuallyprintedinagridpatterntoreducecost.Afoilshieldhasadvantagesbothinconductivityandcost,particularlyiftheoveralldesigndoesnotneedaprintedtopcircuit.SeeAppendixAregardingeconomicaldesignforadditionalinformation.AnothereffectiveoptionforESDshieldingisagroundtracearoundtheperimeterofthecircuitlayer.ThisaddsverylittlecostandisoftentimeseffectiveforESDshieldingneeds.Theshieldcanbeconnectedtothegroundthroughtheconnector,orbymeansofatabwithaslotthatcanbemechanicallyconnectedtoground.Theinterconnectshouldbenotedontheprint.ThecustomershouldexpresstheirshieldingrequirementsinunitsofOhmspersquareinchiftheyareknown.Theentireproductpackagingmustbeconsideredwhenspecifyingshieldingrequirements.Itisimportanttoknowthattheeffectivenessofshieldingisdependentontheentiremembraneswitchenclosureandendproductfeatures.Wewilluseourexperiencetomakerecommendationsduringtheinitialdesignandworkwithyouduringtestingifadditionalshieldingisnecessary.TAILEXITPOINT:Flexiblemembraneswitchesareconnectedbymeansofaflexibletailthatiscutfromthecircuitmaterial.Wehaveagreatdealofflexibilityinselectingtheexitpoint.Thetailcannotexitunderorwithin.125"oftheactivekeypadarea.INTERCONNECT:Note:Componentdatapagesforinterconnectoptionsareavailableat:Theflexibletailthatexitsamembraneswitchusuallyhassinglerowtraceson.100"centers.ThistailcanbeconnectedtoacircuitboardwithmanydifferentsinglerowconnectorsdesignedforflexcircuitsorcanbedesignedtointerfacewithaZIF(ZeroInsertionForceandBergconnectorsontoflexcircuits.ThelowestcostinterconnectisaZIF(ZeroInsertionForceconnector.AMPandMolexbothofferZIFconnectors.WhenusingaZIFconnectorthemembraneswitchisdesignedwithexposedcontactsontheendofthetail.ThecustomertheninsertsthetailintotheZIFconnector.ZIFconnectersarereadilyavailablewithlockingmechanismsin1mmcenterversions.WhenusingaZIFconnectoryoushouldspecifyeitherthespecificconnector,ortherequirementsfortheconnector.TheAMPsystemisatwocomponentsystem.Thecontactsarespecifiedseparatelyfromthehousing.OnecriticalconsiderationistheinsulationdisplacementcharacteristicsoftheAMPsystem.IfthedesignusesdualtailsorinsulationovertheentireXingan’sSalesEngineersshouldbeconsultedearlyincomponents,aXinganSalesEngineershouldbe:XinganisAlwaysinformXingan'sEngineeringDepartmentwhen:XinganhasdevelopedproprietaryfinalizedatXingan.system.Xinganengineeringwouldbehappytohelpcontactarea,werecommendtheAMPconnectorspecifythebestconnectorforyourapplication.Ifnecessary,agenericcalloutsuchas“FemaleConnector”canbeaddedtotheprintuntilthedesignisFlexcircuitsmayalsobeterminatedwithsoldertabsthatcanbedirectlysolderedontothecircuitboard.SCREENPRINTEDFLEXCIRCUITS:Thetypicalflexcircuitsusedinmembraneswitchesaremadewithscreenprintedsilver-filledepoxyink.Theprocessiscarefullycontrolledtoinsuremaximumconductivity,adhesion,andflexibility.CROSSOVERSfeed-throughtechnologywhichcreatesdouble-sidedcircuits.Thisallowsformoreflexibledesignswhenspaceisaconstraint.Feed-throughsalsoofferanadvantageinhighhumidityenvironmentsbyminimizingtheriskofsilvermigration.Thistechnologydoesincreasethenumberofprintingoperations,andmayincreasecost.CREASINGOFFLEXCIRCUITS:Inmanyapplications,thetailofamembraneswitchneedstobebentatorneartheexitpoint.Extremecautionshouldbeexercisedwhenbendingflexcircuits.Membraneswitchtailsshouldnotbecreased.Whileitislikelythatcontinuitywillbemaintainedinatracethatiscreasedsharply,thetracewillmostlikelybedamaged,andbeapotentialareaoffuturefailuresmaximumflexibilityisrequiredinthetailofamembraneswitch.RIGIDMEMBRANESWITCHES:Insomecasesitisdesirabletobuildamembraneswitchontoarigidcircuitboardinsteadofusingscreenprintedflexcircuits.ThisconstructionprovidesarigidpanelandallowsfortheeasyadditionofothercomponentssuchasLEDsandresistors.Thesetypesofmembraneswitchesareusuallysuppliedwithastandardheaderwithpinson.100"centers.DURASWITCHTECHNOLOGYalicenseeofDuraswitchtechnology.DuraswitchtechnologyincludesPushGate,MagnaMouseandThinRotorcomponents.PushgateSwitches:DuraswitchPushgateswitchesareusedasanalternativetostainlesssteeldomes.Theyconsistofanarmatureusedinconjunctionwithamagneticlayer.Thearmaturebreaksawayfromthemagnetgivingadistinctivetactilefeel.Theactuationforceisapproximately10ouncesandisnotadjustable.TherearetwosizesofPushgatearmatures.SeveralmethodsexistforincorporatingPushgateswitchesintoadesign.Duetothespecialnatureoftheseconsulted.MagnaMouse:TheDuraswitchMagnaMousearmatureissimilartoaPushgateswitchasitiscomprisedofastampedmetalunitthatbreaksawayfromamagneticlayer.TheMagnaMouseisapproximately1”indiameterandusesacenterpivot.Byprintingvariouscircuitrypatternsonaflexiblesubstrate,compasscoordinatescanbecreated.Therecanbeasfewasfourdirectionsorasmanyaseight.TherehasbeenspecialsoftwarecreatedtoaidtheuseoftheMagnaMousethatisavailabledirectlyfromthesoftwaredeveloper.ThinRotorRT:TheDuraswitchThinRotorisasurfacemountedrotaryswitch.Usingrareearthmagnetsthatarehousedinaspeciallydevelopedrotarymechanism,conductiveballsarepulledfromtheoppositesideofaprintedflexiblecircuit.Thedesignissuchthattherearenoholesintheflexiblesubstrateandduetotheprintedsidefacingawayfromtheoverlaythedesignisinnatelysealed.ThemostsuccessfulusesoftheThinRotorareinthoseapplicationswherethereislittletonoroombehindtheuserinterfacearea.thedesigncycleastherearespecialthicknessanddesignconsiderationswhenusingDuraswitchTechnology.DOMES:Becauseoftherelativelyshorttravelofmembraneswitches,itisoftennecessarytoprovideuserswithsometypeoffeedback.Feedbackcanbevisual,audible,ortactile.Visualoraudiblefeedbackshouldbeaconsiderationintheelectronicsdesign.Domescanbeaddedtoamembraneswitchtoprovidetactilefeedback.Therearetwotypesofdomesthatweuseinmembraneswitches,stainlesssteelandpolyester.Thereisnosignificantdifferenceinreliabilitybetweenthesetwodometechnologies.Manypeoplepreferthefeelofstainlesssteeldomes.Stainlesssteeldomesalsorequirelowerinitialtoolingcosts.Stainlesssteeldomesarealmostalwaysusedonprintedcircuitboardbasedmembraneswitches.windowdesigns.ContactyourXingansalesengineernecessary.XinganhasdesignedandprintedsamplesofatshouldbecommunicatedtoXingan'sengineering:XinganhasanPolyesterdomesareusuallyformedintothetopcircuitofthemembraneswitch.Polyesterdomesrequirerelativelyexpensivemachinedtoolsthatarebuiltspecificallyforeachdesign.Asvolumesincrease,polyesterdomesbecomemorecosteffectivebecausetheydonotneedtobeassembledindividually.Asageneralruleofthumb,itmakeseconomicsensetoconsiderpolyesterdomesifthetotaldomeusageperorderisexpectedtoexceed1500.Thisisalsodependentonthedensityofthedomesinrelationtothesizeoftheoverallswitch.HigherdensityusuallyresultsinabetterfitforaPolydomedesign.Polyesterdomesrelaxandlosetheirtactilefeelatelevatedtemperatures.Polyesterdomesarenotrecommendedforapplicationsthatwillexperiencetemperaturesabove55%C(131%F.ACTUATIONFORCE:Thecustomermayspecifyswitchactuationforce.Typicalactuationforcesrangefrom6to24ounces.Polyesterdomesusuallyhavegreateractuationforcethandostainlesssteeldomes.Polyesterdomeshavetypicalactuationforcesof14to24ounces.Stainlesssteeldomesareinthe12to18ouncerange.Thetoleranceonactuationforceis+/-3ounces.LIFECYCLETESTINGongoingprogramoflifecycletestingtoinsurethatallofourswitchdesignswillcontinuetofunctionbeyond1,000,000cycles.Manydesignscanbeexpectedtolastmuchlonger.Anyspecificliferequirementsdepartmentbeforethedesignbegins.Lifecycleandenvironmentaltestingdatapagesareavailableon-lineWINDOWS:Theoverlaymaterialsusedinmembraneswitchesbegintheprocessclear.Colorsarescreenprintedonthebackoftheoverlaymaterial.Areasthatdonothavecolorprintedonthembecomewindows.Asmentionedinthesectiononhardcoats,windowareascanhaveavarietyofhardcoatsortexturesaddedtothem.ItisrecommendedthatsmalldiscreteLEDenunciatorwindowshavethesametextureasthebackground.LargerwindowsforLEDs,LCDs,orVFDsmayneedawindowwithlesslightdiffusingcharacteristics.Windowcoatingsingeneralareatrade-offbetweenanti-glarecharacteristicsandopticalclarity.Thecloserthedisplayistotheoverlaythelesseffectthecoatingwillhaveondisplayreadability.IfLEDdisplaysarewithin.062"oftheoverlay,avelvettexturewillusuallyyieldacceptablereadability.Fordistancesgreaterthan.062",werecommendaglossorantiglarefinishforthewindowcoating.IfLCDdisplaysarewithin.125"oftheoverlay,ananti-glarecoatingshouldyieldacceptablereadability.Fordistancesgreaterthan.125"aglosscoatingmaybevariousmaterialsandcoatingstoassistourcustomersinmakingwell-informeddecisionswhenspecifyingandrequestaMaterialSelectorGuideandaNeltexSampleSheet.INSERTABLELEGENDS:Insomeapplicationsitisdesirabletohavetheabilitytocustomizesomeofthelegends,eitherwhentheswitchisassembledtotheendproduct,orinthefield.Thisallowsacustomertouseonestandardmembraneswitchformanydifferentmodelsofsimilarinstruments.Italsoallowscustomizingamembraneswitchforspecificapplicationsduringthemanufacturingprocessorbytheenduser.Successfulapplicationshaveincludedvendingmachineflavors,multiplelanguages,andprivatelabeling.uniformlightoveralargearea.XinganEngineeringtohaveXingansupplythemembraneswitchmountedadhesiveforyourmountingsurface,contactaXinganLEDsareavailablefromXingansalesengineersandatexcessivelybendtheunit,however,Xingan’sLEDXinganhasaproprietaryprocesswherewebondtheTodesignaswitchwithinsertablelegends,aclearwindowisputintotheareathatwillhaveinsertablelegends.Anoversizedpocketisputbehindthisclearareasothatthelegendcardcanbeinsertedandviewedthroughthewindow.Theentireoverlayhasthesametexture,whichhelpsdisguisethefactthatlegendsarebeingviewedthroughawindow.Thediffusingpropertiesofthetexturearenotaproblemforviewingthelegendsbecausethelegendcardsarehelddirectlyagainsttheoverlaybythepocket.Itisalsorecommendedthatthebackgroundcolorbedifferentthanthecolorsurroundingthewindow.Thiswillalsohelpdisguisethelegendcard.Thefactthatamembraneswitchhasinsertablelegendscanbealmostcompletelytransparenttotheuserifimplementedcorrectly.EMBEDDEDLEDs:ItiscommontoincludesmallsurfacemountedLEDsintomembraneswitches.Thisisaverysimplewaytoaddenunciatorstoaswitch.AstandardmembraneswitchisnotthickenoughtoaccommodatethepackagesizeofmostsurfacemountedLEDs.Forthisreason,theoverlaymaybeembossedinthewindowarea,orextrafillersmaybeaddedtotheswitchconstruction.SilverconductiveepoxiesareusedtomounttheLEDstothecircuit.Theseepoxiesarenotveryflexible.ledtothecircuitcreatingaverydurableconnection.Aswithanyswitch,caremustbetakentonotbondingprocesswillallowforsomebending.DatasheetsandengineeringsamplesforembeddedMOUNTINGADHESIVES:Inmostcasesflexiblemembraneswitchesareshippedtoourcustomerswithapressuresensitiveadhesiveonthebackside.Themostcommonlyusedadhesiveis3M's467MP.Thisisanexcellentadhesiveforbondingtosmoothmetalandhighsurfaceenergyplasticsurfaces.Forroughersurfaceswerecommend3M's468MP.Somesurfacessuchaspowdercoatedsurfaceshavelowersurfaceenergy.Therearespecificadhesivesthataremoreappropriateforlowsurfaceenergyapplications.Wehavemanyadhesivestoassistintheseapplications.Ifyouareuncertainastothecorrectsalesengineer.Alwayscleanthesurfacebeforeinstallingamembraneswitch.Ifalignmentisdifficult,werecommendthatyouremoveasmallcornerofthebacking,alignthemembraneswitch,stickthecornerdown,bendbackthemembraneswitchandremovetherestoftheliner.NEVERbendamembraneswitchinanLEDordomearea.Afterthemembraneswitchiscorrectlylocated,rubitdownwithfirmpressure.Theadhesivesweusearecalledpressuresensitiveadhesivesbecausetheyneedpressuretoinsureastrongbond.Theadhesivewillcontinuetocureformanydays.Itwillhavereached90percentofitsultimatebondwithin72hoursofinstallationundermostconditions.Notestingoftheadhesiveshouldbedonewithin72hoursofinstallation.SUBPANELS:Insomeapplicationsitisdesirabletoarigidsubpanel.Themostcommonlyusedmaterialforsuchsubpanelsisaluminum.Aluminumsubpanelscanbesuppliedwithavarietyofhardwareinstalled.Otheroptionsincludepolycarbonateoracrylicbackerpanels.Thesecanhavechamfersorotherfeaturesbutnormallydonotusehardware.Itisimportanttokeepinmindthatthesubpanelmusthavedifferentmechanicaldimensionstoallowforassemblytolerances.Thesubpanelshouldbe.020"smallerthanthemembraneswitchinbothheightandwidth.Allcutoutsandholesshouldbe.030"larger.Cutoutsbehindwindowsshouldbe.060"largerthanthewindow.Thesegeneralguidelinesareintendedtohelpinsurethatthesubpanelisnotvisibleafterassembly.BACKLIGHTING:Weofferseveralbacklightingsolutionsforviewinglegendsinnolightandlowlightapplications.ThemostcommonbacklightingmethodsusedareFiberOptics,Electroluminescentpanels,andLEDs.FiberOpticsandElectroluminescentpanelsoffertheadvantageofcanassistindecidingwhichbacklightingoptionisrightforyourdesign.DRAWINGSANDSPECIFICATIONS:Ourabilitytomanufactureaswitchwhichmeetsourcustomer'sexpectationsisdependentonhowwellweunderstandourcustomer'srequirements.Thecustomershouldbesuretosupplyuswithasmuchdetailabouthisdesignrequirementsaspossible.AsampleofadrawingofamembraneswitchisincludedinAppendix"C".Appendix"D"isachecklistofissuesthatshouldbeaddressedincommunicatingacustomer'scompleterequirements.Itishelpfulforthecustomertosupplyacopyofthischecklistwithnotesontopicsnotcoveredelsewhereinhisdocumentation.Xinganunderstandsthelimitedtimethatmostcompanieshaveforproductdevelopment.WehaveassistedwithmanycustomerstocontactXinganearlyavailable.XinganiscapableandwillingtoXINGANNAMEPLATECOMPANYPRICINGCONSIDERATIONSAPPENDIXAOFTHEMEMBRANESWITCHDESIGNGUIDEPRICINGCONSIDERATIONSAswithanysuccessfulproject,themoredetailedtherequirements,thebetterthechancesapartwillmeetexpectations.successfulprojectswhereonlyagraphicrepresentationoftheswitchwastaketheseearlyideasandhelprefinethemintosolidspecifications.Weencourageourcustomersandpotentialintheprojectforassistance.PricingConsiderationsandConstructions:Therearemanyvariablesinthepriceofamembraneswitch.Theoverallsize,numberofdomes,constructiontypeandartworkallplayimporta