HMI SOLUTIONS
MEMBRANE SWITCHES: Experts Since 1979
Nobody Does It Better
Xymox has been a leader in the design and manufacture of membrane switches since the technology was born in the late 1970s.
XYTOUCH
Membrane Switch & Touchscreen Hybrid
Developed to address high-use and vulnerability markets, XyTouch offers a completely sealed continuous surface for water resistance, chemical resistance, and wash down. By combining the touchscreen and membrane in one assembly, you can now use the membrane to interface the repetitive high volume input of specific keys and the software interface of the screen without the typical wear and breakdown associated with touchscreens.
- Elimination of bulky rims or frames around your touchscreen
- Better aesthetic design
- More flexibility for front panel configurations
- Sealing and cavity-free front panels
- More robust touchscreen assembly with longer-term performance
- Greater reliability in a wider range of applications
XYWELD
Sealed Switch for Harsh Environments
For harsh environment applications in which a membrane switch may be exposed to water, dust, extreme temperatures, or harsh cleaners, the XyWeld® sealed switch is the best solution! The Xymox XyWeld® switch involves a specialty adhesive bonded with a proprietary heat-activated process to yield a spacer that is much more robust than a standard Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive (PSA).
BACKLIGHTING
Take Your Products from Good to Great
One of the best ways to enhance customer experiences with your products is to add simple backlighting solutions to your designs. Xymox backlighting kits help you save space, with the LEDs and conductive screen printing all on one sheet of polyester.
These newer constructions use side fire LEDs to light entire keycap text and various icons on a panel. The end result is a more intuitive lighting experience.
Xymox membrane switches can be built with surface mount LEDs embedded into the switch package to provide a cost-effective way of backlighting. This construction uses top-fire, single-point LEDs, which typically light a small window next to a key or in the corner of a key.
TACTILE FEEDBACK
The Right Dome for the Right Application
Our exclusive Xymox manufacturing process produces the industry’s highest-quality polyester tactile domes in the graphic layer. And we have the advanced capability to machine place four-legged metal domes when the application calls for it.
For feedback you can really feel, consider using metal dome switches. Metal domes provide a crisp snap when pushed and help your customers confidently know the button was pushed. Xymox currently offers a wide variety of domes, with the typical sizes being the 12.2 mm, 8.4 mm, and 6 mm domes, and our friends at Snaptron and Nicomatic offer additional diameters and features in their dome products. So no matter the required specification, rest assured that Xymox will collaborate with you to determine the best dome choice for your application.
Features & Benefits
- Tactile switch constructions that eliminate the top layer of the membrane switch
- Stable forces
- Excellent tactile feel
- Very long lifecycles: in excess of one million actuations
Polyester dome systems match performance with affordability. They provide switch users with a keypad that has a strong, uniform tactile feel and give you the choice of standard- or high-temperature performance at an affordable price. The combination of in-house design and manufacturing also makes for shorter lead times.
Features & Benefits
- Dual Purpose – When the dome is formed in the overlay itself, the dome switch helps the user identify the key location and provides tactile feedback.
- Consistency – Thanks to our in-house designed and manufactured equipment, Xymox produces a consistent dome switch from keypad to keypad and order to order.
- Withstand High Temperature – Xymox uses a proprietary forming process developed in-house that molecularly reshapes the polyester into the geometry of the dome; thus, the “memory” of the plastic sheet is in the geometry of the dome.
- Crisp Tactile Feel – Due to the forming process and the dome geometries developed, Xymox ensures a firm “snap” throughout the specified life of the switch.
- Reliability – Systems are tested beyond 2 million actuations.
- Design Flexibility – Xymox will custom design our dome switches to meet any of our customers’ requirements. And additional domes on a given part can be added with little or no increase to the piece price.
CONDUCTIVE INKS
Superior Performance
Our conductive inks show superior performance on printed circuits and bonded components in applications such as dishwashers, gas pumps, and industrial controls. Custom-formulated inks are available to fit your requirements.
Conductive Epoxy 501 was developed for use as a conductive structural attachment for surface-mounted devices on polyester circuitry, thermoplastic circuitry, and paper phenolic rigid laminates. This material forms a strong bond with these substrates and silver inked circuits. It is available in a range of viscosities and is stencilable, screenable, and dispensable, depending on the process used by the customer.
UVD-11 Clear Encapsulate was developed to provide additional mechanical strength in attaching a component to a substrate. It is a UV-cured, dispensable coating, compatible with thermally-cured epoxies, and is suitable for both flexible and rigid substrates.
HF Conductive Silver Ink was developed for use as a screen-printed silver ink for printed electronic applications such as membrane switch circuits.
RUBBER KEYPADS
Multiple Designs at the Ready
In some applications, it is preferred to use a rubber keypad user interface rather than a membrane switch graphic. Additionally, many factors contribute to the life expectancy of a rubber keypad, from the material used to the tactile feedback. Our non-conductive, non-tactile elastomer construction over a sealed membrane switch can provide tactile feedback from metal or polyester domes. All of the switching is part of the sealed membrane switch, with circuitry exiting via a circuit tail. Having tactile in the membrane switch allows for a thinner construction when compared to a tactile elastomer.
STOCK MEMBRANE SWITCHES
Low-Volume Production and Prototypes
Our line of stock membrane switches is available through a distribution network with no tooling or engineering design cost. Xymox stock membrane switches are normally open, momentary contact, push-button type devices. Layers of insulating materials, conductive coatings, and adhesives are combined to form a completely sealed switch, ideally suited for switching low-energy logic signals.
Xymox carries a variety of both tactile and non-tactile options:
• Tactile Switches
Xymox tactile feedback metal dome stock products are ideally suited for use in most membrane switching applications in which user feedback is a requirement. They are constructed with stainless steel domes located over each switch position, and the provided key spacing offers good finger placement and graphic design flexibility.
• Non-Tactile Switches
All stock Xymox panels are constructed of flexible materials and designed for bonding to a rigid support surface. Connections are made through conductive tracks on a connecting tail, and there are various styles of tail terminations available.
In the Stock Membrane Switch catalog, you will find design layouts, specs, and part numbers for anything from single-key layouts through 40-key layouts. Stock switches are available with or without metal domes and with or without a Berg connector.
CUSTOM SWITCH DESIGN
A More Specialized Approach
Custom switch design at Xymox is truly a collaborative experience. As our customer, you’ll play a critical role in the process as well! We’ll rely on your help to define the application and identify the key elements required in satisfying your end customers.
We encourage you to fill out our requirements form. It will serve as an aid in putting together the blueprint for your custom switch design. The information provided will help us in manufacturing a part that meets your specifications.
In the document you will find:
• General Requirements
Any special quality requirements that you have related to FMEAs, PPAP’s, regulatory requirements, etc.
• Faceplate Requirements
All of the details required for the top layer that carries the colors and defines the key nomenclature
• Electrical Requirements
Every detail required for the switch itself
• Tolerances
Printing, diecutting, and assembly tolerances
New to the use of membrane switches, Xymox guided us to a design that was extremely reliable for our application. They performed various environmental tests to replicate our product’s usage, and did so in a timely manner.
– Customer since 2016
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