USER INTERFACES

Membrane Switches, Graphic Overlays,

& Silicone Rubber Keypads
TECHNICAL ENGINEERING GUIDE

Delivering Quality Since 1952.

USER INTERFACES

DELIVERING QUALITY SINCE 1952.

Epec Engineered Technologies designs and manufactures customized, built-to-print, performance-critical
products for all sectors of the electronics industry.

At Epec, we have a powerful story to tell – a history of great achievements, world class talent, and
innovative breakthroughs, but most importantly, a story of helping our customers deliver their high quality
products to market, faster.

Epec has a sixty year history of reliability, on time delivery, and financial stability. Our continuous investment
in people, technology, and new ideas are making it easier for our customers to do great work.

We have built the industry’s leading supply chain platform and technology team, with Epec UL certified
manufacturing operations in Shenzhen, Taipei, and North America, to seamlessly manage the needs of our
customers’ product life cycles.

With more than 100 dedicated employees throughout North America and Asia, Epec Engineered
Technologies has become one of the fastest growing companies in the Industry.

TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Epec has built one of the Industry’s leading global supply chain and engineering platforms.

As one of North America’s leading PCB and built-to-print engineered product companies, Epec’s annual
capital expenditures are consistently among the highest in the industry.

Our investments are focused on world class engineering design systems, such as EpecDFx™, and on
continually improving our global technology platform, to accelerate our customer’s time to market.

ENGINEERING OVERVIEW
Epec's technical engineering and manufacturing solutions have helped thousands of leading companies
reduce their time to market.

With 24/7 North American engineering support we provide our customers the most in-depth feedback, with
exact accuracy, eliminating delays and quality problems.

Epec can provide complete engineering and design services on all our engineered products, from concept
through production in a quick and efficient time frame. With over sixty years of experience and knowledge
across diverse industries, Epec has the ability to think outside the box and create innovative designs and
solid manufacturing solutions.

Our technical staff will work with you to generate material specifications, product renderings, complete
documentation and prototypes.

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 USER INTERFACES

MEMBRANE SWITCH DESIGN GUIDE

A membrane switch is a touch sensitive device created by the printing, cutting and laminating of
precision thin film plastic materials. Low-voltage, low-current momentary electrical contact is made and
retained by applying finger-tip force to the front surface of the switch.

Membrane switches are primarily utilized with microprocessor based control systems found in medical,
communication, instrumentation and appliance products.

Membrane switch technology has become a reliable front panel solution where environmental concerns
or frequent cleaning are an issue. The sealed nature of the technology coupled with its reliability and
ability to offer tremendous aesthetic flexibility make it the solution of choice for many industries.

TYPES OF MEMBRANE SWITCHES

Non-Tactile Membrane Switches
The most reliable and economical membrane switch is the non-tactile type. However, they do not give
the user direct feedback from the switch. Using a LED indicator or display change can sometimes
overcome this drawback. Non-tactile switches also have the advantage of easily creating custom
shapes and sizes of the active keypad areas.

Tactile Membrane Switches

Tactile membrane switches have a snap action that is clearly noticeable to the operator. Conductive
stainless steel snap domes have the best action. They can also eliminate the need for a flexible
upper circuit layer. To ease the final mating of the switch and avoid the possibility of a dome becoming
inverted a .015" - .020" backing layer can be provided. Hydro formed polydomes offer a milder tactile
response and a narrower operating temperature range then the metal dome.

Because of the relatively short travel of membrane switches, it is often necessary to provide
users with some type of feedback. Feedback can be visual, audible, or tactile. Visual or audible
feedback should be a consideration in the electronics design.

Domes can be added to a membrane switch to provide tactile feedback. There are
two types of domes that we use in membrane switches, stainless steel and polyester.
There is no significant difference in reliability between these two dome technologies.

Mixed Panels
Non-tactile and tactile switches can be mixed in the same panel. This can be desirable
when a large active area is needed for a particular switch or perhaps
hidden maintenance or programming switches.

PCB Backed Membrane Switches

A printed circuit board can be used for the lower circuit. The
board can provide structural support and incorporate numerous
surface mount components. This assembly can be bonded to your
PCB or sub-contractors can be utilized to provide this type of construction.

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USER INTERFACES

MATERIAL SELECTION
A variety of overlay materials are used in membrane switch applications.

Polycarbonate is a commonly used material because it is easy to print on, die cut and emboss –
making it a very cost effective alternative. The disadvantage of polycarbonate is that it begins to show
signs of wear sooner than some of the alternate materials.

In most applications polycarbonate overlays will last a minimum of 100,000 cycles during life cycle
testing. Uncoated polycarbonate is also susceptible to damage from a variety of chemicals. If a
polycarbonate overlay is going to be in an environment that will subject it to chemicals, a hardcoat
should be used to protect the overlay.

Polyester is a more robust material that has superior

life cycle and chemical resistance properties. In life
cycle testing, polyester shows no signs of wear at
1,000,000 cycles.

Polyester is also more difficult to die cut resulting in more

frequent reblading of steel rule dies.

Both polyester and polycarbonate are available with a

variety of textures and hardcoats. In their uncoated glossy
form both materials are very susceptible to scratching.
For this reason we recommend that gloss materials
receive a hardcoat.

EQUIPMENT INTERFACE
Circuit Design - Configuration
Tracking lay-out can affect the reliability and ease with which the membrane switch can be
manufactured. Therefore, the pin-out (i.e. the order in which the tracks exit the tail) should be left to the
switch manufacturer when possible. The best pin-out can then be provided by the manufacturer to you
as part of the design preparation process.

Switches can be connected using:

1. A common line configuration. (A common bus, ground, connects a number of different switches.
This works well with a smaller number of switches and is generally an easier layout to engineer).

2. A matrix configuration. (An X-Y matrix for interconnecting columns and rows is created. This
greatly reduces the number of tracks relative to the number of
switches that the connector will require).

3. A mixture of the two.

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 USER INTERFACES

SHIELDING
Conductive inks or metalized (aluminum clad) polyester can be used to introduce an additional shield to
the switch beneath the graphic layer.

Grounding can be accomplished with a separate tail or using the same connector as the circuitry.
Alternatively a grounding tab can be created for connecting to a metal backing plate or support panel.

VENTING
A pocket of air exists between the contacts of the switch. This air must be displaced when the overlay is
depressed. Normally venting tracks to accommodate this displacement are designed between switches
a part of the spacer layer by the switch manufacturer. This will result in a completely sealed switch and
is perfect under normal atmospheric conditions.

PINOUTS

The schematic or pinout of a switch may be specified by the customer if necessary; however, as with
any circuit layout, the more freedom we are allowed the more efficient layout we can produce.

This has the advantage of shorter development time and a simpler circuit layout, which could affect
switch cost. Membrane switches can be designed with a common bus or in a matrix. Matrix layouts are
desirable for keyboards with many keys to simplify the interconnect.

CONNECTOR TAIL

The position of the tail should be carefully planned as it could have substantial impact on the design of
the membrane switch. A minimum clearance of .10 from tail edges for the tracks and a .040 minimum for
each track must be allowed.

The tail is formed from the circuit layers. Therefore, no feature requiring a circuit track (i.e. switch or
integrated LED) can be between the tail exit point and the edge of the panel. The easiest exit location
that can be produced is to bring the tail straight out of a panel edge (edge exit). This works fine if a bezel
will cover the panel edge. Also easily accomplished is if the tail can exit just inside the panel's perimeter.

If the tail must exit from within the perimeter (inset exit) then a tail filler must be used to replace the
missing circuit layers. Alternatively a WATER TIGHT NEMA 4 type perimeter seal can be utilized at an
additional cost when necessary.

A male or female connector can be fitted to the end of the tail. Exposed silver should be covered with
carbon to avoid silver migration and not be adversely affected by moisture.

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USER INTERFACES

INTEGRATED LED'S

Surface mount LED's can be integrated into a membrane switch circuit. However they cannot be
mounted within the active switch area. Bi-Color LEDs can also be utilized.

ELECTRICAL PERFORMANCE
The large variety of membrane switch designs can make it difficult to outline a general set of
specifications that covers all membrane switches.

Listed below are some basic performance specifications.

• Loop Resistance: The loop resistance of a switch is a function of trace width and length.
In most applications the maximum loop resistance is less than 100 Ohms.
• Open Circuit Resistance: 50 Mega Ohms minimum
• Contact Rating: 100 Milliamps at 28 VDC Maximum
• Maximum Load: 1.5 VA Nominal
• Contact Bounce: 5 Milliseconds Nominal
• Operating Temperature: -20°C to +75°C

CUT-OUTS & PARAMETERS

Switch cut-outs (unless a bezel covers the opening) should be .030" overall larger than chassis
openings. Allow at least .062" between cut-outs and active switch or window areas.

Normally the membrane overlay is made slightly larger than the layers beneath and recesses should be
.010" larger all around to assure a proper fit.

Care should be taken that graphics are not obstructed with any bezels fitting around cut-outs.

LASER CUTTING
The various layers of a membrane switch can be cut switch LED
Circuit Matrix
pins

out by using a numerically controlled laser. This

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 # 10 # 11 # 12
SW 1
SW 2
29.11 mm

58.71 mm

82.63 mm

96.03 mm
8.32 mm

D1
0.328"

1.146"

2.311"

3.253"

3.781"

technology offers two advantages.

D2
0.00 mm
0.000"

D3
D4 Ø 0.344"
6.154"
8.73 mm
156.32 mm
5.818"
147.77 mm

5.268"
20.05 mm

133.81 mm
5.024"
0.789"

2X metal domes
127.62 mm
4.766"
2X vent/retainer

Tighter mechanical tolerances can be held, and

121.06 mm

2X Ø 0.270"
blue D4 6.85 mm 1.517"
(conductive 38.53 mm
silver pad)
50.31 mm
1.981"

SW 1

no tooling is required.
59.02 mm
2.324"

SW 2
2.54 mm

1.342" 0.364"
0.100"

34.10 mm 9.25 mm

0.342"
8.68 mm 2.288"
58.12 mm
31.50 mm
1.240"

1.539"
39.10 mm
Pin 1 1.160"
4.142"
29.47 mm

While laser cutting is a more expensive process than

105.20 mm Asia brand connector
(12-pin female)
0.847"
21.52 mm

D3 green

exposed carbon
contacts (front)
0.000"
D2 orange 4X R 0.039" 0.00 mm

die cutting, in many low and medium volume

1.00 mm
dielectric coat (front) 3X Ø 0.302"
D1 red
7.67 mm

Back View Upper Circuit Layer

EPEC date code

applications it is quite cost effective. Front View Assembly

Total part thickness = approx. .032” (.81mm) Epec, LLC

174 Duchaine Blvd., New Bedford, MA 02745
P: 508-995-5171 F: 508-998-8694
www.epectec.com
DESCRIPTION: Membrane switch with graphic overlay & tactile domes

DRAWING NUMBER: n/a

REVISION: -

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 USER INTERFACES

SCREEN PRINTED NAMEPLATES

Screen-printed nameplates are high quality and visually appealing for decorative, promotional or
instructional purposes. They are typically recommended for mild indoor or outdoor applications where
exposure to sunlight and durability are of prime concern. Screen-printed nameplates are used in a
variety of commercial and industrial applications.

Screen Printed Nameplate Capabilities:

• Most sheet stock materials – paper, plastic, films and metals
• Up to 25" x 33" in size, larger sizes available upon review
• Material thickness from .002" to .250"
• Top surface or second surface printed
• Pantone®, Federal Standard or custom colors
• Embossing or stamped serial numbers on metal substrates
• Mechanical fastener, studs or adhesive attachment methods
• 3 to 5 year outdoor durability

Polycarbonate nameplates have superior mechanical strength, toughness and clarity. The
polycarbonate nameplate can also survive extreme environmental conditions, such as high
temperatures, chemical abrasions and corrosion. Polycarbonates are known for their dimensional
stability, optical clarity, printability and graphic design freedom.

Polyesters various characteristics, such as high tensile strength, durability, clarity, resistance to abrasion
and solvents, electric insulation, resistance to shrinking and stretching and is great for printing and
die cutting.

ETCHED NAMEPLATES
Etched nameplates are recommended for harsh indoor or outdoor applications where exposure to
weather, temperature extremes, sunlight, chemicals, solvents, fuels and lubricants is possible. Images
are chemically etched into the substrate surface and could be filled with ink for added aesthetic and
functional value.

They are particularly suited for industrial, marine, aircraft or automotive

applications. Most metallic materials including aluminum,
brass and stainless steel.

Etched Nameplate Capabilities:

• Material thickness from .008" to .125"
• 002" standard etch depth with capability up to .005"
• Embossing or stamped serial numbers
• Chemical and scuff resistant
• Pantone®, Federal Standard or custom colors
• Mechanical fastener, studs or adhesive attachment methods
• 7 year minimum outdoor durability

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USER INTERFACES

CAPABILITIES - PROCESSES
Die Cutting Machining
• Unusual shapes • Full in-house machine shop
• Rounded corners • Manufacture any rectangular, square, or round
• Hard dies for metal parts metal nameplate, serial / VIN plate, or control
• Steel rule dies for flexible materials panel without additional tooling charge.
• Thermal dies for vinyl substrate

Serial Stamping
Embossing • Serial, vehicle identification numbers (VIN) or
• Adds three-dimensions to printing for unique model numbers can be stamped on flexible or
identification metal substrates

Laminating Bar Codes

• Protects printed nameplates, overlays, and
decals
• Subsurface printing on flexible substrates can
be laminated on aluminum nameplates for i
creased durability and protection
• Bar codes can be printed on any nameplate,
serial / VIN plate, control panel, or graphic
overlay, on any surface type

Forming
• Bending to your specifications

CAPABILITIES - MATERIALS
Metals Flexibles
• Aluminum • Polycarbonate
• Anodized Aluminum (clear or black) • Polyester Film
• Stainless Steel • Vinyl
• Brass • Foil
• Metalphoto • Adhesive-Backed Litho Paper
• Polystyrene

Adhesives
• Permanent, pressure-sensitive acrylic
• Special adhesives for application to
powder coated surfaces or low surface
energy plastic
• Various foam thicknesses to adhere to
rough surfaces or to dampen vibrations

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 USER INTERFACES

KEYPAD DESIGN

Physical Properties of Silicone Rubber

Typical Physical Property Carbon Conductor Silicone Insulator
Specific Gravity@ 72° C 1.18 1.17
Durometer Hardness (Shore A) 65 ± 5 30-80 ± 5
Tensile Strength (KG/CM) >50 >70
Elongation (%) >100 >250
Tear Strength (KG/CM) >9 >12
Linear Shrinkage (%) 3-5 3 -4.5
Volume Resistivity (Ohm/CM) <5 1x1015

Dimension Tolerances
Inches MM Inches MM
0 - .987 0 - 25 .005 .13
.998 - 1.460 25.1 - 37 .008 .20
1.461 - 1.971 37.1 - 50 .010 .25
1.972 - 2.444 50. - 1-62 .012 .31
2.445 - 2.956 62.1 - 75 .015 .38
2.957 - 3.428 75.1 - 87 .017 .44
3.429 - 3.940 87.1 - 100 .020 .50
3.491 - 5.908 100.1 - 150 .024 .62
5.909 - OVER 150.1 - OVER 0.5% 0.5%

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USER INTERFACES

USER INTERFACE
The Graphic Overlay
The appearance of the graphic overlay is integral to the operator's view of the equipment.

Nearly any colors can be produced. The finest line (or space between lines) that can be effectively
printed is a .006" thickness. The maximum line screen is 230 LPI (lines per inch) for graduated
halftones and process printing.

Embossing can be used with either tactile or non-tactile switches but pillow embossing alone does not
give a tactile response.

Display Windows
Integral display windows and LED indicators can be easily incorporated into the membrane switch
design. Single point and block LED's have the least limitations. They will perform well with any of the
material surface finishes. However, for greater diffusion a matte or textured surface finish is preferred.
LED's cannot come through the active area of a tactile switch, although graphically they can be made to
appear as a part of the switch.

Integral (surface mounted) single point LED's can be mounted onto the bottom layer lower circuit. A wide
range of colors, including bi-color, are available. Termination can then be provided from the same
connector tail as the switches, if the graphic layer is embossed to accommodate the LED's. The graphic
does not need to be embossed if the LED termination is provided on a separate tail.

Digital windows can be designed to enhance the specific display that will be used. Texture will distort the
appearance of displays that are not directly against the overlays. Matte and gloss finishes work best.
Translucent filtering inks can be printed to improve a display's appearance.

For an LCD the window will remain un-colored. The matte (anti-glare) finish offers more scratch
resistance than the gloss (clear) finish but may diffuse displays further then .060" away. A red LED
display's appearance will be improved with the addition of either a RED or SMOKE GRAY color. Use red
to achieve better readability in low light conditions or smoke gray when used in brighter conditions or
with other colored LED's.

The concept is the same for use with Green or Yellow (amber) LED's. Use GREEN or AMBER yellow
filters, respectfully, for low light conditions or smoke gray in brighter conditions.

DEADFRONTING (hidden until lit) is an additional option that can be included if the legends are against
a dark background.

Selective Texturing
Selective texturing is a screen-printed application of a scratch resistant surface hardcoat to the front
face of the graphic overlay. The purpose is to improve the clarity of display windows or to visually
emphasize specific areas.

A textured hardcoat can be applied to glossy or anti-glare material. This results in the best display
windows. Another method is to apply a clear hardcoat to textured material.

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 USER INTERFACES

ARTWORK GUIDELINES
Support Software

Epec Currently Supported Software: Other Acceptable Formats:

• AutoCAD (.dwg & .dxf) • Adobe Portable Document File (.pdf)
• Adobe Illustrator (.ai) • Encapsulated Postscript (.eps)
• Adobe InDesign (.indd) • Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)
• Tagged Image File (.tif or .tiff)
• Adobe Photoshop (.psd)

Many other formats exist for electronic file transfer. If you have a file type other than what is listed above
please send us what you have and we will do our best to accommodate your format.

Resolution
A minimum resolution of 300 dpi is recommended. Lower formats may result in poor quality
reproduction.

Text & Fonts

All text needs to be converted to outlines to prevent character or font substitution. Convert the fonts to
"curves" (when using CorelDraw) or "Create Outlines" (when using Adobe Illustrator).

If you do not have this capability please include any associated font files along with your graphic file.
If fonts are not included or converted to curves we cannot guarantee
the graphics will match your intended design.

Color
Artwork should be submitted as spot colors (pantone colors).
Please provide the pantone color numbers being used with
your artwork file.

Linked Graphics
If you are using a program that allows for linked images,
rather than embedded in the file, please provide linked
graphics separately.

Bleeds
Elements that extend beyond the edge cut (bleeds) should
extend a minimum of .125" beyond the edge cut.

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AMERICA'S OLDEST. A HISTORY OF INNOVATION.
The 60-year story of Epec is connected to the development of the PCB and the electronics industry.

Epec, through the merger of Electralab and Printed Electronics Corp

(EPEC), are proudly two of the five founding members of the IPC,
the 2,900 member trade association supporting the $1.5 trillion
global electronics industry.

From pioneering innovation in the PCB Industry with R & D,

training and setting professional core values, the legacy of
Epec has now passed to a new generation of very bright
young people, but still continues the great
tradition of imagination.

In incubating new technologies, the Epec team continue

breaking new frontiers in engineering, and enjoying
exponential growth in related sectors of electronics, with
custom battery packs, membrane switches,
rubber keypads, and EC fans and drives.

CONTACT US
Our knowledgeable staff has many years of experience in the industry.
We welcome the opportunity to put our skills to work for you!
Please contact us with any questions or requests.

North American Headquarters

174 Duchaine Blvd.
New Bedford, MA 02745
Toll Free: (888) 995-5171
Tel: (508) 995-5171
Fax: (508) 998-8694

Contact Us By Email:
Sales sales@epectec.com
Quotes quoting@epectec.com
Engineering engineering@epectec.com
Quality quality@epectec.com

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