Membrane keyboards

A membrane keyboard, in the narrower or classic sense, is a keyboard made only of (plastic) foils. The necessary circuits are printed with conductive silver paste on one or more layers of foil and the button itself can be designed with or without a metallic snap disk. This design is particularly suitable for membrane keyboards with increased demands on durability, dust and water tightness or if a high level of media resistance is generally required. In a broader sense, membrane keyboards are characterized by a closed membrane surface. The underlying functional levels or components can, but need not, be based on plastic films. One advantage here is the great freedom of design: lighting, pushbuttons, short-stroke buttons, capacitive circuit board-based or printed conductive silver, touchscreens and much more can be integrated without giving up the closed surface.

Application areas

Due to their cost-effective production, media resistance and long service life, membrane keyboards are mainly used in an industrial context (e.g. mechanical engineering or packaging, food and pharmaceutical technology) as well as in medical fields.

The right technology depends on the exact area of application and its requirements. The following overview shows an example of the design options for membrane keyboards:

Printed circuit level on foil basis

One or two-layer technology for increased temperature and humidity requirements (conductive silver / insulating lacquer / graphite), integration of LEDs for function or status displays, …

Folientastaturen: Gedruckte Schaltebene auf Folienbasis

Front foils

Screen printing, digital printing or hybrid printing, strong / weak matt or glossy, keys with / without embossing, printed key domes, etc. Even with various membrane keyboards, front foils have a standard thickness of between 150 µm and 280 µm.

PCB-based switching level

Membrane keyboards can also be designed with a conventional printed circuit board (PCB) as the switching level. Consideration of all customer requests such as LEDs, brightness sensors, control electronics, RFID readers, IR sensors, etc.

Folientastaturen: Schaltebene auf PCB Basis mit LEDs

Folientastaturen: Schaltebene auf PCB Basis Rückseite

Keys

With or without a metal snap disk (e.g. with 2N to 4N actuating force and 6mm to 20mm diameter), short-stroke buttons (illuminated or unlit), buttons with button caps (labeled or unlabeled), emergency stop buttons, capacitive buttons, etc.

Connection

We also offer various standard connection options for your membrane keyboards, depending on your needs and requirements. Some of our standard variants are: with connector (FCI Clincher or Duflex), without connector (ZIF connector), with USB adapter board and others.

We design, develop and manufacture membrane keyboards individually according to your specifications or work with you to find the best solution for your company. We are happy to offer you a combination with a carrier plate. The selection of the right design, buttons or front membrane must be coordinated in advance with the area of application and its requirements. We are happy to support you with tips and a wide variety of options.