Applications
Military & Defense Application
Durability And Ruggedness
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● Shock and Vibration Resistance: Must withstand mechanical shocks and vibrations typically encountered in military vehicles, aircraft, and handheld devices.
● Temperature Tolerance: Capable of operating in extreme temperature ranges, from very cold to very hot environments.
●Water and Dust Resistance: Often required to meet IP65 or higher standards for protection against water and dust ingress. This is crucial for outdoor and battlefield use.
● Chemical Resistance: Resistant to chemicals, oils, and solvents that may be encountered in military environments.
User Interface Design
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●Tactile Feedback: Provide clear tactile feedback to users, allowing them to confirm button presses even in stressful situations or when wearing gloves.
● Ergonomics: Designed for ease of use under various conditions, including operation with gloves or protective gear. Buttons should be adequately spaced and easy to locate by touch.
● Backlighting: Keypads should have adjustable backlighting for visibility in low-light or nighttime conditions, and should be compatible with night vision equipment to avoid interference.
● Ergonomics: Designed for ease of use under various conditions, including operation with gloves or protective gear. Buttons should be adequately spaced and easy to locate by touch.
● Backlighting: Keypads should have adjustable backlighting for visibility in low-light or nighttime conditions, and should be compatible with night vision equipment to avoid interference.
Reliability
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● High MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures): Ensures long operational life and minimal downtime, which is critical for mission success.
● Consistent Performance: Must maintain consistent performance and responsiveness throughout their lifecycle, even after repeated use.
Maintenance and Field Serviceability
● Easy Maintenance: Designed for easy maintenance and repair in the field, often requiring minimal tools and expertise.
● Field Replaceability: Components should be easily replaceable to minimize downtime and maintain operational readiness.
Ergonomic Design and User Experience
● User-Centered Design: Focus on creating a user-friendly interface that can be easily operated in high-stress or combat situations.
● Feedback Systems: Incorporate auditory or visual feedback systems to provide users with immediate confirmation of their inputs.
Testing and Quality Assurance
● Rigorous Testing: Subject to rigorous testing protocols to ensure they meet all operational and environmental requirements.
● Quality Assurance: Strict quality control processes to ensure each unit meets the necessary standards before deployment.
Environmental Standards Compliance
● MIL-STD-810: Compliance with military standards for environmental engineering, covering temperature, humidity, shock, and vibration testing.
● MIL-STD-461: Standards for controlling electromagnetic interference (EMI) to ensure reliable operation in electromagnetic environments.
Mechanical and Electrical Specifications
● Actuation Force: The force required to press a button should be optimized for usability while preventing accidental activation.
●Switch Lifespan: High durability with a lifespan typically rated in millions of actuations.
● Electrical Characteristics: Low contact resistance and reliable electrical performance to ensure accurate signal transmission.
Customizability And Integration
● Custom Graphics and Legends: Ability to customize graphics, legends, and colors to match specific requirements and enhance usability.
● Integration with Systems: Seamless integration with other military systems and equipment, ensuring interoperability and compatibility with existing infrastructure.
Environmental Impact And Safety
● Non-Toxic Materials: Use of non-toxic materials to ensure safety for users and environmental compliance.
● RoHS Compliance: Compliance with Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives to limit the use of specific hazardous materials.
Summary
Material selection for Defense Application Keypad:
LuphiTouch can design and manufacture a variety of membrane switches, rubber keypads, touchscreens for military and defense industry.
When we design a membrane switch for military and defense application, first, we must consider selecting proper raw materials. For the graphic overlay, we suggest using Polyester material. As per your application, we can select Autotex, Autotex XE or Autoflex series polyester materials. For the standard in-room application, then the standard Autotex series polyester is ok enough. If there will be a big display window on membrane switch, then we suggest using Autoflex series polyester which is a kind of anti-scratch polyester material. If the application is for outsides, then we suggest using Autotex XE series polyester material which is a kind of UV-resistant polyester material.
By the way, silicone rubber keypad is also widely used in military equipment and instruments. It can be solely purchased and installed on end devices, but also can be combined with membrane switch to be a rubber switch subassembly. It means that using rubber keypad to replace the PET overlay on a membrane switch. The silicone rubber keypad and rubber keypad switch module are very popular in military and defense industry.
For the spacers(adhesives) of the membrane switch, we suggest using 3M brand adhesives for military and defense keypad applications. But 3M has many different types of double sides adhesives and single side adhesives. To use which model for overlay spacer, circuit spacer and rear adhesive based on the keypad thickness and other real applications.
As to the circuit layer, we suggest using copper FPC circuit or rigid PCB circuit. Try to avoid using silver printed polyester circuit. Both the copper FPC and rigid PCB circuits have more higher reliability and stability than silver printed polyester circuit.