Reliability is paramount in the aerospace industry – few other industries deal with the sky-high stakes that pilots, airline controllers, and other members of the industry deal with every day. You need your controls to be consistent, durable, and easy to use.
You need General Label.
Our membrane switches are custom-made to suit your needs, whether it be for cockpit equipment, galley equipment, or ground equipment. Membrane switches are easy to clean, lightweight, and durable. Their thin profile means they can be used in areas where space is at a premium – that makes them perfect for airplanes.
We also offer a wide variety of different overlays, which can be used to display vital information to passengers, flight crew, ground crew, and other stakeholders in the aerospace industry.
Our overlays and membrane switches are built to last, with a wide variety of built-in protections available to keep users safe. Improve end-user experience, all while protecting your product – choose General Label.
Examples of Membrane Switch in the Aerospace Industry
Membrane switches and capacitive touch switches are employed throughout the aerospace industry, including:
- In the cockpit
- In the cabin (passenger use)
- In the airport terminal
- On the ground (in-ground support vehicles)
- And more
Benefits of membrane switches
With over 30 years of experience constructing membrane switches, we’ve developed cutting-edge techniques and technology to better serve the aerospace industry. Regulations and tolerances are exacting – that’s why all of our membrane switches are individually tested for durability and functionality.
Our membrane switches are built to endure even the harshest environments present in the aerospace industry. They’re designed to be:
- Fireproof
- Discharge proof (EMI Shielding)
- Abrasion-resistant
- Impact-resistant
- UV-resistant
- Temperature-resistant
- Water resistant and dustproof (IP67)
- And more
To ensure compliance, our switches are perfectly fitted to your equipment – they can be designed to work in both low and high pressure environments. We do this by using a wide variety of materials in our switches, including:
- Polyester
- Polycarbonate
- ESD Coating
- LEDs (for backlighting)
- 3M™ adhesives
- Steel domes (for actuated response)
- And more
In addition to our membrane switches, we offer capacitive touch switches. These switches can be curved and aren’t pressure-activated, making them an excellent choice for passenger-facing user interfaces. Capacitive touch switches can help with navigation through airport terminals, as well as to facilitate passenger interactions in airplane cabins.
Membrane switches and capacitive touch switches are endlessly customizable – everything from screen opacity to color to branding can be customized to suit your needs.
They’re designed with the environmental regulations surrounding airplanes and other aerospace vehicles in mind. We know you’re not in the membrane switch compliance industry – we’ll ensure that our switches comply with all relevant regulations. We’ll develop a switch that will perfectly suit your needs.
Type of Overlays Used in Aviation
Overlays are used throughout aviation. You’ll commonly see them on cabin controls, safety equipment, ground equipment, and more. Overlays are often dead-fronted, hiding indicators until they are activated and an LED enables them to shine through.
There are as many different types of overlays as there are membrane switches. Their low profile and customizability make them the perfect choice for the aerospace industry. Colors, opacity, graphics, and more can all be customized to suit your needs. Our overlays are designed to be:
- Water resistant and dustproof (IP67)
- UV resistant
- Corrosion resistant
- Impact resistant
- And more
We can also customize your overlays with a number of value-added features, including:
- Embossing
- Hard coat finishes
- Antimicrobial finishes
- Filter windows
- Deadfronting
- Panel interconnections
Material Converting in Aerospace
Few industries are as exacting as aerospace. There’s no room for error. With decades of experience, a team of highly skilled engineers, and cutting-edge technology, we create custom parts for products with even the most demanding tolerances.
Our team engineers a wide variety of parts for the aerospace industry. These products include:
- Gaskets
- EMI Shielding
- Surface protection films
- Acoustic mesh and linings
- And much more
How these parts can be used in aerospace may be evident to aerospace engineers – for others, examples may be useful. Here are a few:
- Vibration dampening gaskets can be used throughout a plane – vibration is one of the main environmental concerns engineers look to mitigate
- EMI shielding and surface protection films can be used throughout the cockpit to protect sensitive interfaces from discharge, abrasion, and other hazards
- Acoustic mesh can be used in the high-quality microphones essential to air traffic control.
Aerospace environments are harsh. Engineers must consider rapid changes in pressure, temperature, vibrations, and more when designing parts. With our cutting-edge techniques and access to high quality materials, we can design parts to suit even the exacting tolerances of the industry.
Some of the materials we use include:
- Polyesters
- Polyimide (Kapton)
- Polycarbonates
- Adhesives
- Tapes (including VHB)
- Foams
- Liners
These materials are combined and custom-cut using a variety of techniques. Our die-cutting, laser-cutting, and other machines allow us an incredible degree of precision in manufacturing. Some of the techniques we employ for material converting include:
- Printing
- Laminating
- Die cutting
- Laser cutting
With the wide array of custom converting options we offer, we can develop, prototype, and scale parts to production.
Get in touch with us today
Whether you’re looking for membrane switches, capacitive touch switches, or overlays, we can help! General Label is a full-service switch and overlay manufacturer. That means we handle everything, including:
- Design and engineering
- Research and development
- Manufacturing
- Quality assurance
All of our switches are tested individually – never batch-tested. That means you know your switch will work – reliability is imperative in the aerospace industry. And many of our switches are rated for 1 million or more uses – that means that our membrane switches typically last longer than the other components of a given product.
Interested in improving the user interface and durability of your product? Get in touch with us. We’ll schedule a meeting to discuss your needs, and design the membrane switch that’s perfect for you. Whether you’ve got a fully fleshed-out design in mind, or you just have some good ideas jotted down in a notepad, General Label will bring your dreams to life.