The History of Membrane Switch

Membrane switches have a history of 50 years from 1970 to now.

In 1970, when the first Membrane switch was officially launched, it was only improved to improve the appearance of the product. The panel was attached to the switch to form a simple Membrane switch. The product is economical but not durable and stable. Since the initial positioning of the product is to change the appearance of the product, although the appearance of the membrane switch is obviously more beautiful than the ordinary mechanical keyboard, it is a non-tactile membrane switch without any tactile feedback. Product failure often occurs. The material is conventional polycarbonate, so as users use it, the product will begin to crack and even wear. At that time, users chose more stable mechanical switches.

The situation continued until the early 1980s were improved. Membrane switch manufacturers quit the tactile membrane switch by using metal dome and The polyester material replaces Polycarbonate to solve the problem of easy damage to the product.

From 1984 to 2008, the durability of traditional membrane switches was enhanced, and mechanical switches and mechanical keyboards were gradually replaced in many industries. Adhesive and film material in Membrane switch form a complete sealing ring, making it waterproof and dustproof. At the same time, the advancement of material technology makes the membrane switch antibacterial, UV resistance and IP68 is not an illusion. The technology of silk screen has also been extended from silk screen to digital printing. Digital printing membrane switch is widely used in various industries.

Since 2008, with the continuous integration of membrane switch with other technologies, the performance of membrane switch has become more stable and outstanding. Backlight membrane switch is also available, this type of product can illuminate the button in a dark place or dark area, making It will not be affected by operation in this environment. Membrane switches have become effective human machine input interfaces (HMI) in many industries. In 2025, Membrane switch market share may reach USD 13-14 billion.

However, Niceone-tech, as a manufacturer of membrane switches, believes that this is not the end. In the future, we also believe that with the revolution of technology and materials, we can even produce membrane switches with a lifetime of 10 million cycles, which can be used in more extreme environments. The membrane switch was used.