INTRODUCTION
We hope you will find this manual to be a useful, comprehensive guide during your preliminary design planning stage. For more information regarding these specifications. please CONTACT the Monopanel Technical Support Team at (414) 256-5200.
Size:
Switch components are die cut or routed out of Monopanel's standard sized material. e.g. 12" x 18" or 18" x 24"or custom size can be specified. Cost is determined by how many "parts up" can be manufactured from these materials. Minimum registration and handling boarders are needed for manufacturing (.500) and between parts (.375). In the case of film-based products, tail length and egress point figure into size. It is best to determine switch size before committing to housing size and tooling. Sometimes a half-inch can make the difference between 8 up or 12 up - resulting in a 33 percent material and labor savings.
- Number of graphic colors (including textures and tinted window filters): Each color adds to the price and tooling cost. Tinted window filters are considered a color. Selective textures (matte or clear coat) are also considered a color - reducing the number of colors will reduce the price.
- Color specification: There are basically two methods for specifying colors. One is to use the Pantone Matching System (PMS) and specify a PMS color. This system ensures that the inks used in production will match the PMS number on a 1.5" x 1.5" swatch and on the product. This way the inks will be mixed in such a way as to match the swatch while being viewed through the switch material. We are also able to match to specific custom colors that may be required. For color matching a spectrophotometer is used.
It should be noted that ink is printed on the backside of the material (second surface printed) and thus viewed through the material itself. The material, especially polyester, may shift the color when viewed from the top surface, no longer exhibiting a clear match to the specified PMS color. So while the PMS color sample will match your housing color, the final switch/graphic color may not be an exact match. Often times, this slight shift will be immaterial especially when it comes to nomenclature or key colors. If color matching is critical, it is best to provide a color swatch.
Type of Tactile Feedback:
There are two common types of tactile feedback, stainless steel domes and polydomes. Both types have a life cycle expectancy of 1 million actuations or more. For applications above +50°C stainless steel domes need to be specified. The cost of product with steel domes is more than the polydome design. For rigid products, stainless steel domes are typically specified. Polydomes require additional tooling.
What We Need from You:
For us to optimize your design for quality and price, we need as much information from you as possible. To make it easier fill out our custom application quote request form. Answer all the questions listed, and we will generate a quality quote for you.
If you have a complete drawing package in electronic file, please attach these as a PDF file to us.
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