Yes, Reid’s expertise is in working with our customers to develop custom design FSR’s with resistance ranges to suit specific force measurement outcomes.

Definitely not, we are a local manufacturer and only affected by Australian public holidays. In most instances, our production demand is flexible enough to cater for any customer requirements over periods such as Christmas and Easter.

Yes, we have the capability to engineer DuraSwitch Pushgate buttons into Membrane Switch designs.

The DuraSwitch panel design will be thicker than a traditional Membrane Switch,  however it is a relatively low cost, crisp, consistent tactile feel that does not degrade over time.

Talk to us about incorporating embossing of backlighting technologies such as Electroluminescent into you project.

Yes, we have automated capabilities to mount a wide range of SMD components including, LED’s, resistors, capacitors, thermistors and more to our printed flexible circuits.

We have developed stringent IP sensitive processes to ensure that our SMD products can stand up to the rigours of industrial and harsh environments.

Please speak to us about our range of back lighting technologies and how they could complement your next project.

Yes, we offer clear LED windows as well as a range of filtered translucent options that can filter your LED windows.

Unfortunately, depending on your requirements this can add extra colours to the process.

By adding a filter to the LED windows your Overlay or Membrane keypad, you will also be giving your product a touch of class – well worth the little bit extra expense.

Yes, we have established a range of materials that can withstand the most harsh environments that you can throw at them.

We also have strict design rules in our printing processes that make our functional products some of the most robust in the marketplace.

These design traits are necessary when the product is placed in extreme situations such salty, dusty, heat or any industrial applications internal or external.

We offer a range of rigid materials that can be CNC Routered or Lasercut for the purpose of giving rigidity to your Membrane Switch or Graphic Overlay.

In most instances, we will assemble the switch to the backing panel prior to final testing, ensuring that the product arrives to you ready to plug in and go.

Simply let us know your design requirements and we will work with you to tailor a practical solution for your project.

Absolutely, Dead Front or hidden graphics can give a product a high end or modern “look”.

It simply might be for aesthetic appeal or you may wish to hide icons or legends and only have them visible when illumination appears from behind the panel.

Dead Front design seems to work best with darker background colours, however we can achieve great results with lighter backgrounds also.

We exclusively use MacDermid Autotype heat stabilised Polyester Films (PET) for all our Membrane Keypads and Capacitive sensors.

Our preference is to also use MacDermid Autotype Polyester film for our Graphic Overlays, we offer the full range of textures.

Independent testing has shown that Polyester will give you by far the best longevity over alternative substrates such as polycarbonate or Lexan films. Particularly when the overlay is embossed or is intended for external use.

Reid Industrial has access to a wide range of suppliers and substrates. If you have a project that requires a particular substrate, please let us know and we will do our best to track it down for you.

The simple answer is that you can have almost any size or shape or profile that you desire, this can be round, square, oval – limitless really.

Our embossing capability is a hydro-forming process, allowing for the very best results when switch actuation life matters. We say this simply because the button will not be cracked at the crease line of the emboss, which happens with most other embossing processes.

In most instances we can emboss random profiles such as text, braille, rim, flat top or rounded profiles and also two stage embosses.

Embossing your Overlay or Membrane Keypad will certainly add that extra dimension when it comes to the tactile feel.

So just ask one of our customer service team members about what will suit best for your project.

Every project is different, however most commonly the configuration is to have a common with individual traces going to the alternate side of the button, sensor or component.

Some customers also require a matrix configuration when there aren’t a lot of traces, this makes the design simpler.

Realistically there isn’t a standard layout, with the use of our jump-overs and careful routing design, we can engineer the traces to match the schematics on your PCB.

The standard pitch for a male or female connector is 2.54mm, these fit over a 2.54mm pin header, we also offer solder tabs in this pitch.

If space is at a premium, we also offer FPC style termination for use with either 1mm or 1.25mm FPC (ZIF) connectors.

If you have a requirement for a special termination device, please contact us and discuss what options are available.

We mostly work with Corel Draw, so an accurately drawn vector file is the preferred file type.

These can include scaled .PDF, .CDR, .AI, .EPS, .DXF, which all work well.

We can also work with other file types, but if you are unsure, please speak to a member of our customer service team to find out more information.

For new customers, we require payment before delivery of the first purchase order.

If you love our products and service and would like to continue trading with us, you can complete our application for a 30 day trading account.

We ask that you complete this promptly as it will take around 7 days to process.

The tail can either exit directly underneath the keypad or exit at either edge with the most ideal position being at least 5-10mm from the edge of the switch to allow for a good adhesive seal. Also if possible, don’t make the tail exit facing upwards, simply to reduce the instance of moisture ingress especially for  switches for external use. The

You are not restricted to a straight tail either, our designers can incorporate multi-directional traces to avoid external components and then finish with the connector at right angles to your pin header.

Please contact a member of our Technical Sales Team for further information.

The finished thickness is dependant upon the design and whether SMD components or back lighting technologies are included.

Generally you should allow between 0.5mm and 2mm.

If you require a backing panel, REID also has CNC Router capabilities to machine the most rigid substrates and assemble directly to the completed keypad.

Please note that if you require us to incorporate Duraswitch components into the designs, the finished thickness will generally be approx 3mm.

Absolutely yes, provided that the manufacturer follows strict design rules and has the capability to control the manufacturing process of printed electronics to a high level of consistency.

At Reid Print Technologies we have been manufacturing Membrane Switches with jump-overs since the early 1990’s without failures. Our ongoing successes stem from those early years being a preferred supplier to Alcatel Australia, and working closely with their engineering department to develop design rules for jump-overs and build reliable products that can withstand harsh environments.

Unfortunately those who don’t have the ability to control the processes, tend to blame humidity and silver migration amongst other things as the reason for failures, ultimately negatively impacting on the product.