Capacitive Touch Switches – An Overview

1. Article: Kirsting.com CAPACITIVE TOUCH SWITCHES – AN OVERVIEW Capacitive switches are of great importance today as we are all so much used to touch controlled interfaces. It is the use of capacitive switches that make touchscreens and other touch controls possible. Have a look at the ATM machines or the automated public transport booths. They offer touchscreens for easier transactions and communication. Even the on and off switches on our new television sets are capacitive. Heavy industrial machines like CNC machines and the conveyor belt mechanisms are also using the capacitive switches. Machines like copying machines and printers have also moved to capacitive technology. The medical field has also benefitted from the advent of capacitive systems as the monitoring medical machines have also become very easy to handle and have expanded usability. The flexibility of their usage makes them ideal for the manufacturing industry. Capacitive touch switches work on a simple principle. They use a single electrode which is placed behind a non conductive material such as wood, plastic or glass. The electrode works using capacitance of human body. So whenever we use any capacitive screen or the devise it is our body capacitance that actually triggers the function. A user interface is made from a layout of capacitive switches placed behind the glass screen. This also enables the manufacturers to make products slimmer and more aesthetic. Mechanical switches needed tons of more space when compared to capacitive switches. This is because mechanical switches had moving physical parts that required leverage for moving. But when we consider a capacitive switch we have a mere electrode behind a non conductive surface, this save a lot of space to work with. Thanks to our mobiles and tablets, now working on devices with buttons or so to say a physical keyboard seems prehistoric. Remember how fat and bulky these switches and keyboards were before capacitive screens stormed the market. All the modern machines today have capacitive switches. It makes them much easier to use and more in line with the modern times. The use of capacitive technology also benefits a machine as the vandalism is also controlled in a sense and it offers greater flexibility. Mechanical switches are known to wear out time to time. We can easily understand this by seeing how more and more machines are now using these capacitive switches. There are many companies now manufacturing capacitive switches these days. Only few have made a good name so far. The Chinese companies have flooded the market with cheap solutions but as with all things cheap, these capacitive switches are not made to last. One must find quality companies in order to get the best capacitive technology available. Yes their prices are a no match to the cheap market products but already you get peace of mind as you know that your product is made with best genuine parts. Making a product with quality parts is essential to any manufacturer. So hunt for the best available in the market and strengthen your product profile drastically. Kirsting is one such name that immediately comes to mind when talking about quality capacitive switches. They have been renowned for their quality products for quite a while now and have a long list of big players in their client base. Visit Kirsting.com to know more. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jennifer Stuart is an expert in industrial technology and a machine control interface who also likes to write many interesting articles and blogs, helping manufacturers and industrial users understand these systems better and making informed choices. She recommends Kirsting.com as the most reliable name to trust for circuit protection/ control, piezo switches & temperature control systems.