Assembly in Action: Workcell Helps Interface Designer Find the Right Touch
To meet that demand, TouchSensor hired Sibos Prime Inc. (Rockford, IL) to develop an automated system for testing the control panels. The company chose Sibos Prime because of its experience in building flexible automated test and assembly cells for quality-sensitive applications, such as cell phones and hearing aids. TouchSensor needed a system that would be flexible enough to accommodate a wide variety of panel sizes and an almost infinite number of possible sensor locations. Because TouchSensor’s panels are produced with both curved and flat surfaces, the test cell also had to accommodate test points at varying heights. A final requirement was growth: The test cell had to be able to support future expansion of TouchSensor’s technology.
TouchSensor’s panels do not use what we normally consider "buttons." A traditional button or switch consists of a base, spring, body and contacts. TouchSensor’s panels are different. Each button is replaced by a single, solid-state sensor pad activated by human touch. This technology is unlike the membrane-covered, mechanical switches found on many cooking ranges and fitness equipment. Sensing through decorated glass or formed plastic, TouchSensor’s switch has no moving parts to wear and potentially fail, and there is no membrane to tear, crack or degrade over time. These pad sensors are completely sealed within a rigid, laminated substrate that is impervious to many challenging environments.