Fully dust-tight and water-sealed microswitches for tough environments

A comprehensive range of fully dust-tight and water-sealed Microprecision microswitches is now available from Cyntech. Designed to meet more demanding industrial applications, the microswitches are available in various configurations to meet IEC/EN 60529 ingress protection levels of IP67, and even IP68, over a wide operating temperature range from -40C to +125C or greater. Dave Mellor, managing director, Cyntech Components, said: "Whether it is push-button, plunger, simple lever or roller lever, Microprecision has it covered with a range of microswitches that provides all the usual options for voltage / current ratings and switch contact material. What's just as important for our industrial customers is robust and reliable operation, which is where Microprecision excels with its dust and water sealed designs." Protection against dust and water (or oil) is achieved with a flexible membrane that seals the space between the moving actuator pin and the switch housing. Guaranteeing its performance over temperature extremes however demands a good design and the right choice of materials. Microprecision uses a pin made out of two parts with the membrane squeezed between those parts and held securely in place. The membrane is then attached to the housing with a compression ring that is held in place with ultrasonic welding. This approach ensures the membrane is tightly fitted and able to resist the effects of temperature and pressure fluctuations without impacting its flexibility. Ultrasonic welding is also used for assembling the rest of the switch housing. This provides a superior solution to the use of adhesives or gaskets and, by not adding another material, ensures the seal supports UL61058 temperature requirements. As well as protecting the switch itself it is necessary to provide protection for the connections to the switch. While this is often left to the user, Microprecision also offers microswitches with the cable already soldered to the switch terminals and potted to meet the required IP67/68 rating. The MP90 and MP110 series of microswitches both provide housings rated to IP67 but the MP110 series also offers a protective terminal kit for field wiring that achieves IP64 or a plug in cable assembly that provides full IP67 protection. The MP210/220, MP300, MP400 and MP500 series all provide housings that include potted connections meeting IP67. Finally, featuring a strengthened cable outlet and increased actuating force, the MP215/225 series meets the IP68 requirement for continuous immersion in liquids, says the company.