Case Studies

A design engineer who was working on the development of a membrane switch keypad for a new medical device product approached JN White® for help in the engineering of a component that could be repeatedly manufactured. JN White® suggested a solution of screen-printing silver traces at a .5MM pitch. This type of trace manufacturing was an innovative and unique solution to the customer’s design requirements.

A long-term DoD subcontractor approached us for engineering support on a military membrane switch when their internal engineering department did not have sufficient resources. The project involved engineering a membrane switch for use in a ruggedized military laptop. The engineering team at JN White® rose to the challenge and assisted in engineering a keypad that met all the specific military requirements of the project.

A leading manufacturer of oxygen concentrators and delivery equipment needed engineering assistance for a membrane switch used in a medical device product. The switch needed to be visible in low light environments. JN White® engineered a custom part with glow-in-the-dark graphics created using phosphorescent technology while also incorporating other common features medical equipment manufactures need for long-term durability, chemical resistance and liquid ingress.

A global manufacturing customer approached JN White® for assistance engineering a new, complex manufacturing membrane switch. The project required many iterations, 3D modeling and extensive engineering support. In the end, the virtual prototype engineered by JN White® provided the customer assurance that they would receive exactly what they needed within appropriate tolerances.

A global manufacturer of electric motors and electronic instruments partnered with JN White® to help engineer and produce a new industrial electronics membrane switch. The company requested a switch that could control the functions of a unit that protects the main breakers between substations for power companies. JN White® was able to produce a high-quality switch for the company, utilizing our proven experience and production expertise in area of membrane switches.

JN White® was contacted by a Department of Defense (DoD) Tier 2 Supplier when they needed assistance engineering a DoD membrane switch with custom tricolor LEDs that would drive an 8” x 12” touchscreen. JN White® expertly produced a custom membrane switch with three custom LED colors, which is now utilized by the military.

JN White® had a prior long-standing relationship with an innovative medical device company. The firm reached out to JN White® as they began the development of a complex customized medical membrane switch with many specific requirements. JN White® was uniquely able to assist in the engineering and production of the product to exact specifications utilizing our strong engineering and production capabilities.

A design team working on an innovative biofeedback product approached JN White® for assistance. The team was working with another vendor who was unable to be an effective partner in the development. Although this vendor was occasionally able to produce acceptable product, they did not provide consistency, nor the support required to keep pace with the company’s iterative design process. JN White® began working with the team and quickly helped to move the membrane switch project into initial concepts. They continue to support the project with additional engineering, production and assembly support as the product moves into full-scale launch in the near future.

A long-time DoD customer of JN White^® approached the firm for help in improving a custom membrane switch on a current ruggedized tablet product. In particular, they needed the product to perform well in harsh conditions, such as high temperatures, wind, sand and movement. In these environments, it is critical to know if a button has been actuated so tactile feedback is critically important. In addition, the product needed to incorporate backlighting for enhanced visibility.

A major power management company was in the process of acquiring smaller competitors. All versions of the key user interfaces on the product needed to be transitioned to the new corporate brand identity. With the firm’s rapid expansion, the internal team needed a seamless solution that would allow them to focus on other initiatives, while maintaining confidence in the effectiveness of their key product’s brand transitioning. JN White^® developed a supply chain management solution that afforded many benefits to the customer including: cost reduction, seamless coordination and shorter turn times for completed total complex assemblies.

A medical device manufacturer was experiencing durability issues and failures with an important custom membrane switch in the controller of a sophisticated surgical device. The product needed to function reliably in a hospital and, in order to do so, it needed to withstand harsh environmental elements.  In addition, the engineering needed to allow for better visibility in all light environments and feature a larger display window. The JN White^®team applied their extensive experience in medical device engineering to produce a custom membrane keypad that met all necessary requirements. The membrane keypads worked perfectly and expedited the prototyping phase of the project.

The customer approached JN White^® for help in reengineering an integrated segmented display for an existing product. The reengineering needed to improve the user experience by creating display and interface buttons that were easier to read in even the brightest of environments. In addition, the reengineering product needed to eliminate the sharp edges that were lifting and separating on the existing product. Reengineering a complex product such as this required a cutting-edge engineering team with a great deal of expertise in electromechanical manufacturing. After extensive collaboration and iterations, the JN White^® team delivered a single domestically sourced and completely reengineered unit that meets the customer’s rigorous and specific requirements. The new unit functions properly and effectively, greatly enhancing the overall end user experience.

A DoD manufacturer reached out to JN White^® to assist in the development of a complex membrane assembly (this one is not a switch) with a unique backlighting solution that incorporated light-diffusing layers, side-firing LEDs, and dead front paneling.  The product, which is a rectangular interface with three large warning lights, needed the warning lights to be invisible when inactive and highly visible when active.

A global medical device company needed a better lighting solution for a key product. The objective was to have the ability to completely customize the lighting around 2 critical ports on the device depending on the functionality required for a specific application. Specifically, the lighting needed to be adjustable to any color and be static or “racetrack”. In addition, the solution needed to be engineered so that it could be mechanically compressed between a metal panel and the glass front of the unit. Ultimately, the team at JN White delivered a lighting solution that met all the design criteria. The new lighting solution provides an enhanced user interface on any version of the medical device.

The JN White® team was tasked with solving two extremely complex problems for a medical device manufacturer. This device required shielding against extremely high electrostatic discharge (ESD) levels and backlighting to shine brightly in a well-lit room.

JN White® had a prior long-standing relationship with a world leading manufacturer of solar and motive batteries. Their engineers required the integration of a digitally printed graphic overlay and membrane switch for their new deep-cycle lithium-ion battery. The membrane switch incorporates six embedded LEDs, as battery status indicators, that light up when the embossed status button is actuated. The blue, red, and green LED’s display different patterns to alert the user of battery status. JN White was able to test and integrate the digitally printed graphic overlay to a membrane switch manufactured by their China partner. The challenge was to have an overlay that could withstand harsh environments such as sand, dust, extreme temperature and water, as well as provide the end user with the ease of assessing battery life on the battery itself and produce the product competitively at a high volume. The manufacturer was expecting to use 75,000 of these the following year.

A medical device manufacturer was building a product that needed to incorporate an mechanical membrane switch with a capacitative touch display. The JN White^® team used an advanced optical bonding process to join the touchscreen to the rest of the product, which also included a membrane switch keypad and a graphic overlay, into one fully functional prototype.

A subsidiary of General Motors approached JN White for help in the engineering of a complex user interface component for a parts cart used to optimize the movement of goods between distribution centers and final customers. The user interface component consists of 4 buttons and 16 individual side firing LEDS, which backlight 5 icons and 8 status bars. The customer had significant objectives it was trying to achieve with this interface. It would be exposed to different environments meaning it would need to function in wet weather, resist the intrusion of dust, withstand UV light, be exposed to cleaning solvents/ chemicals, have backlighting that was visible in direct sunlight, have an IP65-rated enclosure to withstand low pressure water jets, be programable to a set sequence to display light indicators, and finally have strong tactile feedback that could be felt while wearing light duty assembly gloves. This was a tall order, but JN White was up for the challenge.

JN White received a request from a new customer who needed a user interface that was both fully backlit and extremely durable. The customer intended to use the interface in a military context, so it was crucial that it could withstand harsh environments, feature NVIS LED backlighting for compatibility with night vision equipment, and provide tactile feedback suitable for users wearing gloves. JN White promptly began designing a solution that addressed each of the client’s specific requirements.

JL Audio, a global electronics manufacturer, approached JN White® for assistance with an electronic graphic overlay solution. The customer needed a thermoformed part that would fit the customer’s housing and stay properly bonded. JN White® was able to develop a dome-shaped graphic overlay that successfully met all requirements. In addition, the custom adhesive solution proposed by JN WhiteTM successfully holds the overlay in place. The component is in use today on one of the customer’s premier marine audio systems.

JN White® had been supplying domed logo labels to a telecom customer. During a recent visit, the customer expressed that the company was looking for “change mats,” or a printed piece that can be applied to a store’s counter to protect it from scratching when coins are used during business transactions. Conveniently, JN White® is equipped with digital capabilities that could make this project possible to execute.

A leading consumer appliance firm was experiencing problems with inverting and shifting metal domes on one of its key membrane switch products and JN White® was able to provide a solution to correct the problem. As a result of that successful project, the customer eagerly paired up with JN White® when they experienced their next challenge: the need for a household appliance graphic overlay with backlit LEDs for one of the company’s top-of-the-line products.

A long-term medical device customer needed to transition the labeling on products to new UDI labels that met specific FDA requirements.The deadline for the transition was quickly approaching so they reached out to JN White® to help them engineer and execute the transition to the new labels in a timeline manner. JN White® investigated the requirements, tested current labels and determined what alterations needed to be made to meet the requirements.vIn addition, the team at JN White® managed the entire transition and made certain new labels were in place by the deadline.