Metal Dome in Tube

Regarding the Four-leg metal domes, for small-medium volume production,
if people want a high assembly speed, but don’t have Automated SMT machine, we recommend us our metal dome in tube, as well as Peel & Place dome. And here,  I’d like to say more words about metal dome in tube. Next article we will discuss another.

metal dome in tubemetal dome tube packing

To use metal dome in tube, you must have a dome placement pen, or auto-pick-gun. You insert the tube into that device, then move the device above the place where you want to place a metal dome, then push a button, a dome will come out, to fall on that position.

Using tube dome, you only need to push the button to place the metal dome, and don’t need to pick a dome by a tweezers, so it’ll make dome placing become a easy job. You can put about 1,000-2,000 pcs per hour. In fact, some expert guy can reach up to 3,000 pcs, 5,000 pcs or more.

Also if you can send back the empty tube to us, we will give you some discount, but in most case, oversea customers will not do that, because shipping fee is more expensive than tube itself. But I think if some days later, the cost of tube increased and shipping cost lower down, people will consider to re-use them, in a green way. Just make sure the tube is clear, fresh from any dirt, dust.

All right, leave comments if you like this, or have some comments, or better idea to improve the tube metal dome.

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Tape & Reel Metal Dome – On Sales

After more than one year R&D, we are going to release our new Tape and Reel metal dome, a new packing method of metal dome which is suitable for automated SMT machine.

Each metal dome is sealed in a socket on a continued tape and packed on a reel, so it can be picked and place like normal components such as resistor, capitor, on SMT machine. Metal dome packed in this way named as “Tape & Reel Metal Dome” Also someone name it as “Pick & place metal dome”.

Tape & Reel metal dome

Please note even this metal dome is used in SMT machine, we don’t recommend to solder them like normal components.

Now we provide 8.4mm, 12.2mm  Four-leg metal dome in this packing. 5,000 pcs and 4,000 pcs each reel, respectively. We will give you some discount if you  order them in Sep and Oct. It’ll save a lot of your assembly time and money!

Please visit our website for more information about Tape and Reel metal dome!

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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival & Teachers’ Day

Tomorrow is Sep 10th, Teachers’ Day in China! Here we express our sincere respect, thankfulness to honor teacher whom dedicated her life to bring-up students, teach us the knowledge, skill, how-to-be-a-person. Wish all of kind teachers happy, healthy every day and night!

Next Monday (Sep 12) is Mid-Autumn Festival in China (Aug 15, according to Chinese Lunar Calendar). People will eat the Moon-cake, drink the tea, enjoy the bright Moon under the sky. Maybe you cannot back home with your family members, but you can also spend that joy time with your friends, lover, neighbor, colleague.

We will close on Monday and re-open on Tuesday. Wish all of your wish come true!

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Metal Dome Array – B3D 5112

People always know different company make different products, and many customers ask us whether we can make a dome array with low profile, like Omrom B3D-5112.

Of course it’s no problem for us to make, this is one of our standard single key dome arrays, but what we used is different in some parameters, but has the same function.

B3D 5112 Similar Dome Array

Here are some parameters:

Name: Single key Metal Dome Array  (similar like Omron B3D 5112)

Parameters:

Dome diameter:5mm;

Dome force: 160gf

Dome surface finishing: Nickel

Travel (Stroke): 0.2+/-0.05mm

Height (thickness of whole product):0.3mm+/-0.05mm

Dome material: stainless steel

Array material: PET with glue

Structure: Top Mylar (clear) + Bottom Spacer (clear)

Life cycles: 500,000-1,000,000 times

Color: Transparent (clear)

Switch capability: 12 VDC, 10 mA

RoHS compliant: Yes

Package: 144 pcs/sheet

(Pease order in multiples of 144 pcs dome array)

Lead time: 7-10 days

 Here are basic price list for this dome array

Q’TY(pcs)  Price       Extended

1         $0.30         $0.30

25        $0.25         $6.25

50        $0.22         $11.00

100       $0.20         $20.00

144       $0.18         $25.92

288       $0.16         $46.08

576       $0.15         $86.40

1,000     $0.12         $120.00

1,728     $0.10         $172.80

3,456     $0.09         $311.04

For small order, you can buy it directly from our online shop: http://metaldome.ecrater.com/p/12096959/b3d-5112-dome-array, and payment can by Paypal, or credit card (register a Paypal A/C and then pay). For more quantity, please contact us for a better price for that single key, low profile dome array, B3D 5112.

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Four-Leg Dome with Legs

As we know, there’re already four legs for our Four-leg series metal dome, and this is why it named four-leg dome, or cross metal dome. So what do you means “four-leg dome with legs”?

Let me firstly see the looking of a normal four-leg  (Cross) metal dome.

Normal four leg metal dome

We can see there’s no extra legs except these four legs which will be put on contact PAD of PCB, FPC, or membrane.

As we don’t recommend soldering metal domes on the board, so how do I adhere the dome, except normal “dome array“, “single key dome array“, or in the socket? Can I fix it on like triangle metal dome using two legs insert into the board hole? That’s the reason whey there’re extra legs for F series (cross) dome. You can see pictures.

four-leg dome with legs

four-leg dome with legs

Now is everything clear? There’re two extra leg, and you can insert the into the holes of board like triangle metal dome do. Currently on our Dia 11.4mm four-leg dome, these extra legs length is 1.2mm and width 0.9mm.

If you need more information about this special four-leg (Cross) dome with legs, contact BEST and we will give details to you. We can also make new tooling to make new diameter four-leg metal domes.

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Circle Metal Dome with Leg

Previous we have discuss how to assemble triangle metal dome, some people told me they also want a circle dome with a leg. But for most of circle (round) series metal dome, there’s no leg.

So when assemble with a circle metal dome dome, you need to put it on a printed circuit board, or a flex circuit, by a adhesive tape,  or put it in a socket.

For 1st method, you can use our “standard single key dome array“; for 2nd way, just buy dome in bulk. it’s easy, but if you also want to fix circle dome in the socket, then you will hope this circle dome with a leg. Am I right? Hooo, dream comes true. Here are some pictures for them.

Circle dome with leg details 1

circle dome with leg details 2

Currently, there’re few circle domes has leg, because this kind of requirement can be replaced by triangle dome. So now only Diameter 5mm is available in the market now. Force 160gf, 180gf  are standard, 130gf and 200gf also no problem to be made.

If  you need other legged circle metal dome, we can set up new tooling to make the special dome. Contact BEST if you interest in this circle metal dome with leg.

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Large Metal Dome

Recently we saw some people search for large metal dome and ask me whether we can make 500mmx500mm metal dome, or even bigger, such as 1,000mmx1,000mm.

The answers are No, we don’t make metal dome in such big dimension. For four-leg series metal dome, Max one is Diameter 20mm; you can see from below pictures, it’s small.

20mm metal dome

For Oblong series metal dome, we can make is 50.8×12.7mm.

If you compare 20mm dome with a coin (50 cent, RMB) and you will find it is very small.

20mm metal dome VS coin

I am wondering maybe some people still confused metal dome and steel dome. I hope above words will enhance their understanding and solve some potential mistake.

Anyway, if someone really big, large metal dome, less than 50x50mm, which we treat it as custom metal dome, just write your purpose and sketch,  we can discuss to see the possibility to develop that new model for you, to meet customers’ requirements of various metal domes are what we working for.

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Metal Dome Array Color

There’s color for every thing: Red, Green, Blue and etc. So it is the same for our metal dome array. Currently there’re two basic colors:

1) White

2)   Transparent (Clear)

Of course, there’re other colors, if you print the silver ink (EMI), or choose rubber dome array, Light Guide Film (LGF), etc. But in this article, we only discuss above two basic colors. Others we will discuss in future.

Here are pictures showing them.

White metal dome array

white double layer dome array

Transparent metal dome array

Transparent four-legs dome array

Maybe you have following questions. In fact, they’re the most common question customer asked us:

A)     Why color different

B)      How to choose the suitable color of metal dome array

In order to answer this question, let me look back the structure of our metal dome array. You can see this blog “The whole thickness of our metal dome arrays” for more details.

 

As you can see, there’re two basic structures: Single layer and double layer, but both of them has the same Mylar layer. And the color of this Mylar is the same as Transparent (Clear), so to color of whole dome array is depending upon the color of Spacer.

For Single layer dome array, because there’s no Space layer, so color is upon on Mylar;

For double layer dome array, if Spacer is white, then whole product looks white; and if it’s transparent, then whole dome array like clear.

 

I think this is easily to understand. Isn’t it? So let’s go ahead with question #B “How to choose the suitable color of metal dome array?

Here’re some basic principles:

—To choose White dome array, after assemble on PCB, you can not see anything from the PCB except where cutout on dome array, like below picture:

white dome array on pcb

So if you

a) Need to cover PCB and components on it; or

b) Need light cover or light reflect; or

c) Cosmetic requirements such as the keep environment harmonically; or

d) Other special requirements

 

—To choose Transparent (Clear) dome array, even assemble on PCB, you can still see the PCB, so if you

a) Want a see PCB in assembly process to adjust dome array location, for a easily consignment; or

b) No requirements to cover PCB and components on it; or

c) No light cover request

d) Other special requirements

Now I think everybody should be clear for color of metal dome array. Am I right? Leave a message or write email to us if you have comments, ideas, or question for dome array.

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Material Supply Delay Because of Japan Earthquake

Six days has past since the disastrous 9.0 Earthquake in Japan. Together with the Tsunami, it destroy most of building, road, airport, electronic supply, and the explode in nuclear power station aggravate the bad condition.

We express our deep sympathy to Japanese guy, and believe this condition will become better after everybody work together.

Currently we have good stock for raw material ((stainless steel, PET and silver ink for metal dome, metal dome array), and our factory for raw material  from Japan have not been affected,  but limited to whole country situation, the lead time will be longer than normal in next coming month. If whole economic cannot recover in a quick period, then the delay will be much longer.

So you have any orders, please release early and consider the potential delay of them. We are also worry about the cost of these raw material will increased and we will do our best to keep it in a same or similar price level.

Wish the bad day will past quickly and people happy and healthy everyday.

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Earthquake & Tsunami in Japan

Yesterday, the devastating earthquake happened in Japan, currently we don’t know exact news from that area, but we are worry about the people in and wish everybody is safe and healthy!

We have only one Earth and should be work together to protect it, when tragedy happened, we will face it bravely and do our best to help people whom need help.

We will keep fingers crossed for them!

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