Imagine this, your system is operating in the field under extreme conditions: vibrations, temperature variations, humidity.
In this environment, the interface between human and machine plays a vital role: every button and every light indicator must remain responsive and readable.
When certain HMI components lose performance (a button becomes less precise, a backlight starts to fade),
it directly impacts the user experience and may lead to errors or unexpected maintenance.
👉 This is why it is crucial to consider the quality and robustness of HMI components as a critical factor for overall system reliability.
A reliable HMI relies on two main pillars:
1. The tactile and visual quality of membrane keyboards (domes + LEDs),
2. The mechanical robustness and ergonomic design of front panels.
Together, these two elements define the user experience and the long-term durability of the interface.
Membrane Keyboards: Tactile Reliability and Lighting Stability
At Nicomatic, we develop two key technologies for membrane keyboards:
Our Metal Domes
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Our Integrated LEDs
- Developed to ensure long-term lighting stability, even after thousands of operating hours.
- Provide uniform illumination, essential in high-brightness or night-vision conditions.
- Directly integrated into the membrane keyboard for a compact and reliable design.
- 4-Wall LED Technology: each LED is surrounded by four micro-walls that limit light dispersion.
The result: focused illumination, avoiding glare on adjacent buttons and improving visibility in all conditions.
The combination of domes + LEDs enables the design of membrane keyboards that remain
precise, readable, and robust over time, even under intensive use.
Rigid Front Panels: Long-Term Robustness and Ergonomics
Nicomatic also offers rigid front panels. More than just supports, they act as a physical interface and protective barrier
between the user and the electronics.
Their strengths include:
- Mechanical and environmental resistance: shocks, vibrations, humidity, UV.
- Durable readability: consistent brightness and contrast under all conditions.
- Ergonomic adaptation: shapes and cut-outs tailored to operator constraints.
The choice of materials, screen-printing type, and lighting technology is made according to the user’s requirements, ensuring reliable
and intuitive operation for years.
Panel design is also optimized to integrate buttons, keyboards, and touch zones.
A global approach allows, for example, full button integration within the panel without depth constraints, whereas a
component-by-component approach often results in extra depth, wiring, and connector constraints.
The underlying electronics can also be optimized to integrate not only lighting but also button control and digitization, while ensuring
channel segregation to meet functional safety requirements.
Modularity: A Key Factor in HMI Design
A high-performance HMI is not limited to one type of interface. It must allow for the integration of various subassemblies
depending on system needs:
- Small displays,
- Dedicated buttons,
- Indicator LEDs,
- Tactile domes,
- Rigid front panels.
This modularity makes it possible to adapt each HMI solution to the specific requirements of your application, whether ergonomics, readability, or durability.
Key to Success: Combining Tactile Reliability, Mechanical Robustness, and Modularity
For an engineer, the challenge is not simply selecting a component, but designing a complete and optimized HMI.
By combining:
- The reliability of domes and LEDs in membrane keyboards,
- The mechanical robustness of rigid panels,
- The modularity of integrable subassemblies,
You create an interface capable of withstanding mechanical, environmental, and human constraints while ensuring precise, intuitive, and long-lasting interaction.
In projects where HMI is a critical element, the combination of tactile responsiveness, lighting reliability, and mechanical robustness is essential.
At Nicomatic, we support you from the design stage to ensure the feasibility and performance of your projects.
Our modular HMI solutions combine domes, LEDs, front panels, and integrated subassemblies to deliver optimal ergonomics and proven durability.
Are you working on a project that requires a precise and rugged HMI?
Contact our experts to define the solution best suited to your technical needs.