The Switch Competitive Comparison

TECHNOLOGY / CHARACTERISTICS	UltraTough switch	Capacitive switch	Electro-Mechanical	EMF	Piezo switch
LIFE / DURABILITY	+100 million Virtually unlimited,No moving parts, impact,shock and vibration resistant	+20 million Long Life, Durability limited bymaterials and thickness	Up to 10 million low / med Life, Affected by impact, shock, vibration and current (load)	+20 million Long Life, Durability limited by materials and thickness	+20 million Long Life, Durability limited by materials and thickness, Affected by impact, shock, vibration and current (load)
PANEL THICKNESS	0.030” (0.762 mm) to 0.5” (12.7 mm)	Less Than 0.125” (3.175 mm)	0.5” (12.7 mm) with bushing or panel mount options	Less Than 0.25” (6.35 mm)	0.030” (0.762 mm)
MATERIALS	Aluminum, stainless-steel, ceramics, stone, granite, glass and some plastics	Metal (only when isolated), plastics and glass	Any	No metals, only non-conductive plastics and glass	Aluminum, stainless-steel, and plastics
INTERFACE	Finger, glove, rubber, overlays	Conductive materials only	Any	Conductive materials only	Any
SUSCEPTIBILITY INTERFERENCE	None	EMI, ESD susceptible	None	RFI, EMI and ESD susceptible	ESD susceptible
LINEAR DENSITY	6 per Inch	2 per inch (must be isolated)	Limited by physical construction	2 per inch (limited by size of sensor)	1–2 per inch (must be isolated)
INTELLIGENCE	Yes, Self-adapting, Self-diagnosing, Error reporting, Communications (RS232, USB, CAN Bus, etc.)	None, cannot distinguish between accidental and intentional actuations	None	None, cannot distinguish between accidental and intentional actuations	None
SEALING	Completely sealed, Not effected by water pressure	Partially sealed, Moisture causes false actuations	Available	Partially sealed, Moisture can interfere with sensor peration	Sealed, but can not be submerged and may falsely actuate under pressure
DESIGN LIMITATIONS	Limited only by your imagination	Capacitive sensors cannot be integrated into existing enclosures Capacitive sensors cannot be sterilized or exposed to moisture, explosive, and corrosive conditions	Electro-mechanical switches require panel cut-outs and can not be located on curved surfaces	EMF has limited ability to be used in harsh environments	Piezo-electric sensors are suited for use only on extremely thin metal surfaces and never with elastomeric overlays As a high volume manufacturing matter, piezo is the most expensive
Available	None	Available	Available	None	Available