Technical Articles

Electro-Mech Introduces New Lens Guard Switch Products for Safety-Conscious Installations

8/18/2005

Electro-Mech Components, Inc. has announced their latest lighted pushbutton switch line, comprised of single, dual and quad style switches provided with an integral lens guard, offering an immediate solution for safety-conscious installations on instrumentation and control panels where designers must provide greater accident prevention for critical switching applications. Applications considered ideal for this new safety feature include aircraft, avionics, power machine control, medical instrumentation, and simulation systems. The new switch group includes Electro-Mech’s Series 60, 600 and 644-2100 styles, featuring SPST-6PDT circuitry in a single lamping design (Series 60), and two SPST-6PDT model styles in dual and quad lamping configurations (Series 600 and a smaller Series 644-2100 style), all offering momentary or alternate action switching functionality. This same lens guard can also be mated with all of Electro-Mech’s single lamp/LED and quad lamp/LED switch and annunciator products. Most models also accept LED lighting solutions for extended life. The lens guard operates in a gravity or spring-return manner, offering a choice for design/ergonomic considerations. Employing the lens guard, accidental activation or turn-off of switches is prevented, while the clear acrylic guard material allows full, un-restricted viewing of legends and button colors. Lens guard styles provide a wrap-around design for either top/bottom or sides, depending on hinging position. This enables simple “opening” while adding further safeguards to accidental access from sides or bottom. The lens guard can be easily lifted, while creating the “extra step” to provide a conscious effort in accessing the switch button. Electrical and mechanical specifications for each of these Electro-Mech switch Series can be found at the company web site at www.electromechcomp.com. Terry Trumbull, Vice President, stated, “We’re excited to offer this safeguard design in response to several of our core customers requests without significant addition of incremental costs and in a way that complements the ergonomic design of these products.”

EMC Lens Guards data sheet