Micro switches are crucial components in the automotive industry, contributing to various functions that enhance safety, convenience, and overall vehicle performance. These small powerful switches serve as sensors and controls in many automotive systems. In addition to regular switches, customization products are more necessary to ensure that they can seamlessly integrate into the complex systems of modern vehicles. In Kangerle Electronics, these tiny but mighty micro switches can be customized to meet your specific requirements. We will mainly share some cases of Kangerle OEM/ODM products for auto parts and information about our customization.
The Importance of Customization
Customization of micro switches in the automotive industry offers several advantages:
1. Fit for Purpose
Different automotive systems require micro switches with varying operating forces, contact types, and form factors. Customization allows manufacturers to design switches that precisely match the needs of each application, ensuring they work flawlessly.
2. Durability
Cars face harsh conditions, including temperature variations, vibrations, and exposure to moisture. Customized micro switches can be designed to withstand these challenges, ensuring long-lasting performance.
3. Safety
Customization allows for the integration of safety features, such as fail-safe mechanisms. In critical applications like brake lights, switches can be customized to ensure they reliably activate and deactivate, enhancing overall safety.
Case Study: Customized Micro Switch in Auto Parts
1. Detector switch KFC-V-108A
The customer comes from a long-established Japanese auto parts company, which initially selected a general-purpose product with a handle in strip(corresponding to our model KFC-V-108). Due to the small contact area of the handle, loose or defective contact often occurs. The most important issue is that the switch did not fit well with the customer’s design structure. Later, he found our company to offer a solution. We made the following improvements according to his requirements.
Without changing the customer’s design, our engineers redesigned the triangle button to increase the handle contact area, helping the customer to solve this problem perfectly.
2. Waterproof micro switch with wire KW2-1A-02-B-A
This customer is a large-scale vehicle manufacturer in China. Because of the particularity of the customer’s product structure, the shape of the switch positioning hole commonly used in the market cannot be satisfied. Our engineer helps to design and make a new mold for the switch’s plastic support.
As you can see, we changed the switch positioning hole from conventional horizontal positioning to vertical positioning, which successfully dealt with the limitation of product structure.
3. Waterproof micro switches with internal resistors in electric vehicle (EV) charging guns
Another practical example of micro switch customization in the automotive industry is electric vehicle (EV) charging guns. They need a secure locking mechanism to ensure the charging cable remains connected during charging.
On the basis of traditional waterproof micro switches used in charging guns, our engineer added a design of an internal resistor. In addition to being used to detect whether the charging gun is correctly inserted and locked, a customized waterproof micro switch with a resistor for our customers also serves as a protection for safe charging. Depending on the current and the standards of the charging gun, different resistor resistance values can be selected.
Customization Parameters for Micro Switches
When customizing micro switches for automotive applications, several parameters from Kangerle can be tailored to meet specific needs:
1. Operating force
The force required to operate the switch can be adjusted to ensure it matches the intended use. For instance, a micro switch for power windows might have a different operating force compared to one for the brake pedal.
2. Contact material
The choice of contact material can impact the switch’s longevity and resistance to corrosion. Customization allows manufacturers to select materials that are best suited for the intended environment.
3. Sealing performance
Automotive switches often need to be sealed to prevent moisture and dust from affecting their performance. Customized sealing options ensure switches can reach IP67-rated waterproof and dust-proof protection, which remains reliable even in adverse conditions.
4. Terminal configuration
The terminal type and configuration can be customized to facilitate easy integration into the vehicle’s wiring harness.
5. Levers variety
Some micro switches are equipped with a wide range of types for levers, such as straight levers, bent levers, roller levers, customized levers, etc. You can choose a suitable lever for a car switch according to your applications.
6. Soldering wire
Waterproof micro switches can be soldered with wires, which can reach IP67 waterproof and dustproof protection levels. We support several wire models, gauges, and lengths. Moreover, 3 wire direction types could be available: bottom, left side, and right side.
7. Posts dimension
Auto parts usually feature different and special designs. Sometimes, in order to mount micro switches in the right positions and prevent them from moving or loosening, they are equipped with many dimensions of posts for your selection.
In a word, customization is the key to harnessing the full potential of micro switches in the automotive industry. Kangerle micro switches find application in a wide range of automotive systems, such as door locks, power windows, seat adjustment controls, brake lights, and many more.
With our unique technology and vast experience of more than 20 years, Kangerle is committed to making a comprehensive analysis in the design stage and proposing the best solution according to customer requirements. We aim to offer one-stop micro switch solution to increase your experience and satisfaction. If you have any questions about our customization service and our products, please visit our official website for more details: https://www.kel-switch.com/.