Membrane keyboards and touch displays A second life for discontinued models

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The repair of HMI panels is complex and requires expertise. Since 2006, JC-Electronics and Schurter have been working closely together to repair and modernize HMI systems. Schurter supplies membrane keyboards and touch displays to give the products a second life.

The repair of HMI panels is a complex task. Often, control panels or touch displays have to be replaced. But technical details such as drawings or files are often missing. Only the defective panel serves as an example.

Over the years, many different types of HMI panels have been produced in large quantities. Many applications for HMI systems that are still in use today are no longer supported or supplied by the respective manufacturer. Since 2006, JC-Electronics has been working closely with Schurter to repair and modernize HMI systems.

"Customers can turn to us for repairs. Schurter supplies membrane keyboards and touchscreens to give the product a new lease of life. JC-Electronics was initially not familiar with the service and repair market. When a product breaks down in the field, it has to be repaired," says Wolter de Jong, COO of JC-Electronics.

Compensate for expensive downtime through fast delivery.

Often control panels or touchscreens need to be replaced. Schurter Electronics was commissioned by JC-Electronics to repair a control unit. The repair was successful and the control panel was returned to JC-Electronics. In such applications, the experts at Schurter Electronics usually work with drawings and files, but in this case, there were none. There was only a defective application as an example. This was the initial phase. Even then, it was noticeable that JC-Electronics placed great emphasis on quality. The revised HMI system must be better than the original.

Initially, JC-Electronics only repaired. "However, over time we acquired more and more products, which we then overhauled and stored for our customers," says de Jong. But why is it beneficial to keep products in stock? Many of the HMIs are heavily used in production and downtime costs a lot of money. "Therefore, it's important to be able to deliver quickly," says Sjoerd Mensonides, Account Manager at Schurter Electronics. JC-Electronics has the product in stock and can replace it immediately. The defective product is repaired to maintain the flow. That's an exceptional concept.

Refurbishing devices extends their lifespan, which is good news in the fight against waste and in terms of sustainability. "To be honest, we didn't start as a sustainable or circular business. We started with the idea: 'It has worked, so it can work again. After all, it's a waste to just throw something away," says de Jong.

Equipped with a two-year warranty

Sustainability has become more and more important for both companies. More and more, they have been transitioning to the circular economy. "Now we are developing a program that can accurately calculate how much raw material and CO₂ emissions one saves with a product we have refurbished," says de Jong. At JC-Electronics, defective products are not only repaired, but also equipped with a new case as well as a new membrane keyboard or a new touch display. As a result, the products are literally as good as new and come with a two-year warranty.

"Our refurbishment process is audited by Dekra. We have already underlined our quality and warranty with the 'JCertified' seal of approval. Together with a French company, we have created a general quality seal, which is also open to other companies and shows the quality of the process," says de Jong. Parts that are prone to wear are replaced as standard. For example, membrane keyboards are replaced after one million actuations. According to de Jong, it is difficult to determine how often a key has been pressed when it is to be refurbished. Therefore, they are replaced as standard in order to be able to offer a 24-month warranty.

Fewer brands in the program

Schurter now delivers more than a hundred items to JC-Electronics. This is not just one product group, but the entire product line that is developed and produced. From a simple overlay, insert strips, to front windows, membrane keyboards and touchscreens. "And besides the products, we also exchange our knowledge with each other. In the early days, we invited the assembly staff to show how to clean a housing and how to glue a membrane keyboard. Back then, JC-Electronics was still a small company; all the more impressive how they have developed since then," says Mensonides.

The service market is harder to predict. At JC-Electronics, demand depends on how many defective products come in. "If JC-Electronics needs 25 pieces of a product, we can decide to produce 50 pieces and keep half in stock," says Mensonides. It is more economical to produce larger series. The advantage: If the product is in stock, it can be delivered faster. In 2021, JC-Electronics had 150 brands checked by the experts. A year later, it was only nine. It was time to focus more. Because every time an engineer gets a new product, he first has to examine and test it. "At some point we had to make a decision and only do what we are good at. In our case, that means specializing in a few brands," says de Jong.

PCAP touch displays

With the increasing popularity of PCAP touchscreens, JC-Electronics is aware that demand for service for this type of HMI will also increase. The PCAP input systems are complexly glued. They are not easy to repair. "A foil keyboard has an adhesive layer that can easily be opened. The PCAP touchscreens are glued into a housing with a sealant. This is very robust, but also more difficult to disassemble," says Mensonides. Schurter itself co-developed the PCAP technology. "We have the know-how and know how to design and manufacture these products. We can also pass on this knowledge to our partners in the revision and spare parts market," Mensonides concludes. (heh)

This article was created with material from Schurter Electronics.