What is a momentary switch? What makes a momentary switch “momentary?” “Momentary switch” is one of my favorite terms in all of industry. It’s so precise and descriptive, but at the same time if you told someone, “I’m going to Radio Shack to pick up some momentary switches,” they’d either give you a confused look or an affirmation of pretended comprehension. A momentary switch is exactly what it sounds like: a switch that becomes actuated for only a moment. Take a look at your keyboard in front of you. Each of those switches is a momentary switch. You push a key, it’s depressed for a moment, and it sends a signal only during that moment. If you hold down one of the keys, you won’t be sending a continuous signal, but a series of momentary signals. Membrane switches are examples of momentary signals, and describing them using that terminology can be helpful in explaining to people what they are and why they’re useful.

Membrane switch manufacturers really deal in two distinct product categories instead of just one. In reality, a membrane switch is the fusion of two kinds of products from different categories in industry. The membrane from which the switch draws its name belongs in the category of graphically endowed overlays. The switch mechanism beneath the overlay is what really sends signals and causes connected equipment to change its behavior. Membrane switch manufacturers, as well as many other kinds of switch makers, have to create products that connect people with their machines. A membrane switch is just one of many ways that people do this, and “momentary switching” is just one of the kinds of human-machine interfaces available. Membrane switch manufacturers, like other switch manufacturers, meet one of the many kinds of needs for machine-human interfaces.