This section provides overview, applications, and principles of pushbutton switches. Also, please take a look at the list of 70 pushbutton switch manufacturers and their company rankings.
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A push switch is a widely used switch that is turned on and off by a pressing action of a human finger. They are also called push-button switches.
Push switches are used as human input devices and are used in various control devices. Push switches generally consist of an actuator, a switch, a mounting part, and a case, and some types have a light source that emits light to indicate on/off status.
There are various types of push switches with different shapes of actuators and mounting parts, with or without an illuminating source, and in a variety of colors.
Push switches are used in a variety of situations. Since push switches are input devices that are operated by human fingers, they are used for operating control equipment and inputting setting conditions.
For example, push switches are used as input devices on operation panels of industrial machines to provide operating and stopping instructions and to input settings for various operating conditions and are generally used in equipment that uses human operation as input to set and turn on/off operations, such as power on/off operations for home appliances.
Push switches can be classified into momentary and alternate types in terms of contact state.
Momentary-type push switches, as the name implies, are momentary, meaning that they turn on only while the switch is pressed. In contrast, an alternate-type push switch means alternating, meaning that it turns on when the switch is pressed and remains on when the finger is released. Then, when the switch is pressed again, it switches to off and remains off when the finger is removed. Each time the switch is pressed, it alternates between on and off.
There are also latch-type and unlatch-type push switches, which differ in mechanical operation. In the latch type, when the switch is turned on by pressing it with a finger, it is held in the depressed position. When the switch is pressed again, it returns to its original position and is turned off. On the other hand, unlatched type switches are those that return to their original position once the switch is pressed, whether on or off.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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