Automotive & Marine
We build custom dials, gauge faces, overlays, membrane switches and touch interfaces for vehicles and vessels. Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers get full PPAP documentation, and boat builders get panels made for sun, spray and salt air.
- Membrane Switches & Keypads
- Graphic Overlays & Labels
- Dials & Gauges
- Touch Screens
- Gaskets, Filters, Barriers
- Metal Nameplates
Challenges We Solve
Cluster Faces That Wash Out in Sunlight
A cluster that reads perfectly on the bench can vanish behind reflection in full sun. Velvet matte texture kills glare and deadfronting hides warnings until lit.
Waterproof Marine Switch Panels
Helm panels come back corroded and lifted after a season on saltwater. BTI seals to IP67 with gaskets cut alongside the overlay, in UV-hard-coated polyester.
A Program That Needs a PPAP Package
Tier 1 customers will not release a part until the submission is in hand, and most printers have never heard of a Part Submission Warrant. BTI provides PPAPs.
Color Drift Across a Cluster and Console Set
Parts printed at different times that do not match read as a defect. BTI holds a Delta E of 2 or less, with the whole set controlled in one building.
Easy-to-Use Touch Controls
A touch interface that ignores gloves is worse than the switch it replaced. Capacitive is tuned for gloved and wet hands, with metal domes for blind-find keys.
A Part Your Supplier Stopped Making
Vehicles outlive their suppliers, and often the only reference left is the worn part in the dash. We recreated a full marine gauge dial program this way.
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Applications We Serve
Helm Stations & Boat Controls
Marine switch panels, helm overlays, gauge and dial faces, and throttle and trim keypads for boats where the operator faces sun, spray, and salt air with no cab.
Marine Electronics & Equipment
Printed faces, bezels, overlays, and touch panels for depth sounders, chartplotters, engine instrumentation, and below-deck lighting and pump control panels.
Passenger Vehicles & Light Trucks
Custom instrument cluster dials, center console and HVAC overlays, seat and steering wheel heaters, and interior nameplates for OEM programs and their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
Electric & Hybrid Vehicles
Battery compartment heaters, thermal management elements, and capacitive control surfaces for interiors built around screens and touch zones rather than switchgear.
Commercial & Vocational Trucks
Vehicle control panels, dash cluster faces, body control keypads, upfitter switch panels, and equipment identification labels for work trucks and specialty bodies.
RVs, Powersports & Recreation
Control panels, gauge faces, heated grip elements, and identification graphics for motorhomes, trailers, side-by-sides, motorcycles, and personal watercraft.
Not sure which product fits your device?
Why Auto and Marine Makers Choose BTI
Tier 1 and Tier 2 PPAP Submissions
Dimensional results, test records, process flow, control plan, appearance approval, and the Part Submission Warrant — assembled to the level your customer specifies.
SAE J2020 UV Tested, Not Just “UV Resistant”
BTI tests to SAE J2020 accelerated weathering — UV radiation, moisture, and heat together. Almost every other supplier claims UV resistance without naming a test.
Delta E ≤ 2 Color Control
Color held to Delta E of 2 or less — spectrophotometer verified, computer-based formulation — so cluster face, console, and badge all match.
Reverse Engineering for Discontinued Programs
BTI recreates dial faces, gauge sets, switch panels, and nameplates from a physical sample — back into documented, repeatable production, not one-off reproduction.
What Our Clients Say
Marine Instrumentation
Reverse Engineered Marine Gauge Dials for Long-Term Productio
Badging & Identification
Printed Alternatives to Machined Metal Nameplates
Control Panel Manufacturer
Backlit Control Panel That Saved 20+ Hours of Engineering
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BTI make custom instrument clusters?
BTI makes the printed components inside a cluster rather than the complete electronic assembly: the dial face, scale markings, cluster graphics, deadfront layer, backlighting layer, and front overlay. These are supplied with PPAP documentation to the Tier 1 or Tier 2 manufacturer building the cluster, for automotive, marine, and vocational vehicle programs.
Does BTI make custom marine switch panels?
Yes. BTI builds sealed membrane switch panels for helm stations, boat control panels, throttle and trim pods, and below-deck lighting and pump controls. Each panel is supplied as a finished assembly with the overlay, switch, backlighting, and perimeter gasket laminated together, ready to drop into your console.
Are BTI's marine switch panels waterproof?
Yes. Panels are sealed to IP67 using silicone, vellumoid, and closed-cell foam gaskets die-cut alongside the overlay, so the rating belongs to the finished assembly rather than to a component somebody else has to seal. Exposed faces use polyester with UV-curable inks and a UV-cured hard coat, tested to SAE J2020.
Can BTI supply a PPAP package for an automotive program?
Yes. A submission typically includes dimensional results, material and performance test records, the process flow diagram, control plan, appearance approval report, sample and master parts, and the Part Submission Warrant, assembled to the submission level your customer specifies.
Is BTI IATF 16949 certified?
No. BTI is certified to ISO 9001:2015 with Design. PPAP is imposed contractually by the customer rather than gated on the supplier holding an IATF certificate, and a Tier 1 buying printed components from an ISO 9001 certified sub-tier is the normal arrangement. Tell us early if your program requires otherwise.
What's the difference between an automotive HMI and a graphic overlay?
An automotive HMI is the whole interface, including the software, display, and electronics behind it. A graphic overlay is its printed front layer: the die-cut windows, embossed keys, deadfront printing, and the legend the driver actually reads and touches. BTI makes the physical layers for the companies that build the complete HMI.
Can BTI make backlit gauges and deadfronted warning icons?
Yes. LED backlighting is designed into the circuitry rather than added behind a finished face, which is what keeps illumination even across the whole panel. Deadfronting hides a warning icon completely until it is lit, and is standard on marine and automotive instrument dials.
Can BTI's touch panels be operated with gloves or wet hands?
Yes. Projected capacitive touch can be tuned to register a gloved finger and stays responsive with wet, greasy, or salty hands where a resistive panel fails. Where the operator needs confirmation without looking away from the road or the water, we pair capacitive zones with tactile metal dome keys.
Can I buy a switch panel or gauges for a boat or car I already own?
BTI manufactures to a customer drawing or physical sample and does not sell finished instruments or off-the-shelf panels. If you are a builder or refit yard that needs a discontinued panel or dial set recreated and put back into production, that is exactly what our reverse engineering service does. For a single boat or vehicle, a marine or automotive aftermarket supplier will serve you better and faster.
