Custom Plastic & Rubber (P+R) keypad | Rubber Keypad Manufacturing Process

Custom Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad 

Plastic & Rubber keypad, also known as P+R Keypad, also known as Plastic & Rubber keypad, P+R Keypad, Plastic Rubber Keypad, Plastic silicone keypad etc., P means Plastic, and R means Rubber. As the name suggests, P+R Keypad is a combination of plastic key top / key cap and silicone button base parts, which is integrating the elasticity&properties of silicone rubber keys with the advantages of plastic cap/Cover functions.

P+R Rubber keypad, generally the Plastic Cap with the production process of plastic injection molding/two shot overmolded, color-coating, printing, laser engraving/cutting and punching, so that can prompt the plastic caps become different colors and fonts&symbols&characters, which will enhance the value of Plastic & Rubber keypad products. The silicone rubber keymat are produced by compression molding, then assembly the Plastic Key Cap directly or bonding the plastic key cover with silicon rubber keymat by glue.

1) Assembly the Plastic Key Cap with rubber keymat directly

2) Bonding the plastic key cover with silicon rubber keymat by glue

Plastic & Rubber Keypad are mainly apply to IA products, remote control, calculator, camera,telecommunication equipment, home appliance, handheld instruments etc.

Plastic Keymat Cap Commonly used Material are ABS, ABS+PC, PBT, PC, PMMA&Acylic, POM etc.,

There Are Some Different Way of Making the Symbols & Legends & Characters & Icons for Plastic Elastomer Rubber Surface

-  Front Coated or Backed Coated + Laser Etching Illuminated Plastic Elastomer Rubber Keypad

1.To do painting /coating different colors on the front surface of plastic key caps.Then laser etching it on the front side of the plastic key Cover.

2.Painting or coating different colors under the backed side of the plastic button caps, then carry out laser engraving on the back of the plastic button where it were sprayed.

This effect not only makes the Plastic & Rubber Keypad more beautiful, but also eliminates the worry that the internal characters will be worn out after long-term use.

However, it is manufacturing steps are more complicated, therefore such plastic&rubber keymat will be more expensive.

Laser etching plastic keymat cover is what we usually call Customize Plastic Rubber Laser Engraving Keypad. This process is the same as the laser cuting the rubber keypad for backlit effect, which use laser engraving technology to burn black grooves on the keycaps. Since the engraved strokes have dots and lines, if you look closely at the printed strokes, you can easily spot the sunken strokes with burnt marks. The laser-etched writing is light in color, and you can feel the scratches on the plastic keypad caps text when you touch it. Laser etching P+R process is popular is that it is more environmentally friendly, so basically the output of plastic Elstomer Rubber Laser Carving Keyboard is about ten times that of other process plastic rubber keycaps.

Plastic & Rubber (P+R) keypad with laser etching process has the advantages of long life and low cost, so laser cutting P+R Rubber keypad currently the most common character technology in the EIstomer Plastic Rubber Laser Etched Switches market.

- Silkscreen Printing (Plastic & Rubber (P+R) keypad without backlight effect)

The principle of silk screen printing P+R rubber keypad is to cover a blank plastic keyboard with a special silk screen, hollow out the areas with writing, and then scrape the ink across it, so that the writing will be printed on the hollowed out parts.

Although the cost of screen printing of the plastic silicone keypad is lower, compared with the laser etching P+R keypad process, the plstic keycap life is much shorter, and it is more common on lower-cost membrane keyboards. Screen printing + UV coating plastic rubber keypad is also a very common keycap process for thin films. It is to cover a layer of UV coating on the basis of screen printing, and its lifespan is longer than that of screen printing. Moreover, screen printing plastic key cover is mostly used on notebook plastic keycaps, so screen printing is currently extremely popular.

- Dye Sublimation P+R keypad

Compared with the above laser engraving& silkscreen printing P+R keypad processes, the cost of dye-sublimation is much more expensive! The dye-sublimation process is completely different from ordinary ink printing on the plastic key caps. Dye-sublimation does not use common liquid dye inks, but solid resin inks. The solid resin inks will sublime at high temperatures and then penetrate into the plastic keycaps. Desublimation occurs, and the thermal sublimation process forms a whole on the surface of the physical layer of the P+R keycap, so it has better gloss and firmness. Moreover, resin inks are inherently better in terms of gloss, shape, etc.

Although the sublimation process characters on the plastic silicone keypad are more three-dimensional and more durable, due to its high cost, it is basically only used in high-end Plastic & Rubber keypad in mass-produced keyboards.

- Hollow Out the Characters/Legends on the Plastic & Rubber keypad

The biggest advantage of hollow out fonts on the plastic key cover is their own light transmission effect. This process is common in backlit plastic keyboards, but the surface of the plastic keycaps is easily worn.

Hollow Out the Characters/Legends method is mainly used on ABS material keycaps, because ABS keycaps have good light transmission, so the keyboard can only use this method if it wants to create a backlight effect. The transparent or translucent keycaps are covered with opaque paint to facilitate the characters to form hollow seals. The light on the shaft is scattered through the characters to form a backlit Plastic with Rubber keyboard effect.

- Two Shot + Overmolded/ Two-color molded P+R Keycaps

The process of two-color molded plastic keycaps is more complicated and the cost will be higher. Generally speaking, Two Shot + Overmolded P+R keypad process uses the mold to mix two plastic materials of different colors together, and uses two plastic colors to display characters. The color of the plastic keycap characters of this process is very bright, durable, and can be used very well.

To ensure the feel of the P+R keycap, in addition to the above advantages, another point is that the characters on the surface of the plastic keypad are also very well integrated with the keycap itself, and the characters are not easy to wear. However, precisely because of its high cost, this two shot / overmolded P+R keypad is generally used on mid-to-high-end keyboards.

Surface treatment for Plastic & Rubber (P+R) keypads will enhances durability, aesthetics, and functionality. 

Here are common surface treatment methods:

1. Proceed the Texturing (Laser Etching / Mold Texturing) on Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad

Creates a non-slip, tactile surface 

Improves grip and prevents fingerprint marks

Used for rubber keypads to enhance finger feel.

2. Sprayed Coating (UV Coating, Silicone Coating, Rubber Paint) on Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad

UV Coating: Adds a glossy or matte protective layer, improving scratch resistance.

Silicone Coating: Enhances soft-touch feel and durability.

Rubber Paint: Provides a rubberized texture for better grip.

3. Laser Engraving / Printing on Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad

Laser Engraving: Permanently marks symbols/letters without ink wear.

Rubber Pad Printing / Screen Printing: Adds logos or text with ink (requires protective coating).

Digital Printing: Allows multi-color designs.

4. Electroplating (Metallic Finishing) on Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad

Adds a chrome, nickel, or gold finish for a premium look (used on plastic keypads).

Improves wear resistance but may reduce flexibility.

5. IMD (In-Mold Decoration) / IML (In-Mold Labeling) on Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad

Embeds graphics inside the plastic layer, making them scratch-resistant.

Used for high-end keypads with complex designs.

6. Anti-Fingerprint / Oleophobic Coating on Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad

Reduces smudges and oil marks, common in touch-sensitive keypads.

7. Soft-Touch Coating on Plastic & Rubber (P+R) Keypad

Gives a velvety, smooth feel, often used in premium devices.

8. Embossing / Debossing

Creates raised (embossed) or recessed (debossed) key symbols for better tactile feedback.

Key Considerations for P+R Keypads:

Rubber requires treatments that maintain flexibility (e.g., silicone coating).

Plastic can handle harsher treatments like electroplating.

Combination keypads (P+R) need treatments that adhere to both materials.