How Does A Conductive Silicone Rubber Keyboard Work

All silicone keyboards work differently.When you press a rubber button on a silicone keyboard, the key webbing deforms. When it deforms, it will have tactile feedback. Then, when you release the pressed button, the silicone keyboard will return to its original shape without tactile feedback.

Not all electronic products currently use silicone keypad. But because of silicone rubber keyboard is made of silicone rubber,which like a “mask” that prevents dirt and dust from entering them electronics.

As a separate membrane keypad,how does a silicone rubber keyboard work without any circuit closing device?

A designer should understands the general process by which silicon keypads convert user input into signals that operate electronics and machinery.

First, you should know the the structure of a common silicone rubber button pad.

The rubber keypad has a conductive ring or conductive carbon pill on the bottom.When the rubber is pressed from above, the conductrive ring, carbon pills or other conductive pill contacts the PCB and then closes the circuit.The effect is completed. These switch contacts are extremely simple, which means they are cost-effective and very durable. Unlike many other input devices the effective life of a silicone keypad is effectively infinite.

The conductive contact can be different ways:

1. Conductive Ink printing.

2.Electric Conductive carbon pills.

3.Metal Dome.

4.Conductive Golden Pill.

5.Nickel Pills.

1.Electrically conductive ink printing ,also called as conductive painting, 

conductive graphite printing,which is typically created by infusing graphite,

carbon black or other conductive material(gold, silver, copper, and carbon powder) 

into ink, also mixing up bonding material,solvent and additives.

Conductive printing is the most common way of conductive silicone rubber button pad. 

For the conductive area can be freedom shape, and it is the most cost-effective. 

Only need a positoning tooling. If the resistance requirements are not high, 

electric conductive transfer printing is the best choice.

2. Conductive Carbon Pills, also called and conductive graphite pad, 

electric carbon pills,which usually made by 60% VMQ and 40% conductive carbon black,

produced by die-cutting molding and compression molding. .Conductive silicone rubber 

button pad with carbon pills, its resistance can be 10-100 Ohms.Conductive carbon pills 

are widely used for control device products in switch system like phone silicone button ,

remote control keypad which resistance requirements are higher.

If choose electric carbon pills,it also needs suction tooling. 

The cost of carbon pills is higher,not only material cost but also laber cost and tooling.

 There are other ways of conducting electricity: metal pills, metal dome and nickel pills.

Customers choose the best solutions according to their requirements. If you don’t know how to choose, you can tell us the product demands, like conductive button pad application, our team will suggest you the best way.