Silicone keyboard also called as rubber keymat and silicone button pad. Silicone keyboard is a keyboard which has components primarily made of high intensity and high elasticity silicone rubber, which making silicone keypad highly flexible and also very durable.
Silicone keyboard is made by casting a solid key mat, housing electrical components behind the mat, and attaching a rubber back piece. Silicone keyboard is fully sealed, with a silicone surface or a silicone cover, due to their closed surface, allow quick and easy cleaning as well as disinfection.
A high-quality silicone surface completely protects the keyboard from the penetration of liquids, dust and other contaminants. It is waterproof, dustproof, oil, acid and alkali proof, and can be disinfected and cleaned in water.
Silicone Keyboard Manufacturing Process
Silicone keyboard is processed by compression molding or liquid silicone injection molding.
Silicone keyboard compression molding is the most common method of molding silicone keyboard.
The preheated silicone material is placed into an open heating mold cavity.Then close the mold and apply pressure, melt the raw materials under the set temperature and pressure generated by the press, so as to fill the cavity of the mold with the material, and get the desired rubber keyboard shape.
Silicone keyboard is widely used in the electronic equipment industry, MIDI pad controller, digital piano and so on, whether you are on the electronic equipment design needs, or configuration needs, you need to understand the basic knowledge of the silicone keyboard, so that the performance and characteristics of the keyboard.
A silicone keyboard is characterized by being a nice design that is suitable for harsh environments.
Silicone Keyboard Design Guide
Tactile silicone keyboard designed with conductive carbon pill or conductive ink printing.The principle is to use the conductive properties of the conductive rubber to conduct electricity for the keyboard.When we use the keyboard, while pressing it, the conductive rubber will contact with the contacts of the circuit board below, then the conductive silicone keyboard work.And if it is released, it will automatically pop out.
Non-conductive Silicone Keyboard
Non-conductive silicone keyboard that presses against a metal snap dome switch or tact switch.Metal snap dome switches, known as snap domes, are open momentary contacts. They are made of stainless steel. When used with a PCB, they provide a feeling of touch as soon as the user presses the button.The dome gives an audible sound and a feeling of resistance when pressed. The perceived sense of touch is known as the tactile feel.
Silkscreen Printed Silicone Keyboard
It is the most common way to do decorating symbols for silicone keyboard.Multiple printing color is available.Screen printing is a process that uses a woven mesh stencil to transfer ink to the material underneath or substrate.
Laser Etched Silicone Keyboard
Silicone keyboard with laser etched symbols for backlit purposes.It is a process of surface treatment using optical principles.The position of the character would be free of ink, then to achieve light transmitting. Only the characters have backlight effect.
Molded Multiple Color Silicone Keyboard
Requires two sets of compression molding, one for different color buttons, one for whole set silicone keyboard overmolding and key positioning tool.The purpose of key positioning tool is to fix different color buttons into mold cavities for overmolding.Therefore, overmolding rubber contact is also two-shot molding.
Multiple Color Silicone Keyboard By Spraying
The multiple color sachieved by spraying is usually used for silicone keyboard which need laser etched symbols.By this option, the unit price is hight, because of the higher defect rate of spraying.
Epoxy Coated Silicone Keyboard
Epoxy coating is made up with resin and curing agent. Epoxy coating is a protective transparent epoxy resin coating, which is commonly used in silicone keypad to protect the key surface.This thick epoxy coating gives the silicone keypad a hard plastic feel and shiny look.
UV Resistant Silicone Keyboard
PU coating is UV resistant.It has high resistance to wear for high use applications.The best coating that is 100% applied to keypads and provides resistance to most chemicals.It is widely used in outdoor or harsh working environment silicone keyboard.
Dual Hardness Actuator Silicone Keyboard
In order to achieve better tactile feeling, customer can choose a harder hardness of the actuator.
Overmolded Dual Hardness Silicone Keyboard
Dual hardness silicone keyboard is used in musical board, which has softer feeling on the top.
Light Block Silicone Keyboard for Automobile
The light block is processed by insert molding.When a silicone keyboard need different color LED to illuminate the surface, the light block not only can prevent light from bleeding into other portions of the keyboard but also focus the light source to indicate the indicators.
Silicone Keyboard Grid Separator
Design and produce a grid to match with the silicone keyboard.It effectively prevents light from passing through the bottom of the keyboard.When choose silicone grid, the hardness is suggested to do higher, more than 60A.And the color to be black.
Metal Stainless Steel Keycaps Silicone Keyboard
The material of metal keycaps for silicone keyboard can be aluminum or copper or other metals.They are molded by die-cutting or CNC processing. Of course, the price is
most expensive.
PMMA Acrylic Plastic Rubber Silicone Keyboard
P + R rubber keypad also called as P+R keypad and plastic rubber keypad.It is a keypad made of plastic and rubber.Plastic keycaps can be ABS / PC / PMMA / ABS+PC.
Silicone Keyboard With Light Pipe By Spraying
Clear light pipes,without mixed colors of other silicone material.But need extra keycaps tool to mask the light pipes, which cause higher unit price.
MIDI Silicone Keyboard With Light Up Keys
Mold the clear light pipes separately and then assemble them with silicone keyboard.
Creat the waterproof wall/groove around the silicone keyboard base that is higher than bottom base, which is the most simple way to do By this way, it can prevent the water or dust from entering into the PCB.
3M Self-Adhesive Silicone Keyboard
Silicone keyboard with 3D self-adhesive layer is also a common processing way to achieve waterproof function of silicone keyboard.It need extra die-cutting tool and positioning tool.Unit price is not cheap.
FPC Silicone Rubber Membrane Switch Keyboard
Silicone Keyboard can be designed as a gasketed tubber to wrap around a FPC for minimizing water or dust ingress.FPC+membrane switch+silicone keyboard or FPC+silicone keyboard is excellent dielectric strength, thermal stability, chemical resistance and flexibility, they are widedly applied industrial and harsh environment like maritime industry, construction industry.
Benefits for Using Silicone Keyboard
-Flexible and Comfortable
One of the biggest advantages of a silicone keyboard is its flexibility. Unlike traditional keyboards that have a rigid structure, a silicone keyboard is designed to be pliable and soft, allowing it to conform to the user's typing style.
This makes it a comfortable option for extended typing sessions and can help prevent hand and wrist strain.
-Silent Click
Soft silicone rubber material allows discreet silent typing experience. No typing sound design makes you have a quiet working environment and avoid disturbing others.
-Waterproof, dustproof and easy to clean
No additional silicone keyboard cover skin required, food crumbs or dust can be easily cleaned thoroughly. Silicone keyboard can be cleaned with water, alcohol, or alcohol based disinfectant.
-Durable and Long-Lasting
Silicone keyboards are designed to be durable and long lasting. The material is resistant to wear and tear, making it a great option for those who need a keyboard that can handle heavy use.
Additionally, the keys on a silicone keyboard are often laser etched or printed directly onto the silicone surface, which means they are less likely to fade or wear away over time.
-Customize several decorations according to your needs.Make your silicone keyboard out of the ordinary.
Silicone keyboard also called as rubber keymat and silicone button pad. Silicone keyboard is a keyboard which has components primarily made of high intensity and high elasticity silicone rubber, which making silicone keypad highly flexible and also very durable.
Silicone keyboard is made by casting a solid key mat, housing electrical components behind the mat, and attaching a rubber back piece. Silicone keyboard is fully sealed, with a silicone surface or a silicone cover, due to their closed surface, allow quick and easy cleaning as well as disinfection.
A high-quality silicone surface completely protects the keyboard from the penetration of liquids, dust and other contaminants. It is waterproof, dustproof, oil, acid and alkali proof, and can be disinfected and cleaned in water.
Silicone Keyboard Manufacturing Process
Silicone keyboard is processed by compression molding or liquid silicone injection molding.
Silicone keyboard compression molding is the most common method of molding silicone keyboard.
The preheated silicone material is placed into an open heating mold cavity.Then close the mold and apply pressure, melt the raw materials under the set temperature and pressure generated by the press, so as to fill the cavity of the mold with the material, and get the desired rubber keyboard shape.
Silicone keyboard is widely used in the electronic equipment industry, MIDI pad controller, digital piano and so on, whether you are on the electronic equipment design needs, or configuration needs, you need to understand the basic knowledge of the silicone keyboard, so that the performance and characteristics of the keyboard.
A silicone keyboard is characterized by being a nice design that is suitable for harsh environments.
Silicone Keyboard Design Guide
Tactile silicone keyboard designed with conductive carbon pill or conductive ink printing.The principle is to use the conductive properties of the conductive rubber to conduct electricity for the keyboard.When we use the keyboard, while pressing it, the conductive rubber will contact with the contacts of the circuit board below, then the conductive silicone keyboard work.And if it is released, it will automatically pop out.
Non-conductive Silicone Keyboard
Non-conductive silicone keyboard that presses against a metal snap dome switch or tact switch.Metal snap dome switches, known as snap domes, are open momentary contacts. They are made of stainless steel. When used with a PCB, they provide a feeling of touch as soon as the user presses the button.The dome gives an audible sound and a feeling of resistance when pressed. The perceived sense of touch is known as the tactile feel.
Silkscreen Printed Silicone Keyboard
It is the most common way to do decorating symbols for silicone keyboard.Multiple printing color is available.Screen printing is a process that uses a woven mesh stencil to transfer ink to the material underneath or substrate.
Laser Etched Silicone Keyboard
Silicone keyboard with laser etched symbols for backlit purposes.It is a process of surface treatment using optical principles.The position of the character would be free of ink, then to achieve light transmitting. Only the characters have backlight effect.
Molded Multiple Color Silicone Keyboard
Requires two sets of compression molding, one for different color buttons, one for whole set silicone keyboard overmolding and key positioning tool.The purpose of key positioning tool is to fix different color buttons into mold cavities for overmolding.Therefore, overmolding rubber contact is also two-shot molding.
Multiple Color Silicone Keyboard By Spraying
The multiple color sachieved by spraying is usually used for silicone keyboard which need laser etched symbols.By this option, the unit price is hight, because of the higher defect rate of spraying.
Epoxy Coated Silicone Keyboard
Epoxy coating is made up with resin and curing agent. Epoxy coating is a protective transparent epoxy resin coating, which is commonly used in silicone keypad to protect the key surface.This thick epoxy coating gives the silicone keypad a hard plastic feel and shiny look.
UV Resistant Silicone Keyboard
PU coating is UV resistant.It has high resistance to wear for high use applications.The best coating that is 100% applied to keypads and provides resistance to most chemicals.It is widely used in outdoor or harsh working environment silicone keyboard.
Dual Hardness Actuator Silicone Keyboard
In order to achieve better tactile feeling, customer can choose a harder hardness of the actuator.
Overmolded Dual Hardness Silicone Keyboard
Dual hardness silicone keyboard is used in musical board, which has softer feeling on the top.
Light Block Silicone Keyboard for Automobile
The light block is processed by insert molding.When a silicone keyboard need different color LED to illuminate the surface, the light block not only can prevent light from bleeding into other portions of the keyboard but also focus the light source to indicate the indicators.
Silicone Keyboard Grid Separator
Design and produce a grid to match with the silicone keyboard.It effectively prevents light from passing through the bottom of the keyboard.When choose silicone grid, the hardness is suggested to do higher, more than 60A.And the color to be black.
Metal Stainless Steel Keycaps Silicone Keyboard
The material of metal keycaps for silicone keyboard can be aluminum or copper or other metals.They are molded by die-cutting or CNC processing. Of course, the price is
most expensive.
PMMA Acrylic Plastic Rubber Silicone Keyboard
P + R rubber keypad also called as P+R keypad and plastic rubber keypad.It is a keypad made of plastic and rubber.Plastic keycaps can be ABS / PC / PMMA / ABS+PC.
Silicone Keyboard With Light Pipe By Spraying
Clear light pipes,without mixed colors of other silicone material.But need extra keycaps tool to mask the light pipes, which cause higher unit price.
MIDI Silicone Keyboard With Light Up Keys
Mold the clear light pipes separately and then assemble them with silicone keyboard.
Creat the waterproof wall/groove around the silicone keyboard base that is higher than bottom base, which is the most simple way to do By this way, it can prevent the water or dust from entering into the PCB.
3M Self-Adhesive Silicone Keyboard
Silicone keyboard with 3D self-adhesive layer is also a common processing way to achieve waterproof function of silicone keyboard.It need extra die-cutting tool and positioning tool.Unit price is not cheap.
FPC Silicone Rubber Membrane Switch Keyboard
Silicone Keyboard can be designed as a gasketed tubber to wrap around a FPC for minimizing water or dust ingress.FPC+membrane switch+silicone keyboard or FPC+silicone keyboard is excellent dielectric strength, thermal stability, chemical resistance and flexibility, they are widedly applied industrial and harsh environment like maritime industry, construction industry.
Benefits for Using Silicone Keyboard
-Flexible and Comfortable
One of the biggest advantages of a silicone keyboard is its flexibility. Unlike traditional keyboards that have a rigid structure, a silicone keyboard is designed to be pliable and soft, allowing it to conform to the user's typing style.
This makes it a comfortable option for extended typing sessions and can help prevent hand and wrist strain.
-Silent Click
Soft silicone rubber material allows discreet silent typing experience. No typing sound design makes you have a quiet working environment and avoid disturbing others.
-Waterproof, dustproof and easy to clean
No additional silicone keyboard cover skin required, food crumbs or dust can be easily cleaned thoroughly. Silicone keyboard can be cleaned with water, alcohol, or alcohol based disinfectant.
-Durable and Long-Lasting
Silicone keyboards are designed to be durable and long lasting. The material is resistant to wear and tear, making it a great option for those who need a keyboard that can handle heavy use.
Additionally, the keys on a silicone keyboard are often laser etched or printed directly onto the silicone surface, which means they are less likely to fade or wear away over time.
-Customize several decorations according to your needs.Make your silicone keyboard out of the ordinary.
Silicone Rubber Keypad | Self Adhesive Gaskets | Rubber Sealing Gasket | Rubber Bellows | Rubber Button | Silicone Keyboard Cover | Membrane Keyboard | Membrane Switches | Remote Control Keyboard | POS Keyboard | Keypad Legends | Conductive Keypad | Keypad Cover | Keypad Feature | Liquid Silicone Rubber | Screen Printing Keyboard | Laser Keyboard | Conductive Metal Pills | Metal Dome | Conductive Button | Carbon Pills | Conductive Printing | Epoxy Coating | PU Coating | Matte Smooth | Color Coating | Plastic Key Cover | Metal Key Cover | Fluorescent keyboard | Molded Keypad | Backlight Keypad | Translucent Keyboard