Views: 293 Author: Sophie Xu Publish Time: 2020-09-18 Origin: Site
Overmolding of Silicone Multicolor Keyboard
Silicone Multicolor Keyboard also known as colour keypad, colour keyboard, colorful button pad, which is made from silicone rubber, a kind of elastomeric translucent synthetic material, with colored keyboard & button keys.
Silicone multicolor keyboardwhich need different colors keys, but don’t want the colors mixed, buttons hardness & durometer are different from the key web or not all the buttons at the same hardness. Overmolding process is a good choice.
What Is Silicone Overmolding？
Overmolding also known as double molded process, co-molded process, in-mold assembly. Silicone overmolding is an injection molding process that molds silicone over, under, or through a substrate material to complete the final part. The manufacturing process supports variations in durometer, rigidity and color. It allows product designers to combine the materials with different hardness, or buttons in different colors. With overmolding, functionality, look, and bond strength of silicone products can be improved while saving time and reducing costs.
Firstly, to mold the desired colored keyboard & button keys or desired hardness insert buttons in one compression. Generally, they must be molded out of a harder durometer than the main part.
Secondly, the moldedcolored keyboard & button keys or double durometer buttons will be positioned in a insertion tool. The insertion tool is used to push the insert rubber buttons into the main mold tool .
Finally, the cut pieces for forming the multicolor keyboard should be placed in a pre-heated mold. The vulcanization process will harden and bond the silicone material in the tool and permanently transforming it into multicolor keyboard with colorful or dual hardness buttons.
Multicolor keyboard by overmolding have beautiful looks, without any mixed colors. The colored keyboard keys will provide a clean and straight color parting line without any bleeding. In addition, the molded keys can be made in different hardness.
Silicone multicolor keyboard overmolding is achieved by a double-shot process. The production not only need one more set of multicolor keyboard compression mold but also one more auxiliary tooling for key setting or positioning. Because multiple tools and molding steps are used, overmolding is more expensive compared to flow molding.
The flow molding process is relatively low cost way to make multicolor keyboards. Compared to a single color keyboard, the process only need additional silicone mixtures and additional silicone placement in the main mold. There are no additional mold tool costs. However, it is difficult to control how the different materials mix and flow together. There is usually some color bleeding. Keys that are too close together cannot be easily flow molded in different colors due to bleeding.
The keyboard which need backlight effect usually need color coating process. From the back of color coating silicone keyboard & button, it will be primary color of silicone, generally translucent. In addition, if the button is cut apart, the inside color of overmolded buttons will be the same as the button suface color. But the inside colors of color coating buttons will be translucent silicone primary color.
Xiamen Better Silicone rubber Co., Ltd as a reliable silicone rubber keypad manufacturer and suppliers, provides various designs of silicone keyboard & buttons and offers professional service for you.
Better Silicone Keypad
Xiamen Better Silicone Rubber Co., Ltd is specialized in designing and manufacturing all kinds and configurations of Silicone Rubber Keypads for a wide range of applications....
