A silicone rubber keypad, also known as an elastomeric keypad, is an extensively used industrial and consumer electronic product. It is a reliable and low-cost switching solution that provides product functionality.

These keypads have a tactile feel that makes them a better option in many dissimilar rubber keypads based on the specifications of your product. Your TV’s remote control is one example where every button offers a different product function.

Our today’s article covers different features of these keypads. Apart from that, we will also help you decide whether or not you should outsource the manufacture of your silicon keypad.

Different Features of a Silicone Rubber Keypad

Here are the different features of a silicone rubber keypad that makes the silicon keypad a better option among many others.

1. Chemical and Water Resistance

Silicon keypads can resist harsh environments due to their special design. Their ability to resist chemicals and water makes them a perfect choice for industrial control panels, consumer goods, handheld devices, and construction. For example, these keypads are very common within the construction industry for adding functionality to different tools and machinery.

Now, just think about the extreme weather conditions under which construction may take place. Because of the durability of a silicone rubber keypad within tough environments, these keypads become a great option for the product.

The same is true about their capabilities to resist chemicals and water in facilities, like a hospital. If water or chemicals spills over your silicon keypad incidentally, you can stay relax keeping in mind that the functionality of your product will remain intact.

2. Plastic or Rubber Buttons

A silicone rubber keypad can either have plastic or rubber molded buttons. The selection of the material is based on the product’s end-use and aesthetics requirements. Rubber offers a soft feel and touch, while plastic is a rigid material that offers a more decorative look. Manufacturers can mold every plastic keycap with different shapes, images, and designs. However, molding is not possible with rubber material alone. This feature looks amazing in a low-light condition or when you need high visibility.

3. Tactile Buttons

A silicone rubber keypad is created with various buttons and they all work to provide the functionality to the keypad. Every single button performs a different function. When you press a button, it performs the desired job. But, how these buttons function and how would you know they are functioning appropriately?

Every button on the silicon keypad is three-dimensional. The design of these buttons offers a tactile response. This tactile feedback offers a feel of a physical click to the end-user while pressing the keypad button. You can adjust the travel, audible, and actuation force click for your application. The user will feel the click of buttons even if he is wearing gloves.

4. PCB (Printed-Circuit-Board)

Every single silicone rubber keypad has one circuit layer. This layer is like the brain of the product that instructs the keypad on what to function. Typically, these circuits are made of copper flex. However, you can also manufacture them with a rigid PCB.

There is another inert layer inside the keypad that avoids the switch activation until you apply pressure to the button. Once you apply pressure appropriately, the circuit under the layer activates the function. And when you remove pressure from that button, the circuit will deactivate the function.

5. Lighting

Lighting is another vital feature of a silicon keypad. These keypads have very broad use in different industries. There is no surprise that a keypad may require a lighting feature so that the user can see the product in low-light environments. To achieve this objective, the manufacturers incorporate backlighting features into the design of their product.

Therefore, the keypad icons are illuminated and the user will know the functionality of every button in the dark. You can see this feature in many latest devices where you will find the illuminated keypads.

6. Durability

The durability of these keypads is another great feature to look at. Typically, they have a long-lasting quality that ensures durability to the product in the long run. These keypads resist chemicals, moisture, and rigid weather conditions. Therefore, you can expect your silicone rubber keypad to perform flawlessly in the long run.

Why Outsource the Manufacturer?

For several companies and product designers who have quality concerns, the choice for outsourcing consumer electronics components needs careful consideration. They need to be very careful about the benefits and costs. There is a perception that foreign component manufacturing is of low quality as compared to the production in the state. However, this is a false perception as there are many high-quality manufacturers across Asia. Their products will be identical in quality and yet much cheaper as compared to the United States.

PCB Assembly Outsourcing

During the last 5 years, almost all PCBs have been subcontracted to China. The Chinese facilities have a very strict policy about quality control across the country. The manufacturing of electronic components was not ideal in China a decade ago. But today, more and more companies are outsourcing products to Chinese companies.

The competition in China is very fierce today and the manufacturing facilities are coming up with innovation to meet the desired standards. Because of this, you can outsource your products to Asian countries like China without any fear.

Here are more reasons why you should outsource silicone rubber keypad or other components:

1. Outsourcing Will Save You Money

The silicon manufacturing technology in the United States has been there for a long time and there is no substantial benefit in scale or technique by manufacturers. Manufacturing silicon keypads involves low complexity. Therefore, even small manufacturers without enormous experience can manufacture these keypads.

Because of the low labor costs, the silicon products production costs in Asian countries like China is much cheaper than in the United States. The product will still be far cheaper even after adding the shipping cost of your product. This cost-saving factor helps you to improve overall margins while allowing you to invest in some other important features.

2. Faster Manufacturing

Interestingly, the production of silicone rubber keypads in Chine takes much less time than what it takes to be produced domestically. This may look strange to those who don’t have any idea about the process. American factories have some regulatory hurdles that you would have to go through if manufacturing in the state.

In outsourcing, you don’t have to bother about the regulatory hurdles and the product will arrive before a couple of weeks only. Therefore, you will save a great deal of time by outsourcing your product to overseas companies.

One thing that can make you wait for a little while is waiting for a few product proof copies. However, this will still need much less time as compared to what you need to meet the United States regulation compliance.

Conclusion

A silicone rubber keypad is used in the industrial and consumer electronics market for an array of applications. These keypads are an affordable and reliable switching solution to help a product function appropriately with tactile feedback.

If your business requires the production of these keypads on a large scale and regular basis, then you can outsource your products from a reliable foreign company. However, it is important to make sure that the company you are going to outsource is known for product reliability and credibility.

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