SILICONE RUBBER KETBAD FEATURE
Rubber keypads are widely used in the "push-button" facilitiesfound throughout in our daily life, such as personal computerkeyboards, calculators, remote controllers, cellular phone/mobilephones, multi- functional telephones, multi-functional CB radios,car-stereos, cameras and answering machines. |
| Materials The hardness of silicone rubber can be graded between 30 to 70 shore A. Suggested hardness for silicone rubber keypads is 40 to 60 shore A depending on customers’ requirements for actuation force, tactile response and life. Higher hardness rubber keypads offer higher actuation force and snap ratio but shorter life. Lower hardness rubber keypads have lower actuation force and snap ratio but longer life. Silicone rubber is available in flame classifications of UL94HB and UL94V0, and the flame classification of most silicone rubber used for keypads is UL94HB. |
| ContactResistance Silicone rubber keypads can beco-molded with carbon impregnated silicone pills (carbon pills),gold plated pills and metal pills according to customers’requirements. Due to the low cost of production and acceptableresistance (less than 100 ohms), most rubber keypads are co-moldedwith carbon pills. |
| Rubber ColorThe nature color of raw silicone rubber material is translucentwhite. Raw materials are blended with silicone based color pigmentsto obtain the color needed by the customer, and it can even beblended with phosphorescent materials to glow indark. |
| |  | | | | | Force Range(gm) | Stroke Range(m/m) | Cycle Lifex10(Times) | Typical Uses |  | 40~130 | 0.6~2.5 | 3000~20000
long-life | Presonal Computer,
Main frame Computer | | FigureA |  | 50~350 | 0.5~3.0 | 500~2000 | Telephone,Remote
Controller,Caculator,TV game.........etc | | FigureB |  | 30~250 | 0.7~1.5 | 500~2000 | Telephone,Remote
Controller,TV game,
Caculator Translator
Machine...etc... | | FigureC |  | 30~180 | 0.5~3.0 | 1000~3600 | Remote Controller,
Toys office Machine,
Measurement
Instrument | | FigureD |  | 30~180 | 1.5~4.0 | 5000~10000
long-life | Com puter
Type writer....etc | | FigureE |  | 30~200 | 1.0~2.5 | 2000~20000
long-life | Telephone,typewriter
Test Instrument
Com puter....etc... | | FigureF |  | 20~250 | 0.2~1.0 | 500~10000 | Remote Controller,
Calculator, typewriter
Com puter....etc... | | FigureG |
|
|
| Actuation Force / Travel The force /travel diagram is the definition of characteristic feel fordepressing the keypad button. |
 | | F1:PEAK FORCE
F2:CONTACT FORCE
F3: UNLITIMED
F4: RETURN FORCE
F5: MAX. RETURNFORCE | X1:PEAK STROKE
X2: CONTACTSTROKE | 0-F1-F2-F3:PRESS CURVE
0-F3-F4-F5: ELASTIC CURVE |
|
| Acomplete examples of actuation force specification is as follows: |
| Actuation(F1):
Travel:
Tactile feel:
Return force: | 150 35grams
1.00.1m/m
35-50%(snap ratio)
Minimun50 grams | Note:For reference only |
3. SILKSCREEN PRINTINGAND COATING Silk-screen Printing Printingcolors can be multiple by using multiple printing process. Eachcolor requires one printing process. The optimum keytop thatrequired for printing has to be flat keytops. However, somecurvature keytops can also be printed.
Spray Printing with Back-lighted Legends After moldingtranslucent material for silicone rubber keypads, the material isspray painted with black and white ink on the front side. A laseris used to cut out or chemically etch legends on keytops to form aback lighted legend effect with a Fiber Optic or EL lamp under thekeypad.
PU Coating Silicone rubber keypads can also be spray coated withPU resin to provide absolute life time abrasion resistance and oilresistance satisfaction. This important technique has already beensuccessful developed.
Hard Coating A screen-printing or spray-painting process is usedto coat an additional protective clear silicone ink on the colorscreened keytops. This increases the abrasion life of the screenedcolor ink.
Epoxy Coating Silicone rubber keypads can be coated with a layerof epoxy resin to form a hard (or medium hard) top and feeling likeplastic appearance, and provides screen textprotection.
4. PRODUCTSAPPLICATION DIAGRAM | FIELDS OF INDUSTIES | APPLICATIONS |
| Household Electric Appliances | Rubber-made parts around high-voltage |
| Circuit in color TV sets |
| Anode caps |
| Defrosters in refrigerators |
| Hot air brushes |
| Steam irons parts |
| Front door gaskets and turn belts of microwaveovens |
| Packing of steam kettle valve, steampipe, rice cooker, electric pot, pressure kettle. |
| | |
| Electric Wires | Lead wires for motors and electric appliances |
| Heater wires in refrigerators |
| Ignition wires |
| Insulated cables for atomic power plant |
| | |
| Business Machines | Rubber contacts in pocket electronic |
| Calculators and keyboards |
| Emi gaskets |
| Rubber rollers in ppc copying machines |
| Platen rollers in telecopier machines |
| Platen rollers in printers |
| Facsimile rollers |
| | |
| Hobby Goods | Goggles, snorkels |
| Mouthpieces, goggle bands |
| | |
| Medical | Rubber stoppers in medical instruments |
| Rubber parts attached to spectacles |
| | |
| Cosmetics | Spongy puff in medical instruments |
| Rubber brush attached to hair-curlers |
| | |
| LIMs (Liquid type silicone injection molding) | O-rings, diaphragm, |
| Capping, connector packing |
| Rubber rollers |
| | |
5. PRODUCTION PROCESSAND QUALITY CONTROL At SICON, our staff andmanagement team share the same company goals and work well togetheron achieving those goalds. Because of their cooperation and focuson achieving quality and efficiency, SICON managed to implement ISO9002 requiements in only 140 days while most other manufacturing firms took over 6 months.
However, we do not consider theISO9002 certification and indicator showing that we have doneenough to achieve quality. We consider endless pursuit for progressis only way we can remain competitive and provide high qualityproducts to our customers.
Implementing and maintaining qualitycontrol in our production process is SICON's first priority. Our staff closely followscompany policy and procedures throughout the production processsuch as usage of quality raw materials, accuracy of the molding,precision of the silkscreen printing, and details of the finalinspection.
By using in-house automatedmachinery with 100% in-process-inspection and the latest silkscreentechniques, we have obtained a high yield rate and efficiency toprovide our customers competitive prices and desired quantity. Thatis why we have attracted large stable customers who demand qualityand capacity for high volume orders at competitive prices.
