quality Silicone Rubber Keypads & Conductive Rubber Keypads manufacturer

What is the key to the production and processing of silicone products? Silicone products are widely used in various fields such as medical, electronics, automotive, food, etc. due to their excellent high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, non-toxic and odorless characteristics. With the continuous growth of market demand, the production and processing technology of silicone products is also constantly improving. However, how to ensure product quality, improve production efficiency, and reduce production costs has become the core issue faced by silicone product manufacturers. Today, we will take you to understand the key to the production and processing of silicone products.   1. Production process of silicone products The production of silicone products mainly includes processes such as raw material preparation, mixing, molding, vulcanization, and post-treatment. Firstly, raw material preparation is the foundation. The main component of silicone is silicone rubber, which usually requires the addition of auxiliary materials such as fillers, vulcanizing agents, plasticizers, etc. to improve performance. The mixing process uses an internal mixer or an open mixer to evenly mix the raw materials, ensuring consistent material properties. Molding is the core step, and common methods include compression molding, injection molding, and extrusion molding. Compression molding is suitable for complex shapes, while injection molding is suitable for mass production. Sulfurization is the process of crosslinking and solidifying silicone gel through heating, endowing it with its final properties. Post processing includes trimming, cleaning, testing, etc., to ensure that the appearance and functionality of the product meet the requirements.   2. Technical difficulties in production and processing Material ratio and uniformity: The performance of silicone products is highly dependent on the raw material ratio and mixing uniformity. Excessive addition of fillers may lead to an increase in product hardness, while insufficient sulfurizing agents can affect the curing effect. Molding accuracy control: Complex shaped silicone products require extremely high requirements for mold design and molding processes, and a slight carelessness may lead to product size deviations or surface defects. Optimization of vulcanization process: The vulcanization temperature and time directly affect product performance, and too high or too low can lead to a decrease in product performance. Environmental protection and cost balance: The waste gas and wastewater generated during the silicone production process need to be properly treated, and the enterprise also needs to control production costs to maintain competitiveness.   3. Key measures for quality control Raw material testing: Strictly control the quality of silicone raw materials to ensure that they meet relevant standards, such as food grade or medical grade silicone, which must be certified by FDA. Process monitoring: Real time monitoring of mixing uniformity, forming pressure, vulcanization temperature and other parameters during the production process to ensure stability and controllability of each link. Finished product testing: Through tests such as tensile strength, tear strength, and temperature resistance, ensure that the product meets performance standards. Traceability system: Establish a comprehensive quality traceability system to facilitate the identification of problems and timely improvement.   4. Future Development Trends Intelligent production: With the advancement of Industry 4.0, the production of silicone products will gradually achieve automation and intelligence, improving production efficiency and product consistency. Green and environmentally friendly: The research and application of environmentally friendly silicone materials will become mainstream, reducing environmental pollution during the production process. High performance materials: The application of cutting-edge technologies such as nanotechnology and biotechnology will promote the development of silicone products towards higher performance and wider application fields. Customized services: With the diversification of market demand, silicone product manufacturers will pay more attention to providing customized solutions for customers.   The production and processing of silicone products is a complex and delicate process, involving multiple links and technical difficulties. By optimizing production processes, strengthening quality control, and embracing technological innovation, enterprises can gain an advantage in fierce market competition. In the future, with the advancement of intelligent and green trends, the silicone products industry will usher in a broader development space.

As is well known, in addition to superior product performance, silicone products also have a very unique advantage, which is the color change. Now let's take a look at the following methods for coloring silicone products:   1.Solution method This method involves dissolving silicone rubber into a solution with a certain concentration, then adding coloring agents and silicone rubber compounding agents to the solution, stirring evenly, drying at a certain temperature to remove the solvent, and adding sulfur to the rubber mixing machine. Disadvantages: Complex operation, uneven dispersion, slight color difference, difficult solvent recovery, environmental pollution, and low usage. 2.Mixing method At present, this method is commonly used in coloring silicone products, which involves directly adding the coloring agent or mixing it with the carrier before adding it to the rubber compound, and then mixing it evenly through a rubber mixing machine to color the silicone rubber. The specific methods are as follows. 3.Dry powder method Directly add the powdered colorant and small material into the silicone gel and mix on the open mill. The advantages are simple operation and low cost, but there is a large amount of dust during mixing, which pollutes the environment and is not easily dispersed evenly. There is color difference, and if the particles are too hard or coarse, it can also cause quality problems such as color spots, stripes, or chromatographic mutual pollution, which is less commonly used. 4.Color paste method It is first mixed with a liquid colorant, then ground into a paste or slurry using a three roll machine, and then added to silicone rubber in a certain proportion for mixing. This method can prevent dust from flying everywhere, which is beneficial for the dispersion of colorants in rubber and uniform color. But the content of colorants in the color paste is relatively low, the coloring is not very high, the transportation volume is large, the loss is large, and it is not very convenient for users to use. 5.Granular method There are two main methods for preparing coloring agent particles. The method is the same as other powder formulations. Firstly, soak the powder coloring agent in a surfactant, and then extrude it into pellets by melting wax or melting with resin. The second method is to soak the colorant in the surfactant, then refine the colorant particles by mechanical force to make a dispersion of a certain concentration, then mix with lotion for deposition, dry and roll to make particles. Particle coloring agents are easy to use, have good dispersibility, no dust flying, do not pollute the environment, have bright colors, uniform hair color, and no color difference. They are a very promising coloring method. However, the preparation process of granular coloring agents should be extensive.

Conductivity requirements Conductive particle color: Many silicone rubber products require conductivity, such as conductive silicone rubber buttons. To achieve this function, conductive particles such as carbon black and conductive carbon particles are usually added to silicone rubber. These conductive particles themselves are black and evenly dispersed in the silicone rubber, making the entire product appear black. Stability of conductivity: Black conductive particles not only endow silicone rubber products with conductivity, but also ensure the stability of this conductivity. Stable conductivity is crucial for the reliable operation of products in applications such as electronic devices.   Material characteristics and processing requirements Raw material characteristics: Silicone rubber itself is a colorless or semi transparent material, but in industrial production, various additives are often added to improve its performance or meet specific needs. Among them, some additives such as white carbon black may affect the color of the product, making it tend towards black. Processing process: During the processing of silicone rubber products, such as high-temperature vulcanization, some chemical changes may occur in the material, which in turn can affect the color of the product. In addition, the cleanliness of production equipment and the condition of molds may also have a certain impact on the surface color of the product.   Cost and market demand factors Cost considerations: In some cases, the production cost of black silicone rubber products is relatively low. On the one hand, black pigments or additives are usually cheaper and easier to obtain; On the other hand, black can conceal some minor defects in the production process, reducing the excessive requirements for raw material purity and processing accuracy, thereby reducing production costs. Market demand: In some application scenarios, black silicone rubber products are more popular or practical. For example, in the fields of industrial equipment, electronic devices, etc., a black appearance is more in line with the overall design style and aesthetic needs of the equipment, and can also better adapt to harsh working environments.