Custom Silicone Rubber Keypad — Carbon Pill Conductive Contact
40–70 Shore A hardness · 1,000,000+ press cycles · laser etched legends · IP65 sealed membrane option for industrial controllers, medical devices and handheld terminals.
1. Application Scenarios
Our silicone rubber keypads are engineered as the switching and sealing interface of daily-use and industrial equipment. One moulding platform covers flat keypads, convex keypads, webbed keypads and full sealing gaskets, so a single supplier covers your whole product family.
- Industrial control & automation — CNC panels, VFD and inverter control boards, PLC hand-held pendants, HMI front membranes, machine start and stop stations.
- Remote controllers — air conditioner, TV and audio remotes, garage door and gate openers, ceiling fan regulators, smart home wall switches.
- Medical & laboratory equipment — infusion pumps, patient monitors, diagnostic analyzers where wipe-down disinfection and non-toxic material are required.
- POS & payment terminals — PIN pads, self-service kiosks, vending machines, ticketing machines with abrasion-resistant legends.
- Automotive & transport — dashboard switch panels, forklift and agricultural machinery consoles, elevator car operating panels.
- Consumer & appliance — microwave and induction cooker panels, water purifier and air fryer touch strips, fitness and gaming consoles.
2. Specification Parameters
The table below shows our standard capability window. Any item marked custom is produced to your 2D/3D drawing, Pantone colour and legend file.
| Material | 100% virgin silicone rubber (LSR or HCR), RoHS and REACH compliant, non-toxic, odourless |
| Hardness | 30–80 Shore A (standard 40–70 Shore A) |
| Tolerance | ISO 3302-1 class M2 / M3, typically ±0.10 mm on key height |
| Key travel | 0.8–3.0 mm, tactile ratio 40–65% |
| Actuation force | 80–350 gf per key (20–500 g load range) |
| Contact type | Carbon pill, conductive ink printing, metal dome or metal conductive pill |
| Contact resistance | Carbon pill 10–100 Ω · conductive ink 50–350 Ω · metal dome 1–100 Ω |
| Life cycle | Above 1,000,000 press cycles (above 5,000,000 for metal dome) |
| Working temperature | -40 °C to +200 °C (silicone), -40 °C to +120 °C (EPDM option) |
| Surface finish | Matte, PU coating, epoxy resin dripping, plastic key cap, feel-oil spray |
| Legend process | Screen printing, laser etching, debossing, embossing, back-lit translucent icons |
| Colour | Any Pantone or RAL shade, multi-colour injection and dual durometer available |
| Sealing | IP54 to IP67 sealing lip, dust-proof and splash-proof membrane design |
| Size | Built to customer drawing, up to 400 × 400 mm per pad |
| MOQ | 500 pcs per design, tooling charge refundable against 20,000 pcs |
3. Quality Assurance
Quality is controlled at four gates: incoming material, in-process moulding, electrical function and final outgoing inspection. Every shipment leaves with a signed inspection report.
Incoming material control
Silicone compound is checked for hardness, specific gravity, tensile strength and elongation before release to production. Certificates of compliance (RoHS, REACH, FDA or LFGB where applicable) are filed per batch and can be supplied with the shipment.
In-process control
Press parameters (temperature, pressure, cycle time) are locked on the machine recipe and logged per shift. First-article inspection is performed at the start of every production run; cavity dimensions are gauged every 2 hours against the approved drawing.
Electrical and function test
100% contact resistance check on every conductive key, plus a 10-cycle pre-actuation to confirm tactile feel. Random samples are run to 1,000,000 cycles on an in-house life tester with resistance drift recorded every 100,000 cycles.
Final outgoing inspection
AQL 0.65 major and 1.5 minor sampling per ISO 2859-1 on appearance, legend registration, colour match and hardness. A 3.1 inspection report and material certificate, plus SGS or TUV third-party reports when requested, accompany each lot.
- Certification support: ISO 9001:2015 quality system, RoHS, REACH, PAH and phthalate-free, FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 and LFGB food-contact grades.
- Traceability: the batch number is laser-marked on the webbing so any field claim can be traced back to compound lot, machine and operator.
- Free pre-production samples: 3–5 pcs from the actual production tool, delivered within 10 working days for approval before mass production.
4. Packaging Standards
Packaging is designed for long sea freight and for automated line-side feeding. We follow the default specification below; custom labels, barcodes and retail-ready boxes are available at no extra tooling cost.
| Inner packing | Anti-static PE bag, 50–100 pcs per bag, with desiccant against humidity |
| Protection | EPE or PET foam divider between layers, keypads stacked face to face to protect legends |
| Inner box | 5-layer corrugated inner carton, 500–1,000 pcs, labelled with model, batch and quantity |
| Outer carton | Export-grade 5-layer corrugated master carton, strapped and corner protected, 15–22 kg gross |
| Carton marking | Shipping mark, side mark, gross and net weight, carton number, made-in-China mark as required |
| Pallet | 1200 × 1000 mm fumigation-free plywood pallet, stretch-wrapped and banded, 20–24 cartons per pallet |
| Custom options | Customer logo poly bag, colour box, blister tray, barcode or QR label, drop-test certified retail packaging |
| Storage | Store at 5–30 °C below 70% RH away from direct sunlight; shelf life 24 months in unopened packaging |
5. After-Sales Service
- Response commitment: technical enquiry answered within 8 working hours; formal quotation with drawing review within 24 hours.
- Tooling warranty: 12 months or 500,000 shots on the mould, whichever comes first; free repair or replacement of manufacturing-caused tooling defects.
- Sample service: free pre-production samples for orders above 5,000 pcs, freight collect; paid samples are credited back on the first bulk order.
- Production follow-up: weekly progress photos and video from moulding, printing and packing stations until shipment.
- Defect handling: any confirmed quality deviation is replaced free of charge or credited on the next order; claims accepted within 90 days of arrival with photo evidence and batch number.
- Logistics support: EXW, FOB, CIF and DDP terms; booking, consolidation and documents (invoice, packing list, CO, Form A or FTA certificate) handled by our export team.
- Engineering support: free DFM feedback on your drawing within 2 working days, covering draft angle, wall thickness and conductive pill placement.
6. FAQ
What is your minimum order quantity?
500 pcs per design for existing tooling. For a brand-new mould the first order is 1,000 pcs, and the tooling cost is refunded once cumulative quantity reaches 20,000 pcs.
Can you produce from our drawing or a physical sample?
Yes. We accept 2D DWG or PDF, 3D STEP or IGES files, or a physical sample. Our engineer returns a DFM review and a quotation with tooling lead time, usually within 2 working days.
How long does tooling and production take?
Tooling 10–15 working days after drawing approval and deposit; samples 3–5 working days after tooling; mass production 15–20 working days after sample approval. Repeat orders on existing tooling ship in 12–15 working days.
Can the keypad be back-lit or printed in multiple colours?
Yes. We offer translucent silicone with laser-etched legends for back-lit panels, plus 2–4 colour screen printing, pad printing and epoxy dome coating for a hard-wearing key surface.
Is the material safe for skin contact and medical use?
Our standard compound is non-toxic and odourless. We supply FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 and LFGB food-contact grades, plus medical-grade silicone with ISO 10993-5 and ISO 10993-10 biocompatibility reports on request.
What payment terms do you accept?
T/T 30% deposit with 70% before shipment, L/C at sight, Western Union and PayPal for samples. Tooling cost is paid 100% in advance.
Do you offer sealing against water and dust?
Yes. A moulded sealing lip with a webbed base reaches IP54 to IP67 depending on the housing design. We recommend an IP rating test on the assembled unit and can supply the test report.
Send your drawing, get a quotation within 24 hours
Tell us the keypad size, hardness, contact type and target quantity. We reply with a DFM review, unit price, tooling cost and delivery schedule. Free samples from the production tool are available for your approval.
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