How Silicone Rubber Keypads Are Made

Silicone rubber keypads have become an increasingly popular switching solution for electronic devices. Also known as an elastomeric keypad, they are characterized by the use of silicone rubber webbing material. Even if you've seen or used a silicone rubber keypad, though, you might be wondering how they are made. While silicone rubber keypads can be manufactured using various methods, most of them follow a similar manufacturing process. To learn more about silicone rubber keypads and how they are made, keep reading.

What Makes Silicone Rubber Keypads Unique

Before revealing how they are made, it's important to know what makes silicone rubber keypads unique. After all, their primary purpose is to offer a switching solution by controlling a circuit - and there are other keypads that serve this same purpose.

Silicone rubber keypads are unique because of their construction. While most other keypads are constructed of hard plastic, silicone rubber keypads live up to their namesake by featuring silicone rubber in their construction. They may still contain other materials in their construction, but they use silicone rubber for their webbing material.

All switches consist of two conductive contacts that are separated by air. In silicone rubber keypads, the conductive contacts are constructed with silicone rubber webbing. The webbing is designed to deform when pressed so that the two conductive contacts touch each other. Releasing your finger from the switch's button, on the other hand, causes the silicone rubber webbing to revert back to its original state, thereby breaking the circuit.