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SILICONE
KEYMATS
Silicone keymats – closed user interface surfaces
We produce silicone control mats in series. With our wide ranging design & services spectrum, we supply you with customised keymats fom a single source.
Silicone keymats
Customer specific silicone keymats with extensive design options We develop and produce customised keymats with optimum feel, and long service life from solid (HTV)- and liquid silicone (LSR or LIM).
- inexpensive
- resistant
- reliable
- hardly any limits in terms of shape & colour
- short switching distance
Integrated metal dome
Silicone keymat with the feel of a mechanical switch. The metal dome and the silicone are connected by a press-fitting and simple assembly - without gluing.
- Long life span
- Combination with hard keycaps
- Printing symbols
- Painting and laser etching
- Backlit
Keymat with hard buttons
Hard plastic keys on silicone keymats, with individually adjustable feel, power and switching distance. Low space requirement and closed user interfaces.
- Durable
- Printing symbols on buttons
- Painting and laser etching
- hardly any limits in terms of shape & colour
- Backlit
Silcos is your complete solution provider for keymats
The entire value chain – from the idea to the silicone keymat
Before the project
Our team of experts will be at your side with advice and assistance starting from before the actual production of your silicone component. Our advice is based on the expertise of experienced specialists and the prudence of professionals.
From the task assignment, to the prototype to the finished silicone keymat.
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Consultancy services
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Feasibility studies
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Prototypes
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Development and simulation
In the project
In every project phase you can rely on our many years of experience. From the design to a pre-treatment to the final surface modification, the production of your silicone keymats can be completely managed by us.
You decide at which stage of development we manage your moulding.
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Design and tooling
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Injection moulding
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Mass production
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Finishes
All-round service
Reliability and service are not catchwords for us, rather they are corporate values that are based on practical requirements. We support you in every project phase with excellent service, which is adapted to your individual requirements. You can rely on us.
Reliably in good hands before, during and after production.
- IATF-16949 certified
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Project management
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Quality assurance
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Logistics
Silicone keymats
The better alternative to switches
Silicone keymats are used to perform, directly or indirectly, a “switching function” with an underlying circuit board or other circuit carrier. For consumer electronics, white goods and the automotive industry, for example, the silicone keymat is indispensable.
Customer specific silicone keymats with extensive design options
We develop and produce customised keymats with optimum feel, and long service life from solid (HTV)- and liquid silicone (LSR or LIM). We design the silicone keymats according to specifications, including individual design wishes, such as printing and backlighting the keymat. With the P+R (plastic and rubber keypad)-technology , we mount hard plastic caps on silicone keymats. In this case, the silicone keymat not only includes functions such as electrical switches, switching feel, sealing function, light guiding and insulation, but also the user interface with a customer specific design.
We produce for areas in which maximum hygiene, unique feel, appealing design and perfect function are required. Closed user interfaces - a combination of silicone keymats and a 3D silicone user interface. These surfaces are used in both clinically clean and harsh environments. Thanks to the innovative user interface, an extremely flat design with 3D contour for user devices can be achieved. In addition, only one component is required for a wide range of functions, which considerably reduces costs.
Our range of services includes short keymats with a switching distance of 0.7 mm and ultra-short-keymats mit einem Schaltweg von 0,5 mm. Wir beraten Sie gerne welche Schaltmatte für Ihr Projekt geeignet ist.
Advantages of silicone keymats:
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inexpensive
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resistant
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reliable
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hardly any limits in terms of shape & colour
- short switching distance
Manufacture of silicone keymats
Various functions possible
We produce silicone mouldings for keymats in our own factory in China by means of compression moulding Up to completion the keymat part passes through the following production steps:
- Combining of customer specific silicone compounds
- Injection or insertion into the tool mould
- The moulding vulcanises at a temperature of about 180°C
- The finished component is removed from the mould
- Final inspection, in particular of the tactile curve and the electrical switching function
he use of vertical machines in the compression moulding method allows the inclusion of different colours in multi-component technology, which is suitable for silicone keymats in remote controls. The vertical machines also allow the insertion of contact pills, the presentation of hard-soft compounds and the insertion of LED windows for light partitioning..
By individually designing the geometry of the silicone dome and the “silicone shoulders”, each product receives a customised switching feel - that is, a force-displacement curve. The combination of different silicone hardness degrees also gives the component a pleasant feel.
Silicone keymat with integrated metal dome
The feel of a mechanical switch
Buttons with a short, crisp actuating distance and a life of over one million cycles
Our new development is the ultra-short stroke keymat with integrated metal dome. The metal dome and the silicone are connected by a press-fit and simple assembly - without gluing.
The new keymats impress with their long service life of more than 1 million cycles and a feel similar to that of a mechanical switch. Other positive properties of the keymats are the very low actuating distance of 0.45 mm (+/- 0.05 mm), the click rate of 65% and the small footprint of 8.8 x 16 x 2 mm.
On request, we can reduce the switching distance and the click-rate of the keymat and enable the following additional functions:
- Sealing
- Light guides
- Light partitioning
- Backlighting
- Tolerance compensation in the assembly
- Combination with hard keycaps
- Printing symbols
- Painting and laser etching
Keymat with hard buttons
Plastic keys on silicone keymats
Polycarbonate keys with depth effect
By installing hard plastic keys made of polycarbonate on silicone keymats, the user interface is integrated into the keymat. The assembly work for the customer is therefore substantially reduced. The feel of the switch, the force and the switching distance is individually adjustable in these mats. The feel of the switch remains constant over a temperature range of -40 to + 80°C. The silicone keymats have a long service life with a small footprint. The electrical resistance of the contact pills, which we insert into the keymats, ranges from 1 Ω up to 100 Ω.
The following additional functions are possible with silicone keymats with hard keys:
- Sealing
- Light guides
- Light partitioning
- Backlighting
- Tolerance compensation in the assembly
- Printing symbols on buttons
- Painting and laser etching
- Assembly of foil conductors