News
Why Custom Silicone Buttons are Becoming Essential for Modern Electronics?Mold design and processing technology of silicone button
2024-08-28 17:42:29
Silicone Button Customization: A Trendsetter in 2024’s Tech Industry
The mold design and processing technology of silicone buttons are generally divided into: Silk screen printing, Spraying, Laser engraving, and P+R Ect..
Mold design, processing technology and glue injection method of silicone button (advantages and disadvantages)
1.Spray laser engraving
The principle of laser processing technology is to project a laser beam onto a material and use the interaction between the laser and the material to melt, cut, weld the material or change the surface characteristics of the object.
When the silicone key product process is spraying, there are three main ways of glue injection: direct glue injection, bottom glue injection and point glue injection.
The principle of laser processing technology is to project a laser beam onto a material and use the interaction between the laser and the material to melt, cut, weld the material or change the surface characteristics of the object.
When the silicone key product process is spraying, there are three main ways of glue injection: direct glue injection, bottom glue injection and point glue injection.
Direct glue feeding method
When the product is solid and the height is not more than 1.5mm, the product demolding angle is not less than 1.5 degrees and the product does not allow other methods of glue injection, the mold adopts direct glue injection. The glue injection width of direct glue injection is generally 2.50~3.00mm, and the specific glue injection width depends on the size of the product. The glue injection thickness is generally 0.30~0.35mm, and it must be 0.35~0.50mm straight position to facilitate punching, and the direction of the foot column on the product frame must be in the opposite direction of the product surface.
When the silicone button product is hollow and the height is less than 1.8mm, the product demolding angle is not less than 1.5 degrees, the mold adopts direct glue injection. The glue injection width of direct glue injection is generally 2.50-3.00mm, and the glue injection thickness is generally 0.30-0.40mm. The specific glue injection width depends on the size of the product，And a maximum straight position of 0.30mm is made to facilitate punching and cutting. In order to prevent the product from sticking to the front mold, the hollowed-out glue position of the product's rear mold is generally not demolded, and the direction of the foot column on the product frame should be in the opposite direction of the product surface.
Advantages: It is easier to process the mold, and injection molding is more conducive to the injection molding of the product.
Disadvantages: After the silicone key product is sprayed, a cut will be left when the water outlet is punched, which may cause light leakage in the silicone key. If the cut is not handled properly during punching, the burr is too large, which will affect the feel of the entire product after assembly. This is also the reason why silicone keys rarely use direct glue injection.
Bottom glue feeding method
When the silicone keypad product is solid and the thickness is not less than 1.8mm, the draft angle is not less than 1.5 degrees, and the silicone keypad product allows the front and rear molds to be sandwiched and allows other methods of gluing, the mold adopts the bottom gluing method. For bottom gluing, the rear mold generally needs to have a glue position with a height of 0.30~0.50mm, and the rear mold position needs to be 0.05~0.08mm smaller than the front mold glue position on one side. The positions of glue entry and exit need to avoid empty glue positions, and the remaining glue positions are out of the front mold. The glue entry width of the large bottom is generally 2.00~3.00mm; the length of the bottom is generally 0.25~0.30mm, and the direction of the column foot on the product frame should be in the opposite direction of the product surface.
Advantages: The advantage of the bottom-loading method is that it is more conducive to the ejection of the mold and the punching of the product. Even if the burrs of the water outlet are produced after the punching of the product, it will not affect the assembly of the product and the feel of the finished product. The product will not leak light after spraying.
Disadvantages: The length of the bottom of the silicone button will affect the speed of glue injection.
Dispensing method
1.The point-in-gluing method is to make the gluing point directly on the product. The point-in-gluing method is generally rarely used on the main silicone key products. It is generally used most on the glue products or miscellaneous keys, especially on the PC+TPU two-color mold. The point-in-gluing part of the product is generally made into a glue reduction boss. This is to prevent the glue from leaving a glue burr when the glue falls off, affecting the assembly of the product or the feel of the finished product. The height of the glue reduction boss is generally 0.3~0.5mm, and the size depends on the overall size of the silicone key. Note: The glue reduction boss is generally arc-shaped and square-shaped.
Advantages: The advantage of the point-in-gluing method is that after the key product is injected, there is no need to punch the water outlet or subsequent processing.
Disadvantages: The point-in-gluing method may cause the shadow of the product on the surface of the corresponding silicone key product during injection molding, especially the keys with a textured surface effect. In addition, the glue texture during injection molding is difficult to control, so it is generally not a customer-specified requirement, otherwise the Aofute silicone product manufacturer will not take the initiative to adopt a direct point-in-gluing method.2.Back printing
When the product is solid and the height is not more than 1.5mm, the product demolding angle is not less than 1.5 degrees and the product does not allow other methods of glue injection, the mold adopts direct glue injection. The glue injection width of direct glue injection is generally 2.50~3.00mm, and the specific glue injection width depends on the size of the product. The glue injection thickness is generally 0.30~0.35mm, and it must be 0.35~0.50mm straight position to facilitate punching, and the direction of the foot column on the product frame must be in the opposite direction of the product surface.
When the silicone button product is hollow and the height is less than 1.8mm, the product demolding angle is not less than 1.5 degrees, the mold adopts direct glue injection. The glue injection width of direct glue injection is generally 2.50-3.00mm, and the glue injection thickness is generally 0.30-0.40mm. The specific glue injection width depends on the size of the product，And a maximum straight position of 0.30mm is made to facilitate punching and cutting. In order to prevent the product from sticking to the front mold, the hollowed-out glue position of the product's rear mold is generally not demolded, and the direction of the foot column on the product frame should be in the opposite direction of the product surface.
Advantages: It is easier to process the mold, and injection molding is more conducive to the injection molding of the product.
Disadvantages: After the silicone key product is sprayed, a cut will be left when the water outlet is punched, which may cause light leakage in the silicone key. If the cut is not handled properly during punching, the burr is too large, which will affect the feel of the entire product after assembly. This is also the reason why silicone keys rarely use direct glue injection.
Bottom glue feeding method
When the silicone keypad product is solid and the thickness is not less than 1.8mm, the draft angle is not less than 1.5 degrees, and the silicone keypad product allows the front and rear molds to be sandwiched and allows other methods of gluing, the mold adopts the bottom gluing method. For bottom gluing, the rear mold generally needs to have a glue position with a height of 0.30~0.50mm, and the rear mold position needs to be 0.05~0.08mm smaller than the front mold glue position on one side. The positions of glue entry and exit need to avoid empty glue positions, and the remaining glue positions are out of the front mold. The glue entry width of the large bottom is generally 2.00~3.00mm; the length of the bottom is generally 0.25~0.30mm, and the direction of the column foot on the product frame should be in the opposite direction of the product surface.
Advantages: The advantage of the bottom-loading method is that it is more conducive to the ejection of the mold and the punching of the product. Even if the burrs of the water outlet are produced after the punching of the product, it will not affect the assembly of the product and the feel of the finished product. The product will not leak light after spraying.
Disadvantages: The length of the bottom of the silicone button will affect the speed of glue injection.
Dispensing method
1.The point-in-gluing method is to make the gluing point directly on the product. The point-in-gluing method is generally rarely used on the main silicone key products. It is generally used most on the glue products or miscellaneous keys, especially on the PC+TPU two-color mold. The point-in-gluing part of the product is generally made into a glue reduction boss. This is to prevent the glue from leaving a glue burr when the glue falls off, affecting the assembly of the product or the feel of the finished product. The height of the glue reduction boss is generally 0.3~0.5mm, and the size depends on the overall size of the silicone key. Note: The glue reduction boss is generally arc-shaped and square-shaped.
Advantages: The advantage of the point-in-gluing method is that after the key product is injected, there is no need to punch the water outlet or subsequent processing.
Disadvantages: The point-in-gluing method may cause the shadow of the product on the surface of the corresponding silicone key product during injection molding, especially the keys with a textured surface effect. In addition, the glue texture during injection molding is difficult to control, so it is generally not a customer-specified requirement, otherwise the Aofute silicone product manufacturer will not take the initiative to adopt a direct point-in-gluing method.
2.Back printing
For the button products with back printing as the processing technology, there is only one way to glue, which is direct glue injection.
The glue reduction wave position should be made at the glue injection point of the front mold. The glue reduction depth is generally 0.5mm. This is to avoid scratching the screen due to burrs at the glue inlet during printing. The glue reduction wave position can be made into arc and square. For the silicone button with back printing, the draft angle should generally be no less than 1.5 degrees, the glue injection width should generally be 2.5~3.5mm, and the glue outlet width should generally be 2~2.5mm. The glue inlet and outlet positions should generally be 0.~0.5mm straight extension positions for easy punching and cutting. The glue inlet and outlet thickness is generally 0.3~0.4mm. The specific value depends on the size and height of the button product; and the direction of the foot column on the frame should be consistent with the surface direction of the button product.Laser plating
Electroplating is the process of plating a thin layer of other metals or alloys on certain metal surfaces using the principle of electrolysis. It is a process that uses electrolysis to attach a layer of metal film to the surface of metal or other material parts, thereby preventing metal oxidation (such as rust), improving wear resistance, conductivity, reflectivity, corrosion resistance (copper sulfate, etc.) and enhancing aesthetics.
For silicone keypad products whose processing technology is electroplating, the glue injection method is generally direct glue injection and bottom glue injection.
The glue injection characteristics of electroplated silicone keypad products are no different from those of spray-coated keypad products. The size of the glue injection point is generally Ф0.6~Ф0.8mm, and the inclination of the glue injection column is generally 6-8 degrees. There is a mold before the key is produced. The glue injection point on the front mold surface generally has a depth of 0.3~0.5mm. This is to prevent the glue injection point from being damaged if the surface needs to be lowered when the product is re-molded in the future.
Laser plating
The demand for customized silicone in the electronics market
With the rapid development of smart home, automotive electronics, medical equipment, industrial automation and other fields, the demand for high-performance, personalized customized buttons is growing. Silicone customized industrial buttons can be perfectly integrated into the design of these precision electronic devices, providing a safe, efficient and convenient operating experience. For example, in medical equipment, silicone buttons ensure aseptic operation and long-term comfort; in the field of automotive electronics, its excellent insulation and vibration resistance have become important factors in ensuring driving safety.
Innovative application of customized silicone industrial buttons
Smart wearable devices: Use thin and light silicone buttons to achieve soft touch and waterproof and dustproof functions, improve wearing comfort and user experience.
Automation equipment control panel: Customize silicone buttons of various shapes, sizes and functions according to equipment requirements to achieve precise control and fast response.
Gaming peripherals: Combine RGB backlight technology with silicone touch to create customized gaming keyboards and handle buttons for the ultimate gaming experience.
Kitchen appliances: Use silicone's high temperature resistance and oil resistance to customize durable and easy-to-clean control panel buttons to improve the quality of home life.
Changmai Technology Customized Service
Among many silicone keypad suppliers, Changmai Technology stands out with its professional customization services. Changmai Technology is committed to providing customers with high-quality, personalized silicone keypad product solutions to meet the diverse needs of different customers.
Service Features
√ Professional design: Changmai Technology has a professional design team that can provide customized design solutions according to customer needs to ensure that the product meets both functional requirements and aesthetics.
√ High-quality raw materials: Select high-quality silicone materials as production raw materials to ensure that the physical and chemical properties of the product are in the best state.
√ Precision manufacturing: Introduce advanced production equipment and technology, implement strict manufacturing process flow, and ensure product accuracy and quality.
√ One-stop service: From design, production to sales, provide full-range service support to save customers time and energy.
√ Quick response: With a professional customer service team, provide 7x24 hours online support to ensure that customer problems are solved in a timely manner.
Contact and consultation
If you are interested in Changmai Technology's silicone product customization service or have any questions, please contact us through the following methods:
SHENZHEN CHANGMAI TECHNOLOGY Co.,LTD
Conductive rubber strips (zebra strips) characteristics and
applications explained
Silicone product 、Zebra connectors customization
+8618988796970 (Sherry)
Website: https://www.cmaisz.com/
Address:2003,LongGuangJiuZuan Building 5A,Tenglong Road，Hongshan, Longhua District, ShenZhen,518131
Email:contact@cmaisilicone.com