Conductive Silicone Keypads: How They Work

Conductive silicone keypads form a conductive path by dispersing carbon black or metal particles in the rubber; pressing closes the contact and completes the signal. Benefits include soft tactility, long life (up to millions of cycles), water/dust resistance and low cost.

Selection hinges on resistance, travel, rebound and contact layout: carbon-black systems are cheap with moderate resistance, while metal-particle (e.g. silver/aluminum) grades offer lower resistance at higher cost. Surface treatments such as printing, laser engraving and coating balance appearance with label durability.