What are customers looking for in a custom silicone molded keypad or product?  Low cost, fast delivery or a product that meet’s there expectations. SiTECH believes all of those factors are important and to meet those expectations you must have control over your manufacturing process and prove it not once, but every time.
At SiTECH, our  mission is to provide the highest quality liquid injection silicone molding products of any silicone manufacturer.  There are many ways we achieve our mission.  Through highly qualified technicians, tracking  products from raw material to final inspection.
The key to supplying a quality product on time is following procedures. Setting up proper procedures requires knowledge and understanding of every step of the process, with verification and sign-offs for accountability. To ensure reputability and control of producing a quality product, you must have process and procedures that start from first contact to finale acceptance of the product.
Knowing your process is just a part of the picture to ensure consistent manufacturing. Other areas that stand out are an order entry verifying that the customer’s purchase order (P.O.) matches the part drawing and revision (Rev.) level to ensure you are making what the customer wants; and for the material, what durometer and burn rating is documented.
Tracking of material
The original batch number is documented for traceability and retained in the history in case it’s needed. A quality silicone molding manufacturer also checks to make sure whether the customer has specified packaging requirements for shipping and transport.
One area that is critical and very important is whether the silicone molding manufacturer has its own published documentation on mechanical and cosmetic inspection acceptance. There should be a tolerance block that states tolerances for molded sizes, such as 1 inch plus or minus. It should state a tolerance for printed location to and edge or some mechanical location. There also should be cosmetic criteria parting line flash, voids, flash, sinks and dirt and debris. Color is very important, not just for the first part, but showing consistency for the life of the product. Using a spectrophotometer there should be a tolerance for color. A good rule of thumb would be 1 delta plus or minus.
When looking for a silicone molding manufacturer, there should be no hesitation in discussing quality, procedures and process controls. They should have a system that documents each process with a QA’s  signature approving the part meets that process.
Let’s not forget that the most important ingredient for a successful business is its people. They should be well trained in the processes and procedures they are performing and understand what most influences a positive outcome. This will give you insight into the company’s ability to deliver quality parts year after year.