Kitchens are full of hazards that can damage appliances over time. Equipment designed for kitchens need to be designed to survive these challenges and Si Tech’s custom silicone keypads have the characteristics needed for durable products.

Keeping The Water Out

Even a tiny amount of water or other liquid can cause a short that will destroy an expensive kitchen appliance. Even worse, such a short could cause a customer to receive a nasty shock that could cause a serious injury and subject the manufacturer to liability damages. Kitchen appliances are subject to moisture ranging from the humidity from a pot of boiling water to serious spills during cooking or cleaning.

The seamless design of custom silicone keypads make them perfect for this kind of environment. Water doesn’t need much room to get inside an appliance and other keypad types don’t provide enough protection against moisture. Our molded keypads are naturally water resistant so are ideally suited for standing up to kitchen spills.

Taking The Heat

The hottest room in any house is almost always the kitchen. Stoves and ovens are obvious sources of temperature extremes, but any large appliance such as refrigerators or dishwashers will dump large amounts of heat into the room and send temperatures soaring. This is complicated by the fact that many kitchens are built with large windows so they are light and airy, but those windows let in outside heat during the summer.

Long term exposure to these extreme temperatures can soften plastics, causing them to deform to the point of being unusable. However the structure of Si Tech’s custom silicone keypads doesn’t change even when exposed to very high temperatures. Our keypads are designed for the harshest industrial environments so will be able to survive any kitchen.

Biochemical Hazards

While a kitchen might not have the chemical hazards of a laboratory or industrial setting, preparing even a simple family meal can expose kitchen appliances to many chemicals that can degrade other materials. Look in any pantry and you’ll find a collection of acids, oils and other compounds that can react with many plastics or metals to deface or destroy them. Kitchen cleansers add to the problem, permanently scarring other materials.

Even the basic Si Tech’s custom silicone keypads have an inherent chemical resistance that protects them against most of the hazards found in a typical kitchen. For those manufacturers who want extra protection, our proprietary Si Coat II chemical resistance coating will ensure your appliance’s keypads can survive any chemical dangers they might find even in commercial kitchens.

Si Tech’s custom silicone keypads provide the moisture, temperature and chemical resistance you need to provide durable and reliable kitchen appliances. Contact us today to find out more about how our products are ideal control choices for your equipment.