Here at SiTECH we offer the capability of adding graphic artwork to your liquid silicone rubber molded keypad or part. All graphics, positive or negative are surface printed to the keypad. These graphics use a proprietary silicone ink that bond to the keypad during the curing process. SiTECH has the capability to match color consistency up to 1 Delta (which is the unit of measure that calculates and quantifies the difference between two colors). When designing graphics for your silicone keypads, it is important to remember that each additional color equals an additional step in the manufacturing process. It is also important to consider what type of geometry the graphic will be printed on. Once the graphics are designed and printed, they are transferred onto a framed screen and can be printed onto your silicone keypad.

 Digital Graphics

SiTECH offers the capability to accept various forms of digital graphics from our customers. Some of the program formats that we currently accept are: Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Autocad, PDF, and various other file types. The artwork will typically be modified in-house to ensure graphics align to the key tops. Once artwork is finalized it will be transferred onto a framed screen that only allows ink through where the artwork is located. A graphic design could have a few screens depending upon the size of the keypad or difficulty of the design. Each separate color used in a design will not only require a separate artwork to be created, but an additional framed screen as well. This means that the more complicated your graphic design is, the more manufacturing processes it will require.

Silicone Ink

Next we will look at the silicone ink, which is the next part of the process. Silicone inks have many advantages over standard inks including abrasion resistance and weatherproofing. Silicone ink does not dry without a secondary process. A catalyst is required when preparing the ink, when heat is added a curing process occurs that creates a cross linked bond to the ink and the molded keypad. Silicone ink has a wide variety of color possibilities, and SiTECH can match your required color needs within 1 Delta.

Screen Printing

Screen printing is how we apply the ink to the silicone keypads. Screen printing requires the keypad to be stationary and unable to move. The only way to do this for most parts is to create a screen nest. A screen nest is typically created in-house by pouring a nest that allows the keypad to remain still during the screening process. Screen nests also provide a way to flatten key top geometry that would otherwise be curved. While it is possible to print on top of a curved key top, different tolerancing will apply. Solid colors can be screen printed up to the edge of a flat key top, while curved key tops can be screen printed up to 0.015” to the tangent of the outer radius. Some products require special nests that alter the shape of the keypad during printing. This allows for curved keypads with complex geometry to have the same capabilities of being printed as flat keypads.

All of our Screen Printing is done in-house to insure the highest possible quality for our customers. Using silicone ink on your silicone keypads is a great way to increase the functionality and performance of your product. We at SiTECH can fulfill your product needs and help it stand out from the competition. For more information about our printed silicone keypads, call our office at 757-887-8488.