Whether you say silicone keypad or elastomer 
keypads, both are keypad switches and fancy words for rubber keypads. Silicone keypads are a keypad display manufactured from a durable compression-molded silicone compound. Used in a variety of industries, custom rubber keypads are seen throughout commercial, industrial, medical, to the most rugged military applications.
Silicone rubber keypads are a customizable keypad assembled to create a rubber switch. A silicone keypad manufacturer may suggest a rubber keypad interface for a keypad design requiring excellent keypad feel and long life. Most silicone keypads are designed to give a tactile response; creating this tactile feel is a manufacturing art with four major keypad design considerations. Each of the following design features are interactive in determining the tactile feel of the finished product: actuation force, key travel, contact force and return force.
The (conductive silicone) rubber keypad
may integrate with a printed circuit board, flex circuit or with membrane switches creating an elastomer membrane.
Rubber keypads are a custom keypad switch offered in a wide range of color arrays, complex shapes and different finishing options. Available with or without silk screened legends, with a solid or mix of colors and translucent for backlit keypads. Graphic overlays may also be combined with rubber keypads.
Contact Sigma 6 
Electronics for a rubber keypad design guide or to talk with one of our engineers about designing your next rubber keypads.
