Elastomeric Development and Conformity

The finished elastomer parts are initially made from a base of silicone rubber. In its original form this base is a clear milky white in color, pliable to light hand pressure, delivered in bulk and somewhat gummy in feel. It is ordered in various gradients of material durometer hardness, so that in its base form the final design has one of the important elements of feel built into the product from the beginning. In this raw form and material consistency it is not ready for final use.

Elasticity by definition means the property by which a body or matter returns to its former size, shape or attitude after being deflected, twisted or drawn out of its original shape. In order to achieve this mode of elasticity the original rubber compound needs to be modified through a development process. This compound goes through color development process by blending the original material with color pigments to pre-color the material prior to forming. Color is important often to the cosmetic presence that the customer is trying to achieve. The last item in the process is a catalyst additive that is blended into the pigmented silicone rubber that will give the finished product a sense of elasticity.

The finished, blended elastomer material is placed into a pre-heated compression mold that allows the elastomer to form into its final shape. It is called a compression mold because under a specific heat and pressure (usually rated as a molding machines tonnage capacity) the elastomeric material is forced into the applicable cavities that make up the tool. The finished product is removed from the mold, allowed to oven cure to remove any impurities from the base material and final tested before its end use in products. In some cases molding is a two or three part process if overmolding of key caps or special inserts of metal, carbon or different elastomeric colors are required.

In the testing process, in addition to overall inspection of the part, Advanced Input Systems runs a specific test for a series of measurements that relate to the finished product’s desired tactile feel. This ‘P2/P1’ measurement of tactility is a metric that relates to our force-displacement curve parameters for final testing. The P2/P1 outcome confirms that all the desired elements measured up to the customer’s specific tactile requirements.

Feel is an elusive measurement at best. Advanced Input Systems has many samples, as well as years of customer experience finding the right degree of satisfaction that measures up to a ‘remarkable’ feel in your product line.