Conductive rubber switches and keypads were originally developed for the electronics industry to meet the increasing demand for inexpensive momentary switches. Conductive rubber keypads became desirable because they look and feel like traditional push-button style switches, but do not have their inherent disadvantages. Since their introduction over 30 years ago, conductive rubber switches and keypads have gained enormous popularity and wide-range acceptance because of their reliability, long operational life and excellent tactile feel.
ARC-USA has the capability to supply whatever is needed when conductive rubber keypads or switches are being designed into a given product. All of ARC’s keypads meet the industry’s most rigorous standards for quality and performance. Although about 99 percent of ARC’s keypads are custom made, a limited number of off-the-shelf products are available for purchase without tooling charges.
All of ARC's conductive rubber switches and keypads meet the industry's most rigorous standards for quality and performance. Furthermore, the ARC-USA team is committed to providing complete customer satisfaction along with high-quality products and keeping each customer the focus of business.
 | Silicone rubber switches replace mechanical switches. They are inexpensive and reliable. They provide long operational life and excellent tactile feel. ARC's rubber switches meet the industry's most rigorous standards for quality and performance. |
 | Keypads may be produced in one color or in multiple colors. Printing may be applied in negative image format or in positive image format and with either a matte or a glossy finish. |
 | ABL (additional Bonding Layer) is a layer of clear silicone rubber covering the finished keypad. This layer provides a greatly extended graphic life while retaining the "rubber" look and feel of the keypad. It can be applied in either a matte finish or a glossy finish. |
 | EBL (Epoxy Bonding Layer) is a layer of expoxy added to the keytop to make a convex surface. EBL provides a "plastic" look and feel while it extends graphic life. EBL can be applied in either a matte or a glossy finish. |
 | "Night Design" is a laser etch technology for creating graphics which allow illumination of the legend for night viewing while blocking light penetration of the surrounding surfaces thus eliminating any "halo" effect. |
 | A mylar layer may be used as a contact surface. The mylar layer is bonded to the keypad with an adhesive layer. Another adhesive layer is then used to bond the keypad and mylar assembly to the pc board. |
 | P+R keypads, as the name suggests, are made of plastic keytops with rubber base material. A wide variety of appearances can be achieved with these plastic tops, such as clear, solid color, laser etched and even chrome. |
 | Contact surfaces available include pills made of carbon, stainless steel, or silver or gold plated metal. Contacts may also be silk screened with conductive ink. A third choice is GRSP, a special low resistance conductive ink applied in a thicker layer. |
 | Surface finish OP-1 glossy increases graphic life by 100% (one hundred percent). OP-1 in matt increases graphic life by 200% (two hundred percent). Surface finish OP-2 increases graphic life by 1000% (one thousand percent) |
