Mechanical Rubber
Quality and Competence
Asahi Rubber has been a trusted supplier of a variety of mechanical rubber parts across industries ranging from automotive to sporting goods to consumer electronics and many more for decades from our Japan and PRC manufacturing facilities.
We have experience in silicone, NBR, H-NBR, EPDM, CR, fluorosilicone, other fluoroelastomers, and more, and can design tooling for and produce with molding methods including compression, injection, transfer, and extrusion.
Long Automotive Track Record
>30 years of engineering/delivery for the automotive market
IATF 16949 Certified
Development Support
Capable of proposing set ideas as well as discrete rubber part designs
Equipped for Thorough Evaluation and Controls
Flexible facility set-up to support unique parts is possible
Automotive requirements evaluated consistently in-house
Exacting siloxane controls
Foreign Contaminant Control
Inspection→shipment processes housed in dedicated booth
OEM Customers
*past and present; select list
Tier 1 Customers
*past and present; select list
A Glimpse at Our Production Processes
Incoming Inspection
Raw material confirmed on-spec
Rolling
Polymer and additives kneaded together
Cutting
Rolled material cut into precise preforms ready for molding
Vulcanization
50~350t press
Control time, temp, pressure
Std. compression or millable injection
Finishing
Hydraulic or manual press + cutting jig
Remove burrs and flash
Quality and Compliance Control
A full suite of test equipment and fully ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 / ISO 14001 certified facilities back up our day-in day-out commitment to dependability.
Test Equipment
Climatic Test Chamber
Controlled environment -65 to +150°C, humidity adjustable
Gas Chromatograph
Residual siloxane levels evaluated
2D & 3D Measurement
Precise dimensional control
X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzer
RoHS 6 compliance check
Inspection
Machine Vision
Visual
Weight
Packaging – Inner
Packaging – Outer
Switchpads
A particularly demanding application of rubber engineering, switchpads require delicate control of material and form to meet stringent requirements over years of operation.
Contact types
Asahi Rubber offers an array of contact options to meet diverse needs. All are robust chip type contacts.
| Cross-Section | Resistance | Diameter (mm) | Characteristics | Use Cases (Automotive) | |
| Gold, Flexible |  | ≤1Ω | ⌀3 | ・Flexible for sure contact ・Au & Ni corrosion resistance | Power Window SW Steering SW Parking SW Engine Start/Stop SW |
| Gold |  | ≤1Ω | ⌀3 | ・Basic low Ω contact | |
| Nickel |  | ≤1Ω | ⌀3 | ・Ni high corrosion resistance ・Uneven surface for reliable contact ・Cheaper option than gold | |
| Carbon, Low Resistance |  | ≤20Ω | ⌀3 | ・Silicone rubber matrix | |
| Carbon, Standard | | ≤200Ω | ⌀2.5~3.5 | ・Silicone rubber matrix ・Cheapest option | Audio SW HVAC SW |
Polymer Grade
Elastomeric switch pad silicone rubber (VMQ) is supplied in multiple grades, selected based on desired F-S and durability characteristics.
Low Load/Low Snap
Standard Grade
High Load/High Snap
High Grade
Silicone rubber has particularly useful characteristics of strong heat and cold resistance, flame retardance, and weatherability in all grades.
Force-Stroke (FS) Curve
Adjusting multiple parameters in concert dials in just the right button feel.
| F1 (N) | F1/F2 (%) | S2 (mm) |
| ≥6 | 20~50 | 1.0~1.6 |
| 5~6 | 20~50 | 1.0~1.6 |
| 4~5 | 20~60 | 1.0~1.6 |
| 3~4 | 30~60 | 0.6~1.6 |
| 2~3 | 30~60 | 0.6~1.6 |
| 1~2 | 30~60 | 0.6~1.6 |
| ≤1 | 40~60 | 0.6~1.6 |
| Examples of the range of our past project specifications | ||
S1 is the depth, F1 the force at which the switch activates and the silicone membrane inverts.
S2, F2 is the bottom-out point–from here further button press encounters resistance from the material itself compressing.
Additionally the keytop can be made hollow to adjust the resistance transferred to the user post-activation, beyond S2/F2.
F-S Track Record by Stroke Depth
Switch feel guaranteed
Switchpad-Specific Quality Control
Automated Load Measurement
F-S characteristics assured
Automated Stroke Measurement
Durability test for long-term performance
Adjustable for load and cycle count