Keypad Component Compatibility

Recently, manufacturers have started to move away from ordering molded keypads as separate components for their equipment interfaces

. Instead they are saving time and money by ordering entire control assemblies that include keypad and circuitry.

Faster Equipment Manufacture

Time is money and if a manufacturer can produce a device faster, that translates to lower expenses and greater profits. Process optimization leads to more efficient production lines that is important during these highly competitive times. Even a small advantage translates to major savings for a company when performed over large production runs.

Using keypad assemblies rather than separate molded keypads, circuit boards and associated components simplifies the manufacturing process. It's easier to install a single subassembly rather than several parts. It's faster and there are fewer chances for mistakes that could cause faults in the device. This means fewer devices in the reject bin and less need for replacement manufacturing. Faster production and lower failure rate allows organizations to improve fabrication rates and get more devices manufactured in a day.

Easier Parts Management

Most devices produced today involve thousands of parts from individual screws to major subassemblies. The logistics involved keeping inventories up and manufacturing lines supplied is daunting. Reducing the number of components by using control assemblies rather than separate molded keypads simplifies the parts management process.

Using assemblies can also drop the number of vendors needed. A traditional control design may involve getting molded keypads from one place, circuit boards from another and other interface components from still more vendors. If any of these vendors experiences a production problem or goes out of business, the entire assembly process comes to a halt. Finding a vendor who provides completed control assemblies means dealing with a single source in the supply chain. There is less chance of any complication affecting the manufacturing process.

Component Compatibility

Manufacturers are never completely sure components from different vendors will work together. Ordering parts manufactured to tight tolerances is expensive, but allowing variations that are too large guarantees headaches as different components don't quite fit with each other.

Ordering a control assembly from a single vendor ensures each component has already been tested with each other. Molded keypads are already fit into the frames and contacts are perfectly lined up to match the underlying circuitry. Clients don't have to worry about small differences in manufacturing from different vendors leading to misaligned controls and non-functioning control panels.

Many keypad manufacturers offer assembly services in addition to their standard keypad products. Clients need to provide a schematic, bill of materials and component requirements to start the process to create completed and tested control assemblies. Companies that transition from ordering separate components to using subassemblies are often surprised by how much and how quickly their production efficiency improves.

by: Christine Harrell

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