General Silicones debuts Compo-SiL for membrane keypads in Europe
Hsinchu, Taiwan – General Silicones is debuting its proprietary Compo-SiL® decorative film in Europe at the upcoming MEDICA 2024 and Electronica 2024 trade shows. As a novel way to optimize the design of membrane keypads, Compo-SiL® enhances products across medical and electronic devices, and several prototypes will be on display for visitors to experience firsthand.
“As devices flourish and diversify, membrane keypads are becoming a key opportunity to replace plastic with alternatives like silicone, and we hope to lead the way,” noted Michael Lin, President and CEO of General Silicones. “General Silicones has already leveraged silicone to optimize human-machine interface designs for several of the world’s top automakers, and we hope to bring the versatility, sustainability, and durability Compo-SiL® to a wider reach of industries across Europe.”
General Silicones has found that leveraging a silicone overlay like Compo-SiL® enhances membrane keypads and improves sustainability. In fact, a recent study commissioned by Silicones Europe found that silicone has an annual greenhouse gas emission-saving potential of 96.4 megatons by 2030, underscoring its potential to accelerate Europe’s decarbonization.
General Silicones is pioneering implementing silicone like Compo-SiL® as the top layer—a novel approach that has the potential to optimize numerous applications, including medical devices, home appliances, electronics, and industrial human-machine interfaces (HMIs). Silicone’s advantages for membrane keypads include:
Resistant to degradation: Does not degrade from weather conditions, high temperatures, UV and ozone exposure, hydrolysis, or cleaning; its resistance to various cleaning agents makes it easily sterilizable and therefore crucial for medical uses.
Anti-microbial properties: By adding silver or zinc agents
Biocompatible, skin-friendly, and latex-free: Externally safe
Transparent: For backlighting and monitoring devices
Tactile feedback: Softer and better click force
Particularly valuable for medical applications, Compo-SiL® membrane keypads enhance healthcare devices, such as patient monitoring systems and diagnostic tools, where hygiene and durability are paramount. In addition, silicone as a raw material complies with medical-, health-, and safety-related certifications, including ISO 10993, FDA requirements, USP Class VI, NSF-61, LFGB, and UL-94.
In Europe, General Silicones is debuting Compo-SiL® for membrane keypads—a novel use for silicone that enhances durability, sustainability, and versatility.
Extensive experience and expertise on display at MEDICA and Electronica
As a one-stop shop for silicone components, General Silicones brings over 50 years of experience and over 30 years of customer success stories in the European automotive and medical industries. In addition to displaying Compo-SiL®, experts will be on site at both shows to guide visitors in using silicone to optimize product designs.