Industrial Keyboards 

Let's imagine the scene.

You are working in your industrial environment and you accidentally drop your work piece, hammer or screwdriver on the plastic keyboard you are using.

Crack.

Broken keyboard.

So off you go, stop production, delay, call the production manager (or IT manager) because you can't enter data on the computer, who arrives muttering and half-frustrated because he was doing something else and has to go and replace a keyboard.

(Based on a true story)

Commercial plastic keyboards have this flaw: they are not very durable and not at all suitable for an industrial environment like yours.

If you have arrived on this page, you probably work in a heavy industrial sector, such as metal workshops or find yourself in contact with large industrial machinery, into which suitable keyboards must be fitted.

Or you need to insert keypads into steel machinery, totems, ATMs, or ATMs. Or you work in a meat slaughtering or food industry sector and are looking for a durable, waterproof keyboard suitable for your industry.

This is why plastic keyboards are not suitable for an industrial environment

Placing plastic keyboards in industrial machinery is not only counterproductive due to the fact that the keyboards have to be of a certain size and dimension (and not all of them are), but also because they are not even as durable as the machinery containing them.

And what does it follow from this?

That the keyboard cannot be used properly: it gets damaged and breaks.
Just as we have seen before.

In addition to this aspect, there is also another one to consider, more aesthetic but no less important.

To put a plastic keyboard inside a steel industrial machine is to belittle the whole machine.

Imagine seeing a plastic keyboard embedded in an industrial machine.
Your machinery is aesthetically beautiful and state-of-the-art: but it has a plastic keyboard for data entry.
Perfect machinery, plastic keyboard. A bit like having a Ferrari with plastic wheel covers.

Doesn't make a good impression, does it?

But let's take another example: food industry.

You are working in contact with oily materials and animal fat.

You're wearing gloves - of course - and you can't take them off, even if you have to use the keyboard.

Remember: you are always using a plastic keyboard.

And when you touch the keys with gloves soiled with grease, oil, blood and animal parts, all this dirt sticks to the keyboard, it sticks: it seeps between the keys and never leaves.

Yes, because you may not know it, but the plastic keyboards you insist on using for your food industry environment all have this nasty vice: they are not washable.
Not even if you stand there every day and take the keys apart, one by one, and dig underneath to try and remove all the dirt that has accumulated over time.

That is why, very often, to protect yourself from water and liquids, you even have to wrap them with cellophane every day.

Only then can you make them waterproof (in a manner of speaking, of course).

Imagine if you work in a meat-slaughtering environment, where you need to clean and wash everything with water, after your shift is over: if you use a plastic keyboard, you won't be able to wash it like you do the rest of the environment, because it only takes a few drops of water to break it down permanently!

So, to recap.

You, who work in a food industry sector, are using a computer tool that:

is not hygienic,

is not waterproof

and even breaks!

Plastic keyboards break, corrode, accumulate dirt between the keys and are totally unsuitable for use in industrial machinery.

In your industry, you should have a requirement for durable computer equipment that is suitable for insertion into machinery, and that guarantees safety and resistance to shocks and weathering.

And the common commercial plastic keyboards you find in circulation cannot meet these requirements.

Which keyboards to use in industrial machinery

Every field of work needs specific computer tools that are perfectly suited...

to the environment,

the work situation

and the machinery inside it.

In an industrial environment such as food processing or meat slaughtering, for example, you cannot insert plastic keyboards for the reasons we listed above.

Neither can you use them in steel machinery, totems, ATMs or ATMs, for example, where much more rigid, resistant keyboards of the right size are required to fit into the specific machinery.

And this is where steel or metal keypads come in, which find their perfect application in industrial machinery or food industry environments.

Metal keyboards: what are the characteristics

Metal keyboards are suitable for the industrial sector because they are:

1. robust and resistant
   
   Steel or metal keyboards are rigid and withstand adverse external conditions. They have a vandal-proof structure that makes them suitable for kiosks/totems and ATM structures: they are suitable for being inserted into machinery and can be used in the metalworking or food industry sectors.
   
   
2. They are water-resistant.
   With IP65 certification, they are water-, dust- and outdoor-proof. Thus, you can also use them outdoors.
   
   
3. Because they are industrial, they last forever and never break.

For which sectors metal keyboards are suitable

Steel keypads are suitable for the following sectors:

1. industrial sector.
   
   If you work in harsh, dirty, humid environments, you need a solid structure, and metal keypads are requested by our customers to be built into specialised machinery.
   Impact-resistant, their all-stainless steel construction allows you to INTEGRATE them anywhere thanks to their front-panel, rear-panel or desktop mounting.
   
   
2. kiosks and ATMs.
   Metal keypads are the only ones suitable for installation in the industrial sector, in machines such as kiosks and ATMs.
   This is because they can guarantee security against break-ins thanks to their anti-vandalism design.
   
   
3. food industry.
   Steel keypads have no gaps between the keys, so dust and dirt that are usually present in food industry environments cannot infiltrate. For the same reason, they are totally impervious to water and external agents.

If you need to wash industrial machinery, you can do so without any problems if you have chosen to put steel keyboards in the machinery.

If you are looking for a metal industrial keyboard but do not know which model and configuration is right for you, contact us!

Industrial Keyboards' decades of experience have enabled us to develop a wide range of stainless steel keyboards perfectly suited for the industrial sector, with fully dedicated expert support.

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And get a free consultation with one of our technical experts!

Do you work in an environment where dirt and moisture accumulate?

Are you tired of classic commercial plastic keyboards, where dirt gets between the keys and you have to force yourself to pull them off one by one in order to clean them?

Without even managing to do so.

Because commercial plastic keyboards are not waterproof, so you can't use water or sanitiser to wash them.

If you work in an industry and you are using commercial plastic keyboards, you must know that you can never clean them thoroughly.

Nor can you use them to work in food environments where grease, fat and dirt coat the keys and stain your keyboard until it is completely unusable.

But you already know that.
If you work in a food or medical environment, you know how much effort it costs you to wrap your keyboards in cellophane and repeat the operation every day (before you start working and afterwards, when the work is done).

And all this for what?

Only because you have to protect your keyboard from the industrial environment in which you work and protect it from water and dirt.

Simply put: if you are using a plastic keyboard for your industrial environment, you are forced to adapt to the keyboard you are using... when it should be the other way around!

It should be the keyboard that has to adapt to the industrial environment in which it is placed.

And that's what happens when you choose a specific industrial keyboard suitable for your field of work.

That is why you have come this far, to a page about silicone keyboards.

Silicone keyboards: the features

A silicone keyboard from Industrial Keyboards is suitable for your industrial environment precisely because it is:

• impermeable to water and sanitising products: equipped with a full silicone coating, its material allows it to be resistant to water and liquid agents;
  
  
• hygienic and safe from dirt and dust: the industrial silicone keyboard has no gaps between the keys. As a result, dust and dirt cannot penetrate inside and, for these reasons, the keyboard always remains very clean
  
  
• and durable.

In fact, unlike commercial keyboards, industrial keyboards last much longer, so you don't need to change them.

Here are 5 areas where you absolutely must use silicone keyboards

Industrial silicone keypads are perfectly suited for use in the following sectors:

• medical
• food
• chemical
• military
• and suitable for laboratories.

What are the most used versions on the market?

Rigid, robust and durable, the silicone keyboard can also be equipped with

• trackball
• or touchpad.

In which colours silicone keypads are available

Silicone keypads can be customised in the following colours

• black
• white.

Depending on your needs.

Discover our extensive catalogue of silicone keyboards and contact us for a free consultation.

We provide you with a DEMO keyboard to try out free of charge: if you are not satisfied, we take it back for free!

CONTACT US

Do you work in an industry where cleanliness and hygiene are required, such as the medical, pharmaceutical or food industries?

Are hygiene and cleanliness the watchwords in your sector?

Then don't make this mistake yourself: don't underestimate the importance of having computer tools (such as mice and keyboards) that are hygienic, sterilised, that don't allow dust, germs and bacteria to enter between the keys, and that are totally waterproof, which you can sanitise with a simple wipe of your hand.

Which keyboards should NOT be used in industry

Generally, the most commonly used keyboards and mice are commercial, plastic ones.
They are used in every sector and, unfortunately, very often in the food or medical sector.

Those who are in the business of choosing computer tools for their medical, pharmaceutical or food industry often make this mistake: they rely on commercial plastic keyboards because they are not fully aware of the disadvantages of this tool without realising that commercial plastic keyboards can be a carrier of germs, bacteria and dirt in your working environment.

Plastic keyboards: here's why you shouldn't use them

1. They are unhygienic

   
   Plastic keyboards have gaps between the keys that allow dust, dirt, animal fat, crumbs and germs to get in between the keys.
   And once the dirt gets in between the slots... you never get it out.
   And you find yourself using a dirty keyboard in a working environment like a medical environment, where you have to have contact with patients... or in a food environment, where you have direct contact with food.
   
   It's not exactly the best, is it?
   
   

2. They are difficult to sanitise

   It is very difficult to clean plastic keyboards and remove all the dirt that has accumulated under the keys. To do so, you would have to disassemble the keys one by one and put your heart and soul into removing all the crumbs and dirt with special tools... assuming you succeed in doing so, it is still a waste of time.
   
   

3. They are not washable

   They do not have a protective membrane to protect them from water and cleaning liquids.
   If you found yourself having to use liquids to clean your keyboard, these would seep through the cracks and cause it to crack or malfunction.
   Furthermore, if the liquid you are using is very aggressive (such as, for example, industrial cleaning products) there is a risk of the keyboard becoming discoloured or completely damaged.
   That is why cellophane wrapping is often resorted to so that it does not get wet or dirty. An operation that has to be repeated every single day with considerable loss of time.
   
   

4. Commercial plastic keyboards last only a short time
   

   In a heavy context, the life of a keyboard is very short. If it reaches 2 years, that's already a lot. Their life is very limited because they are not industrial keyboards: they break easily.

That's why every working environment has to have a specific keyboard that fits the environment.

If you work in a medical, pharmaceutical or food environment, or in a laboratory, a glass keyboard is the most suitable.

HERE'S WHY glass keyboards are the best if you work in a medical or food industry

Glass keypads are ideal for the medical and food industry because:

1. They are ultra-hygienic

   Because they are flat and keyless (they use touch technology, like mobile phones for example), dirt, food grease, dust, germs and bacteria CANNOT infiltrate between the keys, so the keyboard remains perfectly hygienic all the time.
   
   

2. They are easily sanitised

   All you need is: a cloth or sheet of paper, a cleaning product and a few seconds of your time. With just one wipe, your glass keyboard will be perfectly sanitised.
   If you are looking for a sanitised keyboard, the glass keyboard is the best for you!
   
   

3. They are waterproof
   
   They do not have a protective membrane to protect them from water and cleaning liquids.
   If you find yourself having to use liquids to clean your keyboard, these will seep through the cracks and cause it to break or malfunction.
   Furthermore, if the liquid you are using is very aggressive (such as, for example, industrial cleaning products) there is a risk of the keyboard becoming discoloured or completely damaged.

4. Glass keyboards are perfect if you work in a medical environment
   
   In fact, they are also called medical keyboards, because aesthetically they are the most suitable: generally white in colour (which recalls the medical colour and matches well in doctor's surgeries or hospitals) they are elegant and give a very good image of hygiene and cleanliness.
   
   
5. They can be customised with the colour black or white, at your choice.
   
   Usually, white is the colour of choice for medical areas, but glass keypads are not only chosen by those working in the food industry or the medical sector.
   Many of the customers who come to us also belong to the pharmaceutical industry sector.

Black glass keyboards: icons of elegance for the office

Glass touch keyboards are also chosen by offices and workplaces where cleanliness, elegance and decorum are required.

In this case, black glass keyboards are the chosen ones, usually chosen because the dust on the black colour is much less eye-catching than white.

Black, then, is an icon of timeless elegance.

How to identify the most suitable glass keyboard – a comparison of the 4 models

There are several factors you should take into account when choosing your glass keyboard: number of keys, dimensions, pointing device, connection type… At first, however, our 4 models may look very similar to each other, and choosing the right keyboard gets more difficult.

Here are the 4 models compared

Below is a comparison of our 4 glass keyboards, presenting their base material, glass type, connections, and pointing device.

TVB01:

• ABS case (antibacterial plastics)
• Tempered glass
• USB connection
• No keypad, but provided with touchpad

FIND OUT MORE HERE

TVB02:

• ABS case (antibacterial plastics)
• Tempered glass
• As compared to the other models, this keyboard has 3 different connections: USB, WiFi (working with a PC connection key), and Bluetooth.
• TVB02 has an internal, non-removable battery to ensure total water resistance, which can be recharged via a USB cable. Because of this feature, the keyboard is set to enter sleep mode after a certain period of inactivity: to reactivate it, simply press the dedicated "touch to wake" key.
• Another feature of this model is the numeric keypad, which can serve as both an actual keypad and a touchpad. You just have to press a special key that activates or deactivates the touchpad in the keypad area.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

TVB04:

• Stainless steel case
• Tempered glass
• USB connection
• No keypad, but provided with touchpad

With its steel base, this keyboard is the most suited for highly sterile environments.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

TVB06:

• Aluminium case
• Matt tempered glass
• USB connection
• It is the smallest keyboard of the 4, and it has no keypad nor dedicated touchpad. However, it is provided with a special key that allows you to use the entire keyboard area as a touchpad.

FIND OUT MORE HERE 

Why choose glass keypads from Industrial Keyboards

Glass keypads from Industrial Keyboards are stylish, sanitised, antibacterial and IP67 rated.

Discover our extensive catalogue of glass keyboards and contact us for a free consultation.

Take advantage of our DEMO programme: request a keyboard to try free of charge: if you are not satisfied, we take it back without you having to spend anything!

CONTACT US

Membrane keyboards are among the most widely used keyboards in industry.

What are the job sectors in which a membrane keyboard should be used?

If you have landed on this page, you probably...

1. you work in an industrial environment and are looking for keyboards that fit perfectly in industrial machinery.
   
   
2. Or, you are looking for a type of keyboard suitable for the food industry, such as meat slaughtering.
   
   
3. Or, you need a keyboard to fit inside certain devices, such as medical devices, for example.

Whether it's one case or the other, you're obviously not looking for just any keyboard.

The keyboards you are looking for, if they are to fit inside machines or devices, must possess certain characteristics of...

1. Robustness and resistance
2. Hygiene and protection from dust and external agents
3. Impermeability to water and liquid solutions.

These should be the characteristics of the keyboard you are looking for.

And these are the special features of membrane keyboards, the most suitable for industrial machinery and medical devices.

Membrane keyboards: what are the features

Membrane keyboards are suitable for use in industrial machinery because they are:

1. robust and durable.
   
   They come in different sizes: small, medium or very large.
   Depending on your needs.
   But the size doesn't change the fact that all of them are rigid and resistant keyboards.
   
   
2. hygienic.
   
   They are covered with a membrane, so there are no gaps or cracks between the keys. It is therefore clear that dirt and dust cannot affect the keyboard, which is much more hygienic.
   
   
3. waterproof.
   Since these keyboards have a membrane that covers the keys and the entire surface, water and external agents cannot affect them and damage them.
   
   
4. They are industrial, and therefore durable.
   A membrane keyboard is durable: it does not get damaged and does not break precisely because its industrial components make it resistant and suitable for use in industrial machinery.

Discover our extensive catalogue of membrane keyboards and contact us for a free consultation.

We provide you with a DEMO keyboard to try out free of charge: if you are not satisfied, we take it back without you having to spend anything!

CONTACT US