Industry Application
Rugged Metal Keyboards for Military and Defence Equipment
Defence platforms put an input device through extreme temperature, humidity, shock and vibration, conditions where a regular keyboard simply does not survive.
Defence platforms put an input device through extreme temperature, humidity, shock and vibration, conditions where a regular keyboard simply does not survive. KEYU manufactures all-metal reinforced keyboards for this use, with sealed construction, reinforced internal structures and resistance to impact, corrosion and moisture. Trackball and touchpad models, backlighting and glove-compatible key sizing are all part of the same platform.
What Goes Wrong On Site
- Vibration in a moving vehicle or airframe fatigues the mounting and the internal structure of an unreinforced keyboard
- Salt air and humidity on vessels and offshore platforms corrode ordinary hardware from the inside out
- Operators work in gloves under pressure, and keys sized for bare fingers cause accidental presses and lost time
- A separate mouse has nowhere to sit in a vehicle or console position, yet the application still needs cursor control
- Procurement spans different vehicles and consoles, each with its own mounting envelope and interface expectation
What Buyers In This Sector Need
- All-metal or high-strength housing with a reinforced internal structure to absorb impact and vibration
- Sealed design that keeps water and dust out of the interior, plus corrosion resistance for long deployment
- Larger keys with a higher actuation force to prevent accidental presses by gloved operators
- An integrated pointing device and backlighting so one unit covers input, cursor control and low-light operation
Typical Installations
- Ground vehicle crew stations, where the keyboard is bolted into a console and takes road and cross-country shock
- Ship and submarine control consoles, where humidity and salt exposure run continuously
- Fixed command and control centres operating around the clock with long typing sessions
- Airborne equipment racks, where mass, mounting and vibration tolerance are all constrained
- Field and mobile deployments needing a compact keyboard that travels and still seals against dust and sand
- Industrial sites with comparable demands, such as oil rigs and manufacturing plant exposed to extreme heat or cold
How A Project Runs
Step
Set out the platform, the mounting envelope, the environmental exposure and the interface required, USB or PS2
Step
We propose a housing and layout from standard, 87-key, 104-key or a fully customised arrangement
Step
Drawings define the plate, reinforcement, sealing line, key sizing for gloved use and any trackball or touchpad position
Step
A sample is manufactured in house on our CNC and sheet-metal equipment for your fit and environmental checks
Step
After approval we release tooling and produce, with sheet-metal processing under our ISO 9001:2015 quality management system
Step
The design record is retained so later builds on the same platform repeat exactly
Products Used In This Sector
67 Key Metallic Keyboard With Braille KY-PC-NT3 BR
View Specification
IP65 Mini Keyboard With Trackpad KY-PC-VG160T
View Specification
Metal Blue LED Backlit Keyboard With Trackball KY-PC-F3-LED
View Specification
Industrial 50mm Trackball Module KY-MS-MH50-BRS-A
View Specification
KY-PC-25G 25mm Metal Trackball Module With Two Keys
View Specification
KY-FS38 IP68 Metal Industrial Optical Trackball
View Specification
12 Key Industrial Backlight USB Keypad KY2068A-LED
View Specification
KY-PC-MINI-LED Backlit Metal Keyboard With SUS304 Panel
View SpecificationProduct Ranges
What We Deliver
- Custom reinforced keyboards designed to your envelope, alongside our existing metal keyboard and trackball platforms
- Multiple interfaces including USB and PS/2, and layouts including standard, 87-key and 104-key
- Sealing and impact ratings from the range including IP65, IP66, IP67 and IK07, plus CE, RoHS, FCC and EMC approvals confirmed per model
- Direct manufacture from our Shenzhen factory under OEM and ODM terms
Military and Defence Questions
What construction do your military keyboards use?
They are built from all-metal material with reinforced internal structures, giving shock resistance, pressure resistance and water resistance. The sealed design keeps water and dust out of the interior so the unit keeps working in harsh conditions.
Are the keyboards usable with protective gloves?
Yes. Keys on this type of keyboard are larger than ordinary keys and use a higher actuation force, which suits gloved operation and prevents accidental presses when dexterity is limited.
Can you integrate a pointing device instead of supplying a separate mouse?
Trackball and touchpad models are part of the range and can be built into the keyboard plate. This is the normal approach for vehicles and consoles where there is no surface for a mouse.
Which interfaces and layouts do you support?
USB and PS/2 interfaces are both supported, and layouts include standard, 87-key and 104-key arrangements. We also accept customised layouts where the platform requires a specific arrangement.
Do you design to a customer envelope or only supply catalogue parts?
Custom reinforced keyboards built to a customer drawing are a regular part of our work, supported by in-house CNC and sheet-metal equipment and over 1,000 sets of molds. Send the envelope and interface requirement and we will start from there.
Specifying Input Devices For Military and Defence
Send the panel cutout, the interface your controller expects and the environment the terminal sits in.