As a professional keyboard manufacturer, Hengcang Technology, like all electronic manufacturing enterprises, will face some typical quality challenges in its production process. Based on its business characteristics and common industry problems, the main quality issues are likely to be concentrated in the following aspects.
⌨️ Structural and Assembly Issues
The structure and assembly of a keyboard are the foundation affecting its tactile feel and durability. Common issues include:
Improper gap between the casing and keys: If surface finishing processes (e.g., spraying, electroplating) and their film thickness are not fully considered during the design phase, the actual gap will be inconsistent with the design value, affecting the appearance and tactile feel.
Key sticking or inconsistent tactile feel: This can be caused by multiple factors. For example, the spray coating thickness of keys or the casing exceeds specifications, resulting in insufficient clearance; or the guide angle design is unreasonable (e.g., less than 45 degrees), making it prone to jamming during assembly. In addition, improper gate design of the mold may lead to excess glue on product edges, which can also cause interference.
Key detachment or looseness: During PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) processing, improper adhesive selection or inaccurate dispensing operation may result in insufficient fixation of components after soldering, or even detachment. An incorrect screw post height can also jam keys after tightening.
🔌 PCBA Soldering and Electronic Defects
The soldering quality of circuit boards is directly related to the normal functionality of keyboards, making it a key focus and difficulty in quality control:
Missing or Misaligned Components: During automated placement, required components may fail to be mounted (missing parts), or components may shift from their correct positions after soldering (misalignment).
Short Circuits and Open Joints: These are among the most common defects in PCBA processing. Too close solder joints, improper component layout design, or inaccurate soldering parameters (e.g., speed, temperature) can cause bridging between adjacent solder joints (short circuits) or failure to form effective connections on pads (open joints).
Pseudo-Soldering and Cold Soldering: Pseudo-soldering refers to solder joints that appear to be connected with solder but are not fully fused, usually due to impurities in the joints. Cold soldering is caused by insufficient reflow soldering temperature or overly short duration, with the joint surface appearing dark, black, and powdery, which impairs connection reliability.
🎨 Appearance and Surface Finishing Defects
For keyboard products that emphasize user experience, appearance defects directly affect the first impression:
Scratches and Stains: During production, assembly, and testing processes, improper operation or insufficient protection can easily cause scratches or leave stains on the product surface.
Printed Character Defects: During the silk-screen printing process of keycaps, impurities or foreign objects on the product surface can cause screen mesh clogging, resulting in incomplete characters or screen blocking.
Uneven Coating or Contamination: Improper control of the spray coating thickness on the casing or keys, or lack of effective masking jigs during spraying leading to ink splattering, may cause local oil accumulation — which can result in key sticking or color deviation.
✨ Inconsistent Tactile Feel and Performance
"Tactile feel" is the soul of mechanical keyboards, yet its tuning and consistency pose significant challenges:
Abnormal Sounds and Noise: Unnecessary noise during use can be caused by improper internal structural design, switch instability, inadequate lubrication, or improper fixing of internal cables.
Variable Tactile Feel: This is one of the most difficult issues to overcome in mass-produced keyboards. Hengcang Technology claims to be "the first manufacturer in the industry to achieve batch tactile tuning" — a statement that precisely reflects the industry-wide challenge of tactile differences between different batches or even within the same batch of keyboards. The causes may involve minor fluctuations in multiple components such as springs, switches, and lubricants.
Key Load Deviation: There have been cases where raw material quality issues with PTFE tape led to deviations in the key actuation force (load) from design standards.
🛡️ Hengcang Technology’s Quality Control Approach
Faced with these potential issues, a quality-focused manufacturer will establish a stringent control system. While search results do not provide details of Hengcang Technology’s quality manual, industry best practices, and its philosophy of "solid craftsmanship and reliable quality" indicate that it may adopt the following measures:
Finished Product Testing: Perform 100% or sampling-based functional testing, tactile feel testing, and appearance inspection on completed keyboards to ensure shipment quality.
Incoming Material Inspection: Conduct strict testing on key components (e.g., switches, keycaps, PCB boards, casings) to eliminate problems at the source.
In-Process Control: Set up quality checkpoints (IPQC) at every production stage, such as SMT placement, soldering, assembly, and testing. For example, increase patrol inspection frequency (e.g., from once every 2 hours to once every hour).
💎 Conclusion
Overall, the challenges that may arise in Hengcang’s keyboard production cover multiple aspects including structural, electronic, appearance, and tactile feel issues. However, it is precisely by systematically identifying and controlling these potential risk points that the goal of "reliable quality" can be achieved. If you are a customer or potential partner of Hengcang Technology, understanding these common issues will help you communicate with them more professionally about quality standards and acceptance processes.
We hope this information helps you gain a deeper understanding of the quality landscape behind keyboard manufacturing. If you would like to learn more details about a specific category of issues, we can continue the discussion.
