Assembly Line

How remote controls are made

Most TV remotes are not radios. They blink an invisible infrared light in a coded pattern.

stations
7
things upstream
96
raw sources
27
steps from the ground
10

The short version

Under each rubber key sits a conductive carbon or gold pill that closes a circuit when pressed. Factories mold the plastic case from resin in steel molds, cure silicone into keypads, and run the circuit boards through pick-and-place machines and a reflow oven. An assembly line then stacks board, keypad and top case, and an electronic fixture tests each finished unit.

  1. Mold the case

    Molten resin goes into steel molds and comes out as the enclosure. Before anything reaches the line, inspectors compare parts with approved samples and check colors against color books.

    Goes in
    ABS plastic

  2. Cure the keypad

    Silicone rubber starts out like a thick gel, goes into a mold, and sets solid under heat and pressure. Colored sheets give custom keypads. A carbon or gold pill sits under each button, separated from the board by a springy web.

    Goes in
    SiliconeCarbon black

  3. Place the components

    Pick-and-place machines set the microcontroller, capacitors, resistors and LEDs on the fabricated board. An optical check follows, then a reflow oven fixes the solder.

    Goes in
    Printed circuit boardMicrochipLEDSolder

  4. Test and program boards

    Every board goes through in-circuit testing to prove its parts work. The microcontroller is programmed here on a special fixture, or later once the remote is assembled.

  5. Stack the shell

    Stations along an assembly line drop the board into the enclosure, lay the rubber keypad over it and attach the top case.

  6. Check on a fixture

    An electronic test fixture confirms each unit works, and staff check its looks and keep the inspection records.

  7. Pack and ship

    Finished remotes go into gift boxes, clamshells or bulk packs, then onto pallets for ocean freight or into export cartons for air.

    Goes in
    Cardboard box
End of the lineRemote control

Worth repeating

  • In 1904, Leonardo Torres Quevedo tested a radio-controlled system on a three-wheeled vehicle with a range of 20 to 30 meters.
  • One of the first TV remotes, Zenith's Lazy Bones of 1950, ran on a wire to the set.

Back to the ground

Follow every input upstream and remote control starts as these 27 raw sources.

AirWaterSilica sandCrude oilNatural gasIron oreSulfurQuartzCoalTimberCopper oreLimestoneTin oreGold oreBauxiteZinc oreLead oreSilver oreTitanium oreRock saltTronaSoybeansRapeseedClayCornSugarcaneSugar beet

Everything it is made of See it on the map

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Keep walking

Toothpick 6 stations · 1 raw source Staple 6 stations · 14 raw sources Cotton yarn 6 stations · 1 raw source Fiberglass insulation 6 stations · 8 raw sources Facial tissue 6 stations · 17 raw sources Shoelace 5 stations · 12 raw sources

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Sources

Cite this page: "How remote controls are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/remote-control

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