Concepts provided are directed to a flexible button that is bendable when exposed to a force. The flexible button in accordance herein has a tapered perimeter portion such that a thickness of a peripheral edge of the perimeter portion is less than a thickness of remaining portions of the flexible button. The low-profile of the flexible button allows the flexible button to easily slip through a respective button hole and to be more easily gripped by a user. Further, the flexible button in accordance with aspects herein provides higher breathability than conventional buttons of the same size by having voided portions on its perimeter portion.

A manufacturing method of a symbol button for a vehicle includes: preparing a button body comprising a side portion, a top portion formed of a polymer material on which a metal is able to be plated; forming an electrically conductive layer on an outside of the button body using a conductive polymer material; forming a plating shielding layer in a form of a symbol using a material on which a metal is not able to be plated on the electrically conductive layer; and performing metal plating on the outside of the button body having the plating shielding layer.

The operating device, in particular for a vehicle component, is provided with a rotary operating element (18), which can be rotated about a rotation axis (20) and is formed as a plastic injection-molded part, which is produced in a molding die (48) having a die separation plane (46), and with a bearing unit (12), on which the rotary operating element (18) is mounted such that it can rotate about the rotation axis (20). The bearing unit (12) has a first bearing element (14), which is formed as a plastic injection-molded part, which is produced in a molding die (28) having a die separation plane (34). The first bearing element (14) has a bearing surface (26), which extends in a radial plane to the rotation axis (20) and concentrically to same, and the rotary operating element (18) has a contact surface (36), which bears against the bearing surface (26) and likewise extends in a radial plane to the rotation axis (20) and concentrically to same. Either the bearing surface (26) of the first bearing element (14) or the contact surface (36) of the rotary operating element (18) is arranged outside the die separation plane (34; 46) of the injection-molding die (28; 48) for said relevant element (14; 18), and the other of the two surfaces (26; 36) is arranged in the die separation plane (34; 46) of the injection-molding die (28; 48) of said relevant element (14; 18).

A button-fastening upper die includes a die body, a button-holding member and a cylindrical elastic member arranged between the die body and the button-holding member. By providing the elastic member with an annular recess recessed radially outward from the inner surface e.g. at the middle of the surface, the elastic member is sectioned into a thin-walled section located radially outward from the recess and two or more thick-walled sections remaining above and below the recess and the thin-walled section.