Indeed necro. I was surprised to see I had replied recently. Then I saw the year...
Anyhow, even though this is a necro thread, it is worth an update. mkawa and I visited WASD Keyboards after KeyCon West, and there is some new news.
First, they are no longer doing laser etching. They now are doing UV printing with a protective coating over the printing. It is much nicer, with better color definition and should last longer. With the exception of white-on-black, ALL of the legends are better than before. In addition, in theory they can print on any color or material, so they could print on (for example) thick PBT keycaps.
This is all from brand-new machines, although they kept the laser engraver to make custom homing keys.
I have had custom keys made using their new process for both the early prototype of the GH36 and for my JD build. I like them.
The plastic is what it is. We spent some considerable time talking with Weyman Kwong, the owner, about moving to thicker material for keycaps. And, like QWERKeys, the issue is the high cost of molds. Both the cost of new molds AND the cost of retiring the existing ones. He did agree that he could move to more vibrant colors with his existing molds.
Thoes existing keycaps are indeed thin ABS, and holding them in your hands they feel quite insubstantial. However, on a keyboard they feel pretty much like any other OEM keycaps. (In my opinion.)
I use IBM and Imsto PBT keycaps personally, plus some sets of SP double-shot ABS. I certainly prefer PBT, but when I need a custom legend set in small quantities, the service WASD offers is unavailable elsewhere. Especially for a single custom set.
So, new equipment and printing process, more flexibility in potential keycap types, but for now the same old keycap blanks. I cannot say that Weyman was excited about the possibility, be he did acknowledge that he and his equipment could do custom printing on other suppliers' blank keycaps. There would certainly be some setup costs, and the MOQ would be larger than a single set, but it is possible.
As an experiment, I am going to see if he can print on some blank Nuclear Data Green keycaps, once those are made and delivered.
FWIW, the custom printing thing is a sideline for them. Don't forget CODE and V2 keyboards, stabilizers and other keyboard parts they keep in stock, and (again, in my experience) excellent customer service.
So, even though this was a necro thread, now you have the 2014 update on WASD Keayboards and their printing. This is courtesy of a site visit by me and mkawa and the time Weyman Kwong spent showing us his expanded facility and new equipment. Thank you, Weyman!
FYI,
- Ron | samwisekoi
