Using PCB as plates?

[youRFate]

I'm building an https://github.com/omkbd/ErgoDash and I've found that appart from switches and keycaps, the cases are a big cost factor. The PCBs themselves are dirt cheap (1.80€ from jlc pcb per board). Whereas laserboost quoted me 150€ for stainless steel plates for the board.
I've now joined a reddit group buy for the cases made from acrylic which are less than half that price, but still expensive compared to the PCBs.

Does anyone have experience with plates made from PCB? JLC offers FR-4 pcbs up to 2mm in thickness for 2-layer designs, PCBway offers up to 2.4mm. That stuff is fairly rigid and should make fine cases, you can even use the silk screen for some design or even get fancy and add stuff to it like LEDs.

Thoughts?

[Findecanor]

I think that PCB is crazy inexpensive. It sounds like a promotional price to lure you in. I would not count on it.

[Anakey]

There is no problem with using pcb material for the plate, it will be less stiff then the steel plate would be so would produce a softer bottom out. I can see why the price of a stainless steel plate would be high due to the non rectangular shape so leading to a higher waste then a traditional rectangular plate also that stainless steel is an expensive material to produce and cut. Had you gone with aluminium or galvanised steel then the price would have been a lot less.

[youRFate]

[...] Had you gone with aluminium or galvanised steel then the price would have been a lot less.

I just tried that out with a single top plate:
1.5mm Glavanized Steel: 21,57€
1.5mm Stainless, unfinished: 23,12€
1.5mm Aluminium, unfinished: 26.15€

I'd say that difference doesn't really matter all that much. I attached the dxf for those interested.

I think that PCB is crazy inexpensive. It sounds like a promotional price to lure you in. I would not count on it.

They did give me a slight discount, but now pluggin in the same file it comes out as 19.59€ for 10 PCBs, so still about the same price.

[vvp]

They did give me a slight discount, but now pluggin in the same file it comes out as 19.59€ for 10 PCBs, so still about the same price.

It sounds more like 19.59€ per PCB if you order at least 10 pieces, i.e. 195.9€ per 10 PCBs. That would sound like a plausible price.

[youRFate]

They did give me a slight discount, but now pluggin in the same file it comes out as 19.59€ for 10 PCBs, so still about the same price.

It sounds more like 19.59€ per PCB if you order at least 10 pieces, i.e. 195.9€ per 10 PCBs. That would sound like a plausible price.

It's total. Making PCBs in shenzen is incredibly cheap. I bought some, they are being packaged as we speak. If you don't believe it, download the gerber file zip from the repository and head over to their website and try it for yourself. It's the advantage of split boards, you only have half the PCB size as one keyboard consists of two idendical PCBs of half size.

[vvp]

OK, my guess was wrong. It is a great price. We should all order from China till it is s till possible
And make a PCB plate as well. It is like a steal for that price.

[xack]

For my Arke build I CNCed plane FR4 and handwired it. So the FR4 Is all that is holding the switches and is at least for a small keyboard plenty strong. If let jlc manufacture the pcb you can leave on the copper to give it even more strength and you can go crazy on the design (screen printing). All in all i think your idea is good an worth trying 

[yangdigi]

It's OK. I've made several already like below.
They are 1.6mm in thickness.

[Findecanor]

There is also this minimalistic ergo board where the same PCB design can be used for circuit board and plate. Builders would snip off the switch footprints and clean up the holes to make a plate.
I would advice against that method though: finishing of edges of a PCB should be done in a factory, not at home. PCB dust is unhealthy!