Some custom 3D printed metal caps from ShapeWays

[att1cus]

A few weeks back, Ravnzcroft and I designed these keys for one of my first experiment with artisan keycaps.  I had decided to go with a white, silver, and blue theme for my first keyset, and found that you can order keycaps custom in various metals from his shop on ShapeWays.  These are the 2 keys I had made in polished nickel steel - 1 ESC key and 1 key with the NERV logo from the Evangelion reboot series (anime).  The keys came out great, with a delicate almost wood-grain texture from the 3D printing/CNC milling process.  They're not quite as smooth/shiny as my other metal keys, but they're unique and a great compliment to my set.  Check em out:

[neverused]

I like the Evangelion one, do you mind if I ask how much they cost?

[dwk396]

That looks pretty sweet.

[att1cus]

I like the Evangelion one, do you mind if I ask how much they cost?

Nope not at all! The cost depends on what material you choose.  Using the polished nickel steel, it was $22.11 USD each plus shipping.  Since they're each done from scratch, they have a 1.5-2week production time.

[UsualSuspectXXX]

Those look really cool! I might have to consider this

[KHAANNN]

The Esc looks great!

I wondered whether it's feasible/possible to get an all metal 3d printed keycap set, a while back, it's obviously not a very good idea, but it was the legends that held me back from considering it further

I wonder how you solved that problem, are they empty?

In any case, it's a beauty, congratulations

[att1cus]

The Esc looks great!

I wondered whether it's feasible/possible to get an all metal 3d printed keycap set, a while back, it's obviously not a very good idea, but it was the legends that held me back from considering it further

I wonder how you solved that problem, are they empty?

In any case, it's a beauty, congratulations

Thanks! Yep, all of the backlit portions are simply cut-outs designed to allow the LED to shine through.  I thought the cut-outs on the sides would just look great, give a sort of skeletonized look, and also allow more light to come through.  The finished product definitely came out excellent.  Here's the links to the actual keys if you're interested.

ESC: https://www.shapeways.com/product/DT89ZH32R/backlit-escape-keycap-r4-1x1
NERV: https://www.shapeways.com/product/J5WZT79CZ/nerv-logo-backlit-keycap-r4-1x1

[v0idtek]

I've had some metal keycaps printed with shapeways, I wish the layer heights were a bit finer. Very conspicuous ridges, and it's kind of unavoidable unless you hand polish them afterwards.