So if I was going to build a lube station out of plastic, this is how I would do it.
I would do this switch layer in 0.063" (1.6mm) plastic using the standard Alps + MX switch cutout so I could open the switches in the lube station (this is a required feature of any lube station IMO).
It would look like this. I did a layout with 90 switches since I don't care about anything over a TKL in size:
Now the main problem with this is that it will not be strong enough to support force if you have to insert LEDs into sip sockets and such. To add support I would add the following layer under it.
This would be a supporting layer using 0.25" (6.35mm) plastic with a square cutout which has been expanded to 16x16 so it does not interfere with the clipping into the plate layer.
In my drawings I have actually created the holes at 2.5mm with the intent to tap the holes and then just screw the two pieces together with M3 screws.
Looking at the materials that BBS offers, I think one of the following would be worth considering for this application.
- Acetal Plastic, Black (0.063" + 0.25")
- PETG Plastic, Clear (0.063" + 0.25")
I would have to check with BBS to see which they would recommend for this.
Does this all make sense?