Hello,
I just wanted to give a brief run down of some of the lessons I've learned going into manufacturing for the first time for an end-user product.
1. Check with the manufacturing company to see what type of clients they primarily work with.
Some shops will work more with industrial consumers and some with commercial. The important distinction between these two groups of clients is that industrial clients don't care how their parts look as long as they function, however commercial customers will generally care far more about the appearance of something. An example would be a shop that exclusively produces forklift bearings vs a company that produces stainless steel signs. They might both have the same equipment, but the difference in how they handle their materials and what the end product looks like could be tremendous.
2. Don't use aluminum.
Aluminum has several keys flaws when it comes to their use as plates, most of these can be overcome through hard work, but that's not really what you want to be doing. Aluminum will have slight thermal warping due to the intense heat of the laser, this will make it difficult if you intend to paint your plates since you have to be creative with the way you sand. Aluminum is easily scratched, this will make it more likely you will get a less cosmetically appealing product from the manufacturer. Aluminum bends easily, if you intend to ship these out in the mail, you will most likely need to use a more expensive box instead of a flat mailer.
3. Always get multiple quotes.
The variance between shops can be as high as a 100% difference.
4. Design your plates with imperial measurements.
Most of the shops in the US will be more familiar and comfortable with imperial, most the steel sheets also come in imperial sizing, so converting this to metric will be a matter of compromise.
5. If this is your first time making them, make no assumptions.
Ask as many questions as you can to as many people as possible. Ask us here on geekhack, ask the manufacturer, ask some guy who works at a metal shop. Some things to think about include: How will the finish come out on these plates? If mill finish, what can I do to make this rust resistant/hold up to moisture? What is mill finish? Will this material be dense enough to dampen the acoustic vibrations of the keyswitches? and always ask, what is your policy if I'm not satisfied with your work?
I hope anyone who is considering making plates will find this useful as a basic guide if you have never done any manufacturing.
Thanks,
Techpriest
