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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: Keyboardnoobb on Thu, 02 April 2015, 08:59:19
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Hello, I was looking at molding some key caps, and I was curious what the best resin was for doing this. Has anyone actually molded out of plastic before, or is resin pretty much the only way to do it from home? I'm just afraid it isn't going to last that long or feel the same. Thank you.
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Disclaimer: I don't make keycaps, but I have dabbled in casting things at home before. Anyone feel free to correct me or elaborate. There is also some overlap between "plastic" and "resin" but I'm trying to think of them separately for the purposes of the discussion...
Usually 'plastic' is injection molded which requires specialized equipment and is often used for materials that require heat to mold (e.g. thermoplastics like PBT/ABS/POM).
Resin is a liquid that hardens naturally over time (think laquer or glaze). They often use a catalyst to speed up the hardening process, but do not usually require extra heat or pressure to fill a mold because they harden relatively slowly (10 minutes sometimes w/ a catalyst, compared to thermoplastics which just need to cool) and flow better into small parts of the mold. Resin can be really sturdy. Epoxy/resins are often used for flooring, finishing furniture, etc. because they are easy to apply over a large area and can be very hard. A big reason for using plastics in factories is that it can be molded, cooled, and then popped out of the mold reliably and quickly where resins tend to be a little more touchy and slow but can still produce a really good product.
The biggest thing is just to try different processes and get a setup that works for you and what you want to make. If you watch the guys who make 'Artisan' caps, you'll notice that they have plenty of duds and designs that don't work out as they constantly try new ideas and perfect their process.
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Disclaimer: I don't make keycaps, but I have dabbled in casting things at home before. Anyone feel free to correct me or elaborate. There is also some overlap between "plastic" and "resin" but I'm trying to think of them separately for the purposes of the discussion...
Usually 'plastic' is injection molded which requires specialized equipment and is often used for materials that require heat to mold (e.g. thermoplastics like PBT/ABS/POM).
Resin is a liquid that hardens naturally over time (think laquer or glaze). They often use a catalyst to speed up the hardening process, but do not usually require extra heat or pressure to fill a mold because they harden relatively slowly (10 minutes sometimes w/ a catalyst, compared to thermoplastics which just need to cool) and flow better into small parts of the mold. Resin can be really sturdy. Epoxy/resins are often used for flooring, finishing furniture, etc. because they are easy to apply over a large area and can be very hard. A big reason for using plastics in factories is that it can be molded, cooled, and then popped out of the mold reliably and quickly where resins tend to be a little more touchy and slow but can still produce a really good product.
The biggest thing is just to try different processes and get a setup that works for you and what you want to make. If you watch the guys who make 'Artisan' caps, you'll notice that they have plenty of duds and designs that don't work out as they constantly try new ideas and perfect their process.
I appreciate the reply. I understand the difference. I've worked with some resins before, but I'm just not sure which is the best for key caps. Any ideas?
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Disclaimer: I don't make keycaps, but I have dabbled in casting things at home before. Anyone feel free to correct me or elaborate. There is also some overlap between "plastic" and "resin" but I'm trying to think of them separately for the purposes of the discussion...
Usually 'plastic' is injection molded which requires specialized equipment and is often used for materials that require heat to mold (e.g. thermoplastics like PBT/ABS/POM).
Resin is a liquid that hardens naturally over time (think laquer or glaze). They often use a catalyst to speed up the hardening process, but do not usually require extra heat or pressure to fill a mold because they harden relatively slowly (10 minutes sometimes w/ a catalyst, compared to thermoplastics which just need to cool) and flow better into small parts of the mold. Resin can be really sturdy. Epoxy/resins are often used for flooring, finishing furniture, etc. because they are easy to apply over a large area and can be very hard. A big reason for using plastics in factories is that it can be molded, cooled, and then popped out of the mold reliably and quickly where resins tend to be a little more touchy and slow but can still produce a really good product.
The biggest thing is just to try different processes and get a setup that works for you and what you want to make. If you watch the guys who make 'Artisan' caps, you'll notice that they have plenty of duds and designs that don't work out as they constantly try new ideas and perfect their process.
I appreciate the reply. I understand the difference. I've worked with some resins before, but I'm just not sure which is the best for key caps. Any ideas?
i do not know much about the subject however I have been wanting to learn more and maybe try my hand at some ideas I have had over the summer when I work less. This may or may not help but Making stuff together section has a ton of threads archived on many different aspects of the process. If you don't mind doing the leg work that is where I would start:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?board=117.0
And good luck with your search :thumb:
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Thank you. I really appreciate all the help.