What kind of machinery is necessary for make keycaps for short productions?

[mamcx]

This is just more for curiosity.

I wonder that kind of machines I will need to get for production of decent-quality keycaps. I imagine one for plastic molding and obviously the molds.

Also, what kind of materials (plastics obviously, but something else can be good?).

This also is to answer what stop somebody to put this kind of business. Is to expensive long-term? Not enough profitable?

What kind of prices will be need to make it viable?

[JaccoW]

Short version: If you have to ask, don't bother.

Initial costs are high and it is highly specialised work.

Long version:
Probably $3000-5000 before you even start if you are lucky.

Here is an injection molding calculator to calculate the cost of the molding itself.
On an industrial level you need a few things:
- A mold
- Injection molding machine
- Extruder
- Someone who knows how to work those machines
- Probably more that I forgot

1. Mold cost anywhere from a few thousand to several hundred thousand dollars
2. An injection molding machine can be had for $1300. Most however are around $8000-15,000 up until a few hundred thousand.
3. No idea
4. If it is your own time, pretty 'cheap' (If you don't account for opportunity cost.
5. Of course the basic material. Let's say ABS (easy) or PBT (difficult)
Then it is still somewhere around $0.82 / LB for ABS and $1.50 / LB for PBT.

Mind you I am not in the business but I did do plenty of calculations back when I was studying.
Someone with more knowledgeable will probably be able to prove me wrong on some assumptions here.

[bmmcwhirt]

You will also need to have some way to print onto the keys unless your doing double shot and if you are your price is probably more than a dysub printer that can print on the keys, just a guess as I also don't have first hand experience.