Things to consider when getting a plate cut

[Dihedral]

Those who have got plates cut, what things should one consider?

• What Cutting Method?
• What should I expect to pay?
• What implies a good service?
• What materials / thickness's are best?
• If you are in UK, which service did you use?

And any other information you have that may be useful. Thanks!

[jacobolus]

What type of keyswitches are you using? How big is the plate? What kind of case/other structure will your keyboard have besides the plate? What goals do you have for the project (for instance, is this a quick prototype of an idea, an expensive finished board, ...)? Is it just one plate or are you trying to cut 20 copies?

[Dihedral]

What type of keyswitches are you using? How big is the plate? What kind of case/other structure will your keyboard have besides the plate? What goals do you have for the project (for instance, is this a quick prototype of an idea, an expensive finished board, ...)? Is it just one plate or are you trying to cut 20 copies?

It is an MX board, TKL size minus the Function row, case is not decided upon yet, and right now will be a single plate cut, for use in a finished board.

[Moralless]

Those who have got plates cut, what things should one consider?

• What Cutting Method?
• What should I expect to pay?
• What implies a good service?
• What materials / thickness's are best?

And any other information you have that may be useful. Thanks!

You should definitely tell us the answers to jacobolus' questions but here's some basic information that you should think about

1. You should go with laser cutting as I'm pretty sure it's more precise than waterjet

2. That depends on what material the plate is made off to give you an idea plates from cheapest to most expensive for common plate materials are: acrylic -> steel -> aluminium (well atleast this is how it goes in Australia but I don't think this should differ in America)

3. I don't have much experience with different laser cutting companies (only with the 1) but you should definitely look at what kind of jobs the place you're getting them cut at mainly does on top of the costumer service expectations e.g. do they mass produce signs for the local council? Or do they cut intricate pieces of wall decorations for individuals? Because for the former situation for them Quantity > Quality and for the latter it's the opposite.

4. This depends on what you're using the board for. To give you an idea if I were making a plate for a 60% board I'd be thinking about using acrylic or aluminium due to its light density but if I were going for a board that is structurally sound I'd be leaning towards using steel.

[Dihedral]

Those who have got plates cut, what things should one consider?

• What Cutting Method?
• What should I expect to pay?
• What implies a good service?
• What materials / thickness's are best?

And any other information you have that may be useful. Thanks!

You should definitely tell us the answers to jacobolus' questions but here's some basic information that you should think about

1. You should go with laser cutting as I'm pretty sure it's more precise than waterjet

2. That depends on what material the plate is made off to give you an idea plates from cheapest to most expensive for common plate materials are: acrylic -> steel -> aluminium (well atleast this is how it goes in Australia but I don't think this should differ in America)

3. I don't have much experience with different laser cutting companies (only with the 1) but you should definitely look at what kind of jobs the place you're getting them cut at mainly does on top of the costumer service expectations e.g. do they mass produce signs for the local council? Or do they cut intricate pieces of wall decorations for individuals? Because for the former situation for them Quantity > Quality and for the latter it's the opposite.

4. This depends on what you're using the board for. To give you an idea if I were making a plate for a 60% board I'd be thinking about using acrylic or aluminium due to its light density but if I were going for a board that is structurally sound I'd be leaning towards using steel.

I answered the questions above. Thanks for the help.

[jacobolus]

Note, I’m not at all an expert here. So take this all with a huge dose of salt:

I’d recommend using steel, or possibly titanium if you want to get fancy, ~1.5mm thick or a bit thinner (in the US, that’s 16 gauge or 18 gauge). I think it’s going to get pretty pricey regardless of method (waterjet, laser cutter, plasma cutter, ..??), probably at least $100 in the US, or possibly more, because one-offs don’t take all that much less overhead than big jobs. I have no idea what prices are like in the UK.

Since cutting cost dominates material cost and doesn’t differ too substantially by material, I think stainless steel makes more sense than e.g. mild steel. I dunno what kinds of finish your local shop can put on stuff, or if you want to paint your plate, etc. Really down to what the prices are and what your preference is.

If you want to save money, laser-cut acrylic is much cheaper. But also much less rigid.

1. You should go with laser cutting as I'm pretty sure it's more precise than waterjet

Waterjet can be very precise. I just waterjet some stuff myself today and got within about 1–2 thousandths of an inch on every measurement I checked, which is plenty accurate for a keyboard plate. There’s a substantial kerf on a waterjet, so you can’t get extremely sharp inside corners, but that’s usually not a big deal.

[Dihedral]

Note, I’m not at all an expert here. So take this all with a huge dose of salt:

I’d recommend using steel, or possibly titanium if you want to get fancy, ~1.5mm thick or a bit thinner (in the US, that’s 16 gauge or 18 gauge). I think it’s going to get pretty pricey regardless of method (waterjet, laser cutter, plasma cutter, ..??), probably at least $100 in the US, or possibly more, because one-offs don’t take all that much less overhead than big jobs. I have no idea what prices are like in the UK.

Since cutting cost dominates material cost and doesn’t differ too substantially by material, I think stainless steel makes more sense than e.g. mild steel. I dunno what kinds of finish your local shop can put on stuff, or if you want to paint your plate, etc. Really down to what the prices are and what your preference is.

If you want to save money, laser-cut acrylic is much cheaper. But also much less rigid.

1. You should go with laser cutting as I'm pretty sure it's more precise than waterjet

Waterjet can be very precise. I just waterjet some stuff myself today and got within about 1–2 thousandths of an inch on every measurement I checked, which is plenty accurate for a keyboard plate. There’s a substantial kerf on a waterjet, so you can’t get extremely sharp inside corners, but that’s usually not a big deal.

Acrylic could be interesting. Anyone know what the feel is like?

[Dihedral]

Anyone else who can give input on this?

[zennasyndroxx]

well, it pretty much depends on your budget, really.

Stainless steel is alright but price is slightly more expensive compared to aluminum and acrylic, at least from where I'm from.

Also, aluminum and acrylic is more lightweight compared to stainless steel but correct me if i'm wrong, stainless steel can be the most rigid among the 3

[Dihedral]

well, it pretty much depends on your budget, really.

Stainless steel is alright but price is slightly more expensive compared to aluminum and acrylic, at least from where I'm from.

Also, aluminum and acrylic is more lightweight compared to stainless steel but correct me if i'm wrong, stainless steel can be the most rigid among the 3

I think I'm going to go for a steel plate. I have considered other options but I want to make a quality board, not a cheap-as-possible board.

[hwood34]

If you want to keep costs down, keep the intricacy of the plate to a minimum (like the cutouts)

[Dihedral]

If you want to keep costs down, keep the intricacy of the plate to a minimum (like the cutouts)

Right. I'm going to use the basic 14mm square cutout.

[Findecanor]

It is an MX board, TKL size minus the Function row, case is not decided upon yet, and right now will be a single plate cut, for use in a finished board.

Then the fastest and most cost-effective method would be to get a plate for a TKL board and cut off the function row yourself.

Otherwise:
Aluminium: Be sure to get T6 or 6061 aluminium (different systems, both are almost the same). Alloys that are more common for sheet metal are softer. 7000-series aluminium is even harder.

Acrylic: Use at least 3 mm thickness if you are going to do direct wiring. You could glue multiple plates together if you still want the switches to snap to the plate. If there is a PCB and the PCB is taking most of the force of typing, then 1.5 mm could be enough if you are careful during assembly.
If you are going to get laser-cut acrylic, then adjustment for kerf is usually not done as part of the setup process so you might need to do that manually before you send the file in.

[Melvang]

It is an MX board, TKL size minus the Function row, case is not decided upon yet, and right now will be a single plate cut, for use in a finished board.

Then the fastest and most cost-effective method would be to get a plate for a TKL board and cut off the function row yourself.

Otherwise:
Aluminium: Be sure to get T6 or 6061 aluminium (different systems, both are almost the same). Alloys that are more common for sheet metal are softer. 7000-series aluminium is even harder.

This is wrong.  They are two totally different properties of aluminum.  The 6061 is the alloy, this particular is more than adequate for the job of a switch plate, and is probably the most readily available and there fore most often the cheapest alloy.

The T6 is the temper, essentially how stiff it has been hardened.  Some alloys can only be tempered via heat, some only pressure, some will go up to x amount of temper via one method and more the other, and so on and so fort depending on the alloy.  Having no temper is T0 or refered to as o-stock.  The stiffest standard temper is T6.  If you see T651 that is a T6 temper and some straightening methods were applied to the material post temper.  The most common tempers are going to be T0, T3, T6, and T651.  For any switch plates you will want T6 or better.  However the higher the temper, the larger the bend radius needs to be when bending to avoid cracks.  Complicated shapes are commonly bent up in T0 then tempered after working.