Think you're missing the point I'm trying to make. Yes I agree that the nubs and notches are another form of identification. I'm saying that the nub is made from a sprue mark.
But then wouldn't even non-clicky switches have some kind of sprue mark in that location??
At a quick glance I thought I saw sprue marks in a different location on the stem. Perhaps the non-clicky switches have that area ground off or the mold has a part that changes depending on what stem its making?
1) I don't see anything similar anywhere on this mx brown switch I have sitting here.
2) Also, this might not be the perfect place to ask this, but where is the best/cheapest place to get vintage black switches?
1) I could very well be wrong. I'm taking an educated guess.
2) WhiskyTango was selling them for very cheap in the classifieds at one point.
How are keycaps automatically placed onto keyboards in commercially mass produced factories?
I would think keyboards with Cherry MX stabs would be easy, but how would the machines get it on Costar stabs? Since it requires a 3 step process to get a costar stabilized key on....or are they placed on manually?
Another question just popped in my mind. How about the O-rings that Logitech uses? How would they align the orings to automate the process
I imagine they use a combination of workers and machines. You have to remember that labor is plentiful and cheap in China and Taiwan, where many of the keyboards we use are made. So there very well could be a huge line of workers who do things like install stabilizers. I don't know for sure. There are robots that will do pick and place though. Some quick videos I found on YouTube: