Product Code Database
A keycap is a small cover of plastic, metal, or other material placed over the keyswitch of a computer keyboard. Keycaps are often illustrated to indicate the key function or alphanumeric character they correspond to. Early keyboards were manufactured with the keyswitch and keycap integrated in one unit; keycaps separate from the switch were introduced to facilitate the production of different keyboard layouts.
Keycaps are sold in printed and unprinted varieties. The unprinted or blank variety is said to promote touch typing and help build muscle memory because the user is forced to rely on motion rather than visuals. However, within the modern mechanical keyboard community, unprinted caps are typically chosen for their visual appeal. There are many designs a user may choose: from anime, bi-color and video game-based to custom-made keycaps.
The most common plastics used are ABS, PBT and Polyoxymethylene (see the materials section). The top of most keycaps may be described as cylinder-shaped (curving to the sides as if a fat cylinder was resting on it), flat or spherical (curving to the top, bottom and sides as if a large sphere was resting on it). The modern preference is for cylinder-shaped keycaps rather than spherical ones, but laptop keys are often flat.
| This is commonly used for keyboard casings and keys. It is a comparatively soft material compared to some modern plastics but is tough and resistant to breakage. Topre casings are made of ABS and IBM Model Ms are as well. Filco and Das keys are made of ABS, as are most keys that ship with computer keyboards. It has a bit of a "slick" feeling. For example, Lego is made of ABS. |
| PBT is a harder long-wearing material with a "sandier" feel and should not yellow as much as ABS over time. The downside is the brittle nature of PBT and expense, so most keyboard manufacturers do not use this for either keyboard cases or keys. Exceptions are some Cherry/Poker/Leopold keys and IBM/Unicomp keys. |
| Better known by the brand name "Delrin", it is an abrasion-resistant, solvent-resistant and low-friction material. However, it is expensive and not common. Found use in older black Cherry G80 keycaps and the discontinued Nopoo Chocolate keyboards. Keycool used to use it with their keyboards but is now phasing it out. Currently, Vortex is using POM as the lettering infill on their Backlit Doubleshot PBT/POM Keys. Cherry MX key casings are made of POM Chemical Testing, as are the stems Cherry Labeling on MY steB. |
| Soft clear plastic. Used for translucent keys like this Signature Plastic keyset. |
| Also referred to as silk screen printing, this is the cheapest and most common. It involves ink being pushed through a stencil onto a surface. It is typically UV treated to provide durability against abrasion and discoloration. With keycaps the silk screen printing method is typically limited to a single colour typically being white or black. |
| Dye sublimation has become more popular in recent years due to improvements in manufacturing processes. It involves melting a layer of ink into the surface of a keycap using heat and pressure. For keycaps, dye-sublimation is only viable with PBT plastic, as its porous surface allows the ink to penetrate. The main advantage of this method is the flexibility in design as manufacturers can print detailed, full-color graphics directly onto the keycap surface. This contrasts with double-shot injection, which requires custom and expensive tooling for each legend and is typically limited to two colors per key. Dye Sub Keycap ProductionAs a result, many brands are adopting dye-sublimation. Notable examples include TheKapCo and ONEofZERO. |
| A strong laser is used to print characters onto keycaps. |
| The most expensive and durable process: each outer keycap has its legend physically moulded into it, and the legend is then created by injecting a different piece of plastic into the keycap from the inside. This means that there is no chance of the legend ever fading or getting removed, even as the keycap wears down. |
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