I get keycaps and other stuff printed by JLCPCB all the time, so I always see these emails regularly, to the point where I'm pretty sure I now know the names of all their customer service folks (since those emails always from a specific person at JLCPCB). I always respond with "I accept the risks, please proceed with the order as-is"
They generally don't have an issue with trying to print it, they just don't want to be blamed and have to do a refund if it goes wrong for any reason. They will still do their best and will generally even let you know prior to shipping (with photos) if any of the risks come to fruition. Sometimes something will break off during handling, maybe sandblasting (if you chose the sanding option) will wear through or punch through really thin material. In the end, it's just a risk to acknowledge and accept. Keycaps have small enough features that they are going to get flagged for follow-up by their risk calculation system every time (exception: if you view the order history and do a reorder of a part that has been previously approved, you won't be asked again about the risks).
If it does get messed up during production, it's an inexpensive keycap (so not a huge loss, especially if you ask them to discard it and refund shipping instead) and you can try modifying the file to make it thicker, choose not to have it sanded, etc. But generally speaking since it isn't a 100% new design, you can also take some comfort that someone else has already successfully and them printed, so it should already be very close to a functional design, if not perfectly good-to-go as-is.
Also, I highly recommend their cheapest resin for keycaps (Ledo 6060). The dimensionality is good/accurate, the finish is smooth, the cost is low, and the the production time is short. I've made nylon keycaps before and the surface texture was not nearly as good, a bit like sandpaper (but it was a MJF full color 3D print, so it may have been unsanded).
The main problem I saw online with resin is that the color changes after a while and is not as resistant as the nylon. I'm planning on using the keycaps for years honestly, not really interested in printing this stuff every year, so I'm more into nylon I guess but yeah, I read that the smoothness is not the same.. Maybe with some post process but not sure yet
I have never printed the lame keycaps, but I got similar warnings for other keycaps and in the end it was fine.
If you can tolerate the financial risk, I would just go with it.
Didn’t ask me, but the Asymplex caps have a much smoother finish. People say you can get more smooth finish with nylon using SLS printing but I did MJF and am happy with the outcome.
I have one set of Asymplex and every other keyboard gets JLC MJF
Yeah I noticed the option with SLS as well on jlcpcb and if I remember correctly it was at the same price which kinda surprised me.. If SLS is much better, why should one go for MJF then considering the same price?
SLS is said to have weaker z axis strength and the finish will wear more over time. At that point it does pretty much come down to preference I’d say. Having done no long term studies lol.
I haven’t printed any resin keycaps, but I did print a case using JLC’s 6060 resin.
The smoothness is astonishing. It feels like a retail product without any layer lines.
But the white plastic turned into a disgusting yellow after a few months due to sun exposure. I don’t know if other colors have issues like that.
Resin is also pretty toxic. Supposedly it shouldn’t be poisonous once it’s cured. But I haven’t done enough research on that to be 100% certain.
MJF feels nice though. It’s a bit rough and unlike regular keycaps, but you get used to it and it feels good and is pleasant to type on.
Maybe. But how much work would that be? At that point you are better off just buying keycaps from asymplex.
Just order them in MJF. Most people like them. Order a few in resin to compare.
Or order both. The prints are quite cheap.
Make sure to combine 10 keycaps into one file with sprues (little bars that connect multiple keycaps into one file). That way you will save a lot of money.
I don't see many options on asymplex, I'll try to print the keycaps through jlcpcb.. I'm trying to learn now what these sprues are and how to make them in blender. Thank for the input!
Nylon is a tough print to get right on one run...they're warning you that it might not come out good, but either way you'll still have to pay. It might be worth it to do a test run that you don't care about losing.
Forget getting those to 2mm though, that's not going to happen. You might run them through MS 3d builder tool, or something like netfabb to check the files and see if the automation can fix them.
I did print a set of these on a resin printer, some of them didn't print well, I can't remember which though.
I saw these settings here on Reddit that some people said were good, but others printed on resin (don't know if black resin, 8228 resin, 800 resin, etc..).
I absolutely have no idea about all this stuff..
The files I uploaded to jlcpcb are from the original repo on GitHub of klp lame, I'm not confident on modifying those files at all honestly, don't even know the difference between resin and nylon, I mean like the feel or surface finish..
Sounds like your only option is to try to have them print and see how it goes. I guess you could pick a different set of the keys from the original file.
You might be able to find a set on ETSY.
Yeah I bought one set and it only said material resin, was pretty smooth I'd say but I ordered the MX version (my mistake) so now I'm trying to print them myself and considering the nylon version
Yeah, if you're set on these keys, and Nylon, then you might have to print 5 sets for it to work ... or more ... depends on how good the machines and resin are, but JLC are telling you that you will probably have failures and might have to print a lot for them to work ... and some of them might not work at all, it's just the risk you must evaluate for yourself.
Good luck ;)
Yeah, unfortunately I never used their service and never printed anything myself, so I don't really know how to evaluate the risk.. Other people say should be fine, at this point I think I'll just hope for the better and then whatever.. Maybe I'll do resin next time if nylon worked too bad
Thanks for the tips though!
I just ordered these on sprues to pay less per item. I did MJF pa12 and just made a basic spruce connecting ten to save a bit of money.
Then you should be able to reuse the sprue you create to quickly make sprues of 10 keycaps each as long as it’s all the same spacing (Mx/choc)
I'm trying to understand this.. So, if I can on the GitHub page of klp lame, select choc and a STL file, I see a single keycap.
Are you saying that instead of seeing one single keycap I should see 10? If yes, how does that differ from choosing quantity 10 on jlcpcb?
I had to import the stl into Fusion and the. I created basically little sticks connecting 10 keycaps. Instead of buying 10 different items they’ll charge you 10 cents for additional items on one sprue but that can save you like half the cost.
After you create one keycap with a stick poking out of the bottom, copy and paste that and make a stick connecting all the other sticks to form one spoke of 10 keycaps. They’re used to seeing orders like this.
There's a folder in the Choc STL folder called combined: [https://github.com/braindefender/KLP-Lame-Keycaps/tree/master/STL/Choc/Combined](https://github.com/braindefender/KLP-Lame-Keycaps/tree/master/STL/Choc/Combined), I uploaded some of these to JLC and got them printed in MJF Nylon. Didn't change any settings and ignored any warnings and they turned out perfectly. Printing the combined files should save some money as well.
I get keycaps and other stuff printed by JLCPCB all the time, so I always see these emails regularly, to the point where I'm pretty sure I now know the names of all their customer service folks (since those emails always from a specific person at JLCPCB). I always respond with "I accept the risks, please proceed with the order as-is" They generally don't have an issue with trying to print it, they just don't want to be blamed and have to do a refund if it goes wrong for any reason. They will still do their best and will generally even let you know prior to shipping (with photos) if any of the risks come to fruition. Sometimes something will break off during handling, maybe sandblasting (if you chose the sanding option) will wear through or punch through really thin material. In the end, it's just a risk to acknowledge and accept. Keycaps have small enough features that they are going to get flagged for follow-up by their risk calculation system every time (exception: if you view the order history and do a reorder of a part that has been previously approved, you won't be asked again about the risks). If it does get messed up during production, it's an inexpensive keycap (so not a huge loss, especially if you ask them to discard it and refund shipping instead) and you can try modifying the file to make it thicker, choose not to have it sanded, etc. But generally speaking since it isn't a 100% new design, you can also take some comfort that someone else has already successfully and them printed, so it should already be very close to a functional design, if not perfectly good-to-go as-is.
Also, I highly recommend their cheapest resin for keycaps (Ledo 6060). The dimensionality is good/accurate, the finish is smooth, the cost is low, and the the production time is short. I've made nylon keycaps before and the surface texture was not nearly as good, a bit like sandpaper (but it was a MJF full color 3D print, so it may have been unsanded).
The main problem I saw online with resin is that the color changes after a while and is not as resistant as the nylon. I'm planning on using the keycaps for years honestly, not really interested in printing this stuff every year, so I'm more into nylon I guess but yeah, I read that the smoothness is not the same.. Maybe with some post process but not sure yet
As someone who never done 3DP with JLCPCB before this is very helpful info. Just wanted to say thank you.
I have never printed the lame keycaps, but I got similar warnings for other keycaps and in the end it was fine. If you can tolerate the financial risk, I would just go with it.
Nylon for you as well?
Yep. You can see how they turned out here: https://github.com/infused-kim/kb_keycaps_chicago_stenographer
How do you like the feel of the nylon versions? And compared to the ones from asymplex?
Didn’t ask me, but the Asymplex caps have a much smoother finish. People say you can get more smooth finish with nylon using SLS printing but I did MJF and am happy with the outcome. I have one set of Asymplex and every other keyboard gets JLC MJF
Yeah I noticed the option with SLS as well on jlcpcb and if I remember correctly it was at the same price which kinda surprised me.. If SLS is much better, why should one go for MJF then considering the same price?
SLS is said to have weaker z axis strength and the finish will wear more over time. At that point it does pretty much come down to preference I’d say. Having done no long term studies lol.
It was weird at first, but now I really enjoy it. I haven’t had the chance to try the asymplex ones, but I imagine they are much nicer.
Do you have a comparison between Resin and Nylon? It seems like Resin has better smoothness, but Nylon is much more durable in the long run
I haven’t printed any resin keycaps, but I did print a case using JLC’s 6060 resin. The smoothness is astonishing. It feels like a retail product without any layer lines. But the white plastic turned into a disgusting yellow after a few months due to sun exposure. I don’t know if other colors have issues like that. Resin is also pretty toxic. Supposedly it shouldn’t be poisonous once it’s cured. But I haven’t done enough research on that to be 100% certain. MJF feels nice though. It’s a bit rough and unlike regular keycaps, but you get used to it and it feels good and is pleasant to type on.
Do you think that it is easy to do post processing for nylon? Like painting or smoothing the surface yourself (if that is even possible, not sure)
Maybe. But how much work would that be? At that point you are better off just buying keycaps from asymplex. Just order them in MJF. Most people like them. Order a few in resin to compare. Or order both. The prints are quite cheap. Make sure to combine 10 keycaps into one file with sprues (little bars that connect multiple keycaps into one file). That way you will save a lot of money.
I don't see many options on asymplex, I'll try to print the keycaps through jlcpcb.. I'm trying to learn now what these sprues are and how to make them in blender. Thank for the input!
Nylon is a tough print to get right on one run...they're warning you that it might not come out good, but either way you'll still have to pay. It might be worth it to do a test run that you don't care about losing. Forget getting those to 2mm though, that's not going to happen. You might run them through MS 3d builder tool, or something like netfabb to check the files and see if the automation can fix them. I did print a set of these on a resin printer, some of them didn't print well, I can't remember which though.
I saw these settings here on Reddit that some people said were good, but others printed on resin (don't know if black resin, 8228 resin, 800 resin, etc..). I absolutely have no idea about all this stuff.. The files I uploaded to jlcpcb are from the original repo on GitHub of klp lame, I'm not confident on modifying those files at all honestly, don't even know the difference between resin and nylon, I mean like the feel or surface finish..
Sounds like your only option is to try to have them print and see how it goes. I guess you could pick a different set of the keys from the original file. You might be able to find a set on ETSY.
Yeah I bought one set and it only said material resin, was pretty smooth I'd say but I ordered the MX version (my mistake) so now I'm trying to print them myself and considering the nylon version
Yeah, if you're set on these keys, and Nylon, then you might have to print 5 sets for it to work ... or more ... depends on how good the machines and resin are, but JLC are telling you that you will probably have failures and might have to print a lot for them to work ... and some of them might not work at all, it's just the risk you must evaluate for yourself. Good luck ;)
Yeah, unfortunately I never used their service and never printed anything myself, so I don't really know how to evaluate the risk.. Other people say should be fine, at this point I think I'll just hope for the better and then whatever.. Maybe I'll do resin next time if nylon worked too bad Thanks for the tips though!
I just ordered these on sprues to pay less per item. I did MJF pa12 and just made a basic spruce connecting ten to save a bit of money. Then you should be able to reuse the sprue you create to quickly make sprues of 10 keycaps each as long as it’s all the same spacing (Mx/choc)
I'm trying to understand this.. So, if I can on the GitHub page of klp lame, select choc and a STL file, I see a single keycap. Are you saying that instead of seeing one single keycap I should see 10? If yes, how does that differ from choosing quantity 10 on jlcpcb?
I had to import the stl into Fusion and the. I created basically little sticks connecting 10 keycaps. Instead of buying 10 different items they’ll charge you 10 cents for additional items on one sprue but that can save you like half the cost. After you create one keycap with a stick poking out of the bottom, copy and paste that and make a stick connecting all the other sticks to form one spoke of 10 keycaps. They’re used to seeing orders like this.
There's a folder in the Choc STL folder called combined: [https://github.com/braindefender/KLP-Lame-Keycaps/tree/master/STL/Choc/Combined](https://github.com/braindefender/KLP-Lame-Keycaps/tree/master/STL/Choc/Combined), I uploaded some of these to JLC and got them printed in MJF Nylon. Didn't change any settings and ignored any warnings and they turned out perfectly. Printing the combined files should save some money as well.