Custom CNC Keyboard Cases, Matched With Shops That Have Made Them Before
Send your CAD files. We match them with machine shops that already cut and anodise keyboard cases, not general shops that will learn cosmetic aluminium on your run. Reply within 24 business hours.
We are a matching service. We do not own machines and we do not anodise anything ourselves.
Why buyers send keyboard case work here
It comes down to the match: shops that fit your part, from the first quote.
Matched by specialisation
Your request goes to up to 3 shops that already cut and finish cosmetic aluminium keyboard cases, picked for your alloy, finish and quantity. Not a general directory.
Professional suppliers
Shops in the network quote to your CAD files and drawings, communicate clearly and keep you updated while your cases are made.
You deal with the shop
Quotes, terms and delivery are agreed between you and the shop. Free for buyers.
What we match
Machined parts for mechanical keyboards, from a single prototype through to a run of five hundred. Each one below asks something different from a shop, which is why one supplier list rarely covers a whole board.
Unibody and top mount cases
One billet, deep pocketing and a long finishing pass. The whole case is one cosmetic surface, so a single tool mark scraps the part.
Gasket mount cases
Top and bottom halves that must anodise to the same colour, plus gasket shelves and tabs that decide whether the board sounds right.
Plates
Aluminium, brass, POM, FR4, PC, carbon fibre and titanium. Thin, flat and unforgiving. Flatness and switch cutout position matter more than the outline.
Weights
Brass, copper and stainless blocks machined to sit inside or under the case. Usually a second material, a second finish and a second supplier if you do not plan for it.
Badges and feet
Small parts with the highest cosmetic standard on the board, because a buyer holds them three inches from their eyes.
Accessory and spare runs
Replacement bottoms, alternate weights, extra plates and colourway add-ons for an existing design. Small quantities, same colour target.
Not on this list? Send it anyway. If we cannot match it we say so within 24 business hours instead of leaving you waiting. Materials, processes and finishes for each part: machined keyboard parts.
What changes with the mount
The outline of the case barely moves between these. What changes is the cycle time, the number of setups and how much a single slipped dimension costs you. Pick the mount before you ask for a quote, or say plainly that it is still open.
Standoffs machined into the bottom case, plate screwed down to them. Cheapest to cut and the least sensitive to tolerance, which makes it the usual choice for a first run.
- Standoff height and position have to match the PCB you already have, not a generic layout.
- Tapped holes in aluminium, so ask about thread depth and whether the shop uses inserts.
- Forgiving on plate flatness, which lowers the scrap rate on the first article.
Plate held between gasket strips seated on shelves in the top and bottom case. Most of what a buyer hears in the typing sound is decided by those shelf dimensions.
- Shelf depth tolerance changes gasket compression and therefore the sound. Put a number on the drawing.
- Top and bottom halves must be anodised in the same batch or the colour will not match.
- Plate outline and tab positions need their own tolerance callout, not the default block tolerance.
Plate screwed to bosses in the top case. Stiff, predictable and common on heavier aluminium boards where the top case carries the assembly.
- Boss positions sit in the most cosmetic part of the case, so a slipped setup shows.
- Deep pocketing under the boss row means longer cycle time than a tray mount of the same size.
- Screw head recesses are visible from the top on some designs. Say which ones are cosmetic.
Flexible arms or a plate cut as part of the case. The hardest to machine well and the least tolerant of a shop that has not made a keyboard before.
- Thin flexure arms need a feed and speed plan or they chatter and leave visible witness marks.
- An integrated plate makes the case and plate a single cosmetic part with no chance to rework.
- Expect a prototype before a production run. This is not a design to send straight to 200 pieces.
Whichever you pick, send the PCB outline with the case. Most of the fitment problems we see start with a case designed around a PCB that was never measured.
Case and plate materials, and what each one costs you on the floor
The standards below are the public material standards a part can be specified against. They describe the stock, never a promise from a shop. The notes are what a shop is really thinking about when it prices your part.
| Material | Standard | Where it shows up | What it means on the floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6061-T6 aluminium | AMS 4027, ASTM B209 | Most top and bottom cases | Machines cleanly and takes Type II anodising evenly. The default for a reason. Slightly more expensive than 6063 and stiffer. |
| 6063-T5 aluminium | ASTM B221 | Cases where colour is the point | Softer and lower in silicon, so anodised colour comes out brighter and more consistent. Easier to mark during handling. |
| 7075-T6 aluminium | AMS 4045 | Premium and thin wall cases | Stiff and strong, but the zinc content makes anodising darker and harder to match across lots. Costs more in stock and in tooling. |
| A5052 aluminium | JIS H4000 | Plates | Standard plate stock in Japan and common in keyboard drawings. Good flatness, softer typing sound than 6061. |
| Brass C360 | ASTM B16 | Weights, plates, badges | Free machining and fast to cut. Patinas unless clear coated, which some buyers want and some return. Say which on the drawing. |
| Copper C110 | ASTM B152 | Weights and accents | Heavy, soft and gummy to machine, and it darkens within weeks. Almost always needs a clear coat and careful packing. |
| 304 and 316 stainless | ASTM A240 | Weights and plates | Work hardens and eats tools, so cycle time and tooling cost climb. Holds a brushed or bead blasted finish without any coating. |
| Titanium Gr 5 | ASTM B265 | Premium plates and cases | Expensive stock, slow cutting and strict on coolant and feed. Anodises by voltage into colour, which is a different process from aluminium. |
| POM, PC, FR4, carbon fibre | Supplier stock grades | Plates only | Cut fast and cheap. Carbon fibre and FR4 need dust extraction, and some shops will not run them next to cosmetic aluminium. |
Put the alloy and its temper on the drawing, not just the word aluminium. 6061-T6 and 6063-T5 anodise to visibly different colours from the same dye. Aluminium, brass and stainless compared.
Finishes, and the one that decides the whole run
Machining is the predictable half of a keyboard case. The finish is where runs go wrong, because colour is judged by a hundred people holding the part under their own desk lamp.
Agree a physical golden sample before production, and have the top and bottom halves anodised together. Those two decisions prevent most of the complaints a group buy gets.
- Type II anodisingThe standard colour finish on keyboard cases. Colour depends on the alloy, the blast grit and the dye lot, so top and bottom halves have to run in the same batch.
- Type III hardcoatThicker and tougher, with a narrower colour range that skews dark. Used when a case has to survive shipping and years of desk use without wear marks.
- Blasting before colourGrit size sets the texture you feel. Anything from a fine bead blast to a coarse matte. Specify the grit, not the word "matte".
- Electrophoretic coatingE-coating gives deep blacks and whites that anodising cannot reach, and it covers small surface defects. It adds thickness, so tight fits need checking.
- Cerakote and powder coatSprayed finishes with a wide colour range and a thicker build. Good for bold colourways, less good on tight tolerance mating faces.
- PVDMostly used on weights and small parts. Gold, bronze and black tones that will not patina. Adds cost and a separate vendor to the schedule.
- Polish and brushMechanical finishes on brass, copper and stainless. Labour intensive and the most variable between operators, so agree a sample first.
- Laser markingLogos, serial numbers and badge text. Cheap on flat faces, awkward on curved ones, and the contrast changes with the coating underneath.
What a keyboard shop brings that a general shop does not
A good general shop will hold your tolerances. The difference is everything that happens after the part comes off the machine, when it stops being a dimension and starts being something a person looks at.
- They have made a case beforeCosmetic aluminium is a different job from a functional bracket. Shops that have machined cases know why a witness mark on a chamfer scraps a part that measures perfectly.
- Anodising is controlled, not outsourced and forgottenEither in house or a named anodiser they have used for years, with the ability to batch your top and bottom together and hold the colour across a repeat run.
- They will sign off a golden sampleOne approved physical part that defines the finish, the colour and the acceptable defect level. Without it, you are arguing about photographs.
- They quote a cosmetic scrap rateA shop that says it will make exactly 200 has not made 200 cosmetic cases. Ask what the overage is and who pays for it.
- They can hold a group buy dateYour run has a public ship date. A shop that misses it costs you refunds and a reputation, and neither is recoverable with a discount.
- They pack for a finished surfaceCases arrive scratched when they are packed like castings. Foam, individual bags and a corner drop test are a fair thing to ask about before you order.
How it works
One RFQ from you. A short list of shops that fit. No bidding platform, no commission and nobody sitting between you and the people making your cases.
Send your files
Upload the STEP files and a drawing, and tell us the alloy, the finish, the quantity and when the run has to ship. Takes about five minutes.
We match up to 3 shops
We read the model and pick shops whose travel, tooling and finishing fit what you drew. You hear from us within 24 business hours.
Shops quote you directly
Each shop contacts you with a price and a date. You compare, approve a sample and order from the one you choose. Nothing passes through us.
What drives the price of a machined keyboard case
Six things decide most quotes. If a price comes back higher than you expected, one of these is nearly always the reason, and three of them you can change on the model before you ask again.
- How much metal becomes chipsA top case can start as a 12 kg block and ship at 1.1 kg. You pay for the block and for the hours it takes to remove the rest, not for the part that is left.
- Setups and fixturesEvery flip of the part is another setup, another fixture and another chance to misalign. A design that cuts in three setups instead of five is materially cheaper at any quantity.
- Quantity and the anodising batchAnodising has a batch minimum. Fifty cases and two hundred cases can cost nearly the same to finish, which is why the per unit price drops so sharply across that range.
- Cosmetic scrapOn a mirror or fine blast finish, a scratch found after anodising means recutting from raw stock. Shops price that risk in, and the tighter your standard the more they add.
- Second materials and second vendorsA brass weight, a PVD coat or a carbon plate each add a vendor, a shipping leg and a date that can slip independently of the aluminium.
- Tolerance you did not needA blanket tight tolerance on a drawing raises the price of every feature. Call out the four or five that matter and let the rest run at a normal block tolerance.
Files ready?
Send the short version now. We will ask for anything missing. To give the full picture up front, including the mount, the colour reference and your ship date, use the full RFQ form.
Your files go only to the shops we match. Ask for an NDA and nothing beyond an anonymous preview moves until it is signed.
Machine cosmetic aluminium? Get RFQs that suit your floor.
Shops see a preview of each request before paying for it and talk to the designer directly. We take no commission on the order.
Questions designers ask
Something else? Email .
Do you machine the cases yourselves?
No. We are a matching service, not a machine shop. We read your RFQ and pass it to shops that already run cosmetic aluminium keyboard work. They quote you directly and you place the order with the one you pick.
Is this free for buyers?
Yes. Sending an RFQ and receiving quotes costs you nothing. Shops pay us for matched requests. Price, tooling cost, payment terms and delivery are agreed between you and the shop.
What quantity do I need before a shop will take the job?
Most of the requests we see land between 50 and 500 units, which is the range a group buy or a small vendor run usually sits in. Below fifty the setup and the anodising batch dominate the price, so the per unit cost climbs steeply rather than the job becoming impossible.
Can I get one prototype before committing to a run?
Yes, and you should. Ask for it in the RFQ. A single machined and anodised prototype costs far more per piece than a production unit, and it is the cheapest way to find a fitment or sound problem before you take money from a hundred people.
What files do I need to send?
A STEP file of every machined part, a PDF drawing with the tolerances that actually matter, the alloy, the finish and a colour reference. A Pantone or RAL number is better than a render, and a physical sample is better than either.
Will the anodised colour match my render?
No render matches an anodised part. Colour depends on the alloy, the blast grit, the dye lot and the bath temperature. Agree a physical golden sample with the shop, and have the top and bottom halves anodised in the same batch so they match each other.
How long does a run take?
A typical first run is six to twelve weeks from approved drawing to packed cases, including one prototype round. Complex mounts, a second material or a busy anodiser push that out. Ask each shop for its own dates in writing and treat any single week estimate with suspicion.
Who owns my design?
You do. We do not publish your files, your renders or your part descriptions anywhere on this site, and we do not show your design to shops as an example. Tick the NDA box on the RFQ form and nothing beyond an anonymous preview moves until the shop has signed with you.
Can the shop assemble and pack the boards too?
Some will, some will not. Say in the RFQ whether you need loose cases, kitted sets or finished retail packaging. It changes which shops fit and it changes the price more than most buyers expect.
What if none of the shops fit my project?
We tell you within 24 business hours instead of leaving you waiting. A niche alloy, a very small quantity or a date that has already passed are the usual reasons.
Guides for designers and group buy runners
Twenty guides on specifying, pricing and scheduling a machined keyboard case.
- Running a Group Buy
A Practical Guide to Getting a Custom Keyboard Case Made
What happens between a finished CAD model and a box of anodised cases: files, prototypes, tolerances, colour approval, quantities and the dates that matter.
- Cost
What a CNC Keyboard Case Actually Costs to Machine
Why a keyboard case quote lands where it does: billet weight, setups, cycle time, anodising batches, cosmetic scrap and the tolerances you did not need.
- Running a Group Buy
How to Choose a Manufacturer for Your Keyboard Case
The questions that separate a shop that has made keyboard cases from one that has only machined aluminium, and the answers that should make you walk away.