3dkeycaps

3dkeycap 3D prints replacement keycaps for mechanical keyboards and sells them to keyboard enthusiasts around the world. The catalogue covers four-key sets for movement, arrows, modifiers, homing keys and full sets, in OEM, DSA, XDA, Cherry, DES and MX low-profile profiles. The keycaps fit standard Cherry MX-type switches and their clones; dedicated sets exist for some keyboards, including the Logitech G915 and the Keychron K3. Two materials are offered: nylon, with a rough, opaque surface, and resin, with a smoother, slightly translucent surface.

The need the website describes is finding keys by touch: locating the movement keys without taking your eyes off the screen, during long gaming sessions. The rough texture of nylon serves that purpose. The website also documents demand for custom keycaps that a mass-produced set does not cover: a specific legend, a colour mixed to order, a stem sized for a particular keyboard. The company first had its keycaps made by a third party, then painted them by hand.

The product

The team prints the resin keycaps itself, by DLP, on a printer it has owned since January 2024. Printing starts after the order: 3D model with stem dimensions, printing, three baths of 99% isopropyl alcohol, curing, UV hardening, then packing in a box laser-cut in-house. The nylon keycaps are produced by a supplier, then checked in-house, and some of the parts are rejected. The colours are mixed into the resin before printing and the legends have been UV-printed since June 2024. Customers keep their keyboard: they choose the profile, the material and the colour, replace only the keys they want, and approve a model and a render before printing for a custom order.

What it changes in practice

• The movement keys can be found by touch, because the rough texture of nylon feels different from the other keys.
• The keyboard's backlight stays visible, because the white, black and clear resin is slightly translucent.
• A special request can be made one at a time, because printing starts after the order and changes are still possible after a first print.

Every Keycap matters