Production of keyboard keys, for e.g. a computer keyboard, comprise a printed thermoplastic sheet inserted into a mold after the dies have shaped the cores and caps to be pressed between them

摘要

Production of a keyboard key with a core covered by a cap, comprises a thermoplastic sheet prepared with a printed zone surrounded by a peripheral zone, with a tear-off edge between them. The keyboard key core is molded by an injected resin between two die sections. A resin is injected into a space between the molded cores and the covering pressed sheet, and heat shaped to form the key caps. Production of a keyboard key with a core covered by a cap (30), comprises a thermoplastic sheet (10) prepared with a printed zone (11) surrounded by a peripheral zone (14), with a tear-off edge (12) between them. A female die section (100) has a pocket (110) for the cap and a smaller pocket (120) for the core, and a complementary male die section (200) has structures (210, 220) to fit into the molding pockets (110, 120). The keyboard key core (20) is molded by an injected resin between the two die sections. The dies are opened with the molded core remaining at the male die section, which is shifted into alignment with the female die section, and the prepared thermoplastic sheet (10) is inserted between them. The dies are closed to press the sheet into shape. A resin is injected into the space between the molded cores and the covering pressed sheet, and heat shaped to cover the cores between the printed zones and the peripheral zones to form the key caps and the peripheral zones form the side flanges (15) for the caps.