Keyboard Builders' Digest / Tools
Neutrone - manufacturer database
Neutrone.com is a free tool developed by lore045 providing a searchable list of manufacturers.
Published April 3, 2022
Lorenzo aka lore045, the guy behind the Custom mechanical keyboard infographic and other projects within the custom keyboards community, published a new project called Neutrone.com.
Neutrone is a free tool that helps you to launch a product by providing a list of manufacturers, artisans and makers with tons of expertise and "human size" MOQ (minimum order quantity).
The idea was born in early 2022 when Lorenzo got frustrated by the fact that it took him too long to find a manufacturer capable of producing a small batch of aluminium cases for his custom mechanical keyboard project, with reasonable MOQ, lead time & cost.
While the project is not exclusively about keyboard manufacturing, and all the categories like Skin care or Furniture may confuse some visitors, it has potential.
Although neutrone.com is more like a framework rather than a finished tool at the moment, and the database contains only a handful of manufacturers, people can add or suggest new entries, and you can set different parameters to refine your search and find your ideal maker by category, region, materials, and so on.
This initiative has two scopes:
- Give local makers and digital artisans the chance to showcase their services (3D printing, CNC machining, laser etching, etc.) and get potential new customers from the community.
- Give keyboard enthusiast the chance to develop their own keyboard design by collaborating with local makers (overcoming air/sea freight issues from destinations that are too far away).
E.g. browsing through the list of European PCB manufacturers I learned that they are not just expensive but even getting an estimated price may be also really painful… Of course that's not the fault of the tool.
To make it really usable though: use it, test it, share it, and contribute!
Published on Sun 3rd Apr 2022. Featured in KBD #72 (source).
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