Rachael Switches – Custom Mechanical Peripheral

Inspiration:

• From the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.
  The name is taken from the film’s female lead character, Rachael.

Goals:

• Design a high-end mechanical switch that delivers solid tactile feedback, pleasant sound, and overall premium performance based on user needs

• Develop detailed models, optimize material composition, and conduct multiple rounds of prototyping and testing to achieve the desired performance

• Achieve mass production, oversee the manufacturing process, complete packaging, and carry out marketing and sales both domestically and internationally

• The design features a tri-color scheme, with the stem and bottom housing using a bold contrast between orange-red and navy blue.
  The selected Pantone colors are 1585C, 2177C, and 308C.

Top Housing: Modified POM

Compared to standard POM, we incorporated modified additives to improve both smoothness and toughness. Based on the original Liuguang switch mold, we adjusted the fitting tolerance of the top housing to enhance the overall stem stability.

Bottom Housing: Nylon (PA66)

The bottom housing uses the same mold and material as the Shimojin and Taoyao V2 series. It delivers a solid bottom-out feel with a balanced performance in both tactility and acoustics, offering consistent sound feedback across different keyboard structures and configurations.

Stem: P3X

To achieve better smoothness and stem durability, we collaborated with Gousiza Studio to refine the original P3 material blend. The result is a new formula named P3X.

In terms of mold design, we developed a thick, spherical bottom-out pole to provide a softer bottom-out feel—improving upon the typically harsh impact of extended pole stems—while maintaining a crisp actuation response.

Spring: 63.5g 18mm Gold-plated 

The spring is gold-plated using real gold (not raw steel wire), and undergoes secondary quality control (QC) to ensure consistent tactile performance.