Neson Design×Zephyr Lab Z1 Keyboard

The most challenging and time-consuming part of the entire design was the solid stainless steel bottom case. Since we were aiming for a “spaceship” and “hovering” feel, we didn’t want the sides of the keyboard to be completely flat. Instead, we added 3D-angled slopes on both sides of the stainless steel base. This serves two purposes: first, to allow the ambient lighting to diffuse more softly through reflection, and second, to create a visual effect that suggests a gentle levitation. Each bottom case is CNC machined from a solid 28×110×292mm block of stainless steel, requiring over 9 hours of machining time per piece. To achieve soft, evenly distributed lighting on both sides of the keyboard, we split the side lighting system into 4 aluminum parts, 4 acrylic + PC diffusion panels, and 2 independent RGB LED PCBs.