HMX Mechanical Keyboard Switch - Major R&D Breakthrough and Improvements in 2026
DashanYuan
The following update comes directly from HMX, the manufacturer behind many of the most popular keyboard switches in the enthusiast market today. We are reproducing it here for the English-speaking community.
Hello from HMX
HMX has always been known for stability, sound performance, dryness, and high consistency. With a relentless pursuit of excellence, we are committed to developing new processes, materials, and molds. Innovation and precision have always been at the core of what we do.
As we step into 2026, we would like to share a comprehensive update on our R&D progress over the past year, as well as the developments coming this year.
New Factory Lubrication System
The second-generation lubrication system — introduced alongside our new equipment last year — has now completed full validation and officially entered production in early March 2026. The key improvements:
- Stem lubrication points: increased from 4 to 8
- Bottom housing rails: increased from 2 to 4 points for more even distribution
- Spring seat (bottom housing): increased from 2 to 3 points for improved consistency
While adding lubrication points may seem straightforward, achieving stable and highly consistent results at scale is extremely challenging. It took nearly a year of repeated testing, iteration, and redesign to ensure every switch meets our standards.
After full optimization, the lubrication performance now closely resembles hand-lubed switches, delivering a more solid, focused, and full sound profile.
Key Optimization Decisions
During validation we also made two deliberate removals in order to achieve the best possible long-term experience:
- Removed lubrication between the top housing and the stem separation point. This area introduced subtle noise from lubricant separation during actuation, so it was eliminated to maintain sound purity.
- Removed lubrication between the spring and the stem contact area. Testing across extreme temperatures showed that lubricant here would eventually migrate into the stem pole hole, causing a muted bottom-out, inconsistent feel, and degraded sound. To ensure long-term stability, this point was removed as well.
Lubricating the stem pole can significantly increase perceived smoothness, but it introduces serious long-term risks. Rather than relying on lubrication for artificial smoothness, we focus on mold precision and consistency to deliver a genuinely reliable typing experience.
Dual-Material (Hybrid) Molding
Beyond lubrication, material selection plays a crucial role in determining both typing feel and sound. Because of inherent material limitations and traditional switch structures, however, many high-potential materials have historically been unusable in switch production.
Examples include:
- Hard and brittle materials: difficult to mass-produce reliably — prone to broken clips, poor fit, or instability.
- Soft and flexible materials: prone to deformation, inconsistent dimensions, and unreliable performance.
These limitations have restricted switch material innovation for years. If you are new to how material choice translates into sound and feel, our guide to mechanical keyboard switch types covers the fundamentals.
Our Breakthrough
After nearly a year of intensive R&D, we have developed a patented dual-material solution that overcomes these challenges.
First Product: Dual-Material Bottom Housing
Our first fully validated product is a dual-material bottom housing, releasing soon. It carries:
- No material compatibility risks
- No structural issues
- Full production readiness
We have separated the bottom housing and the acoustic chamber, allowing different materials to be combined through precision molding and automated assembly.
This design:
- Breaks the limitations of single-material housings
- Enables material combinations that were previously impossible to mold
- Greatly expands customization possibilities
- Brings users closer to a truly personalized switch experience
What Comes Next
Other core components in the dual-material series are progressing steadily:
- Dual-material stems
- Dual-material top housings
These are designed to enable material interchangeability, optimize both bottom-out feel and return sound, and deliver more refined, crisp, or balanced typing characteristics. Both are in final testing and optimization, with an expected release in Q3–Q4 2026.
A Note to the Community
All product details and optimizations described above reflect our engineers' professional judgment and their effort to minimize potential risks. They are shared purely to improve the user experience and are not intended to criticize or target any other brand.
HMX started out like many others — without advantages and without shortcuts. Through attention to detail and a refusal to compromise, we have gradually grown from unknown to recognized. Above all, we want to say thank you to every enthusiast who has supported and trusted us along the way.
What This Means for Buyers
In practical terms: HMX switches produced from March 2026 onward carry the second-generation factory lube job, which should read as a fuller, more focused bottom-out with less batch-to-batch variance. The dual-material housings are the release to watch later in the year, since they open up material pairings that single-shot molding simply could not produce.
You can browse the current lineup on our HMX switches collection, or explore the full range of keyboard switches we stock.