Modern computer peripherals are incredibly useful and feature-rich. They have come a long way and improved tremendously over the decades. Gaming mouse pads are one such computer peripheral, and they can improve gaming performance in many ways, especially for competitive gamers.
The latest gaming mouse pads are capable of enhancing speed, accuracy, stopping power, and other elements of your gaming. This is why it is no surprise that they are heavily in demand among competitive gamers.
But what are these performance-enhancing computer peripherals made of?
This is exactly what we will discuss today, along with how they are made, to give you a better understanding of the manufacturing process of gaming mouse pads.
What Are Gaming Mouse Pads Made of?
Most gaming mouse pads in the market are made from carefully selected materials to provide the performance features that they do. Some manufacturers use different materials from others, but some materials are common across the board.
Any modern gaming mouse pad may have one or more of the following common, primary materials used in its construction.
- Aluminum
- Stainless Steel
- Wood
- Hard Plastic
- Leather
- Faux Leather
- Rubber
- Microfiber
- Fabric
- Paper
- Polyurethane
- Neoprene
Depending on the type of gaming mouse pad, the manufacturer may use a variety of mentioned materials in the construction. For example, hard plastic coated gaming mouse pads may use materials like hard plastic, leather, and stainless steel.
Whereas soft fabric finish gaming mouse pads, like our Thasis mouse pad, may use materials like fabric, rubber, and flexible polyurethane. Most competitive gamers prefer soft fabric gaming mouse pads because they offer better accuracy, which is great for first-person shooter (FPS) games.
Others prefer hard plastic-coated gaming mouse pads because of their superior gaming performance speeds. However, soft fabric variants are more common and in-demand than hard plastic gaming mouse pads.
How Are Gaming Mouse Pads Made?
The manufacturing of most gaming mouse pads is fairly simple and similar, but quality materials and precision construction are key in producing high-quality gaming mouse pads like the Thasis. Here is how most gaming mouse pads are made.
Step 1 - Materials Used
Sheets of the primary materials used in the construction are slotted, and workers align them to start creating the mouse pad.
Step 2 - Measurements
Next, the gaming mouse pad measurements are considered, and the sheets of materials are marked accordingly. Typically, there are four common sizes of gaming mouse pads, small, medium, large, and extended (extra large).
Hard plastic-coated gaming mouse pads are commonly made in small to medium sizes, whereas soft fabric finish gaming mouse pads are commonly made in medium to extended sizes.
Step 3 - Cutting
Once the sheets of materials are marked, they are cut into the desired shape. Depending on the size of the gaming mouse pad and the materials, various cutting machines are used for this process. Sometimes, material may be cut by hand. However, mostly precision machines and laser cutters are used.
Step 4 - Rubber Base
Next, the rubber base is added to the gaming mouse pad materials. This is because the surface materials are typically around a millimeter thick, and without a thicker rubber base, the mouse pad will be slippery and fragile.
The rubber base also allows easy folding of soft fabric gaming mouse pads without damaging or deforming the surface materials. The rubber base is not just for stability but also adds to the overall durability of the gaming mouse pad.
Manufacturers typically use a strong super glue to stick the rubber base to the surface materials.
Step 5 - Printing
Once the rubber base is attached, the functional part of the gaming mouse pad is almost complete. The next step is to add an attractive print on the surface of the gaming mouse pad. This can be as simple as a brand logo or as complex as artistic graphic design.
The perfect example of this can be seen with the Thasis gaming mouse pad, which offers both a complex and a simple design option. One thing to note is that hard plastic coated gaming mouse pads pre-print their designs ahead of the manufacturing process because it is easier and saves time.
Step 6 - Stitched Edges
This step is only done for soft fabric gaming mouse pads. Once the printing is complete, the edges of the mouse pad are stitched with precision to avoid fraying of the fabric at the edges.
Done correctly, this increases the durability of the mouse pad and also offers other features like preventing mouse cord abrasions. Hard coated gaming mouse pads typically have an edgeless design because they use harder materials that do not fray like fabric.
Step 7 - Quality Control
At this stage, the gaming mouse pad is complete and is checked for any imperfections. If there is something wrong with the mouse pad's construction, quality control will mark the issue and remove it from the production line.
Step 8 - Packaging and Dispatch
Lastly, the finished and checked gaming mouse pads are packaged in boxes, rolls, or other types of packaging and dispatched to their destinations.
Conclusion
Depending on the type and brand of your gaming mouse pad, it may be made with additional materials that aren't mentioned here. However, most gaming mouse pads use at least some of the primary materials mentioned.
Similarly, the manufacturing can also vary with brand. However, the general process typically follows the mentioned steps.
