Euroform has been using machine tools from DMG MORI since 1995, latterly in a modern factory that it moved into in 2011 and expanded in 2016. Managing Director responsible for day-to-day business at Euroform, Krisztina Zwick, mentioned the supplier's broad machine portfolio and good service: "DMG MORI was one of the first machine tool manufacturers to open a subsidiary in Hungary, which meant that response times were always quick when service was required. Our latest investment in automation was necessary to utilise the machine during unattended shifts, giving us a competitive edge.”

Elsewhere, there are a few manufacturers that offer compelling alternatives: the £80 Fnatic Gear Rush Silent has Cherry MX Silent switches and red backlit keys but doesn’t have dedicated media controls or a full metal frame. The £61 Logitech G413 houses the firm’s own Romer-G switches and has red backlit keys and a metal frame, but misses out on a wristrest and dedicated media controls.

Based in the Hungarian capital Budapest, Euroform was established in 1993 to provide a tool and mould making service from design to production and trialling. Approximately 70 employees fulfil innovative solutions for a range of different injection moulding processes, mainly for customers in the automotive industry.

For both gaming and typing, the keyboard performs flawlessly and one bonus is that the combination of light keycaps and Cherry MX Red switches result in a pleasantly quiet overall experience, making it the ideal keyboard for late night gaming sessions.

The keyboard I’m reviewing here has a full-sized British QWERTY layout, a detachable plastic wristrest, dedicated media controls and connects via a captive, braided USB cable. There’s also a secondary USB connection that’s required to utilise the USB 2 pass-through feature, which can be found along the top edge. This port can be used to plug in another device, such as a mouse. You’ll also find two foldout legs underneath it, which tilt the keyboard forwards for a more comfortable typing angle. These also have rubber pads on their ends that prevent the keyboard from sliding around.

The DMU 100 P duoBLOCK 5-axis machining centre with PH Cell 2000 pallet storage and handling system on the shop floor at Euroform, Budapest.

As for the switches that reside under the keycaps, HyperX uses Cherry MX Red. These have an operating force of 45g and a linear action with no click; this makes them ideal for gaming over Cherry MX Blues or Razer’s Green switches, which have a loud clicky sound that can be distracting during late-night gaming sessions.

UPDATE: Since writing my review, it would seem the Alloy Elite is no longer on sale and has since disappeared from HyperX’s website, replaced by the Alloy FPS. The Alloy Elite RGB is still on sale, however, and is priced at around £116 – it has the same design and performance but adds RGB backlit keys ot the mix.

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One area where the HyperX Alloy Elite falls short is in lighting. While the keys are backlit in red, you’ll have to get the more expensive Alloy Elite RGB to taste the rainbow. Fortunately, you can adjust the brightness and various backlight effects, via a series of dedicated buttons in the top-left corner of the keyboard, or through HyperX’s NGenuity software, which also allows you to set up macros. There are no dedicated macro keys but you can reassign any of the 105 keys.

The HyperX Alloy Elite is competitively priced at £96; add RGB lights to the mix and you’ll find the otherwise identical Alloy Elite RGB for £116. The company also sells the Alloy FPS at £75 – it’s similar, but doesn’t have a wristrest or dedicated media controls.

Wolf concluded: "Automated manufacturing and digital processes are essential, given the current challenges in the global marketplace.

When Euroform ordered the new DMU 100 P duoBLOCK, DMG MORI already had a large pallet handling system in development, based on the smaller, proven, modular PH Cell 300. The bigger capacity automation system handles pallets measuring up to 1,100 mm in diameter, so is able to deploy Euroform's 1,000 × 800 mm pallets. The PH Cell 2000 has twelve pallet positions on two levels and can accept workpieces up to 1,350 mm tall. (Other variants are available with three or four racks housing up to 17 or 21 pallets respectively.)

"The recent Corona pandemic, the war in Ukraine and high inflation have clearly shown us that we need to develop constantly in order to remain competitive.

Arguably, the Alloy Elite’s toughest competitors hail from Roccat with the Vulcan 120 at £120, which has RGB lighting and Roccat’s Titan switches, a metal frame and dedicated media controls. Then there’s the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 at £110, which features all of the above but uses Cherry MX Red switches.

The Alloy Elite is exquisitely built. It has a rigid steel frame, which ensures there’s no flex at all; unlike keyboards with plastic frames, the HyperX won’t cave in if you slam down your wrist in a rage.

Stefan Wolf, Euroform's managing partner said: "We play a pivotal role in automotive supply chains and our work begins in the early development phase of a new vehicle. Technical competence is crucial for exploiting the potential of innovative manufacturing solutions and CADCAM systems."

At £96, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more complete package. For me, the HyperX Alloy Elite hits the sweet spot for gamers.

"With targeted investment in technology and the training and further education of junior staff, we will continue to successfully meet these challenges.”

As you can see, the HyperX Alloy Elite is in a highly competitive league and you’re not short of options at around this price. But, while it lacks RGB backlighting, this is otherwise the perfect gaming keyboard.

The firm currently uses eight machining centres from DMG MORI for tool production, including DMU monoBLOCKs, an HSC 75 linear and, most recently, a DMU 100 P duoBLOCK with PH Cell 2000 automation system for pallet handling to allow unattended production at night and during the weekends.

As Euroform almost exclusively manufactures one-offs, pallet handling such as the PH Cell 2000 is the optimal solution. Operators set up jobs offline on several pallets using a zero-point clamping system while machining is in progress on another mould, so production downtime is minimal, even at night.

The all-black plastic keycaps are laser-engraved and are made from single-shot, ABS plastic. They aren’t as durable as the company’s double-shot PBT keycaps, which use a manufacturing process to mould two strong layers of plastic together, rather than just one, ultimately making them last longer. Nonetheless, these single-shot ABS keys should survive the test of time. You’ll also find eight additional titanium-coloured keycaps in the box, which you can use to replace the existing keys: the 1-4 and WASD keys, which additionally are covered in a textured finish. To help you swap keys with the minimum of fuss, HyperX includes a plastic key puller in the box, too.

The switches, combined with the keycaps have a smooth, light feel to them, meaning they won’t take long to get accustomed to over a stock Microsoft or Dell membrane-based keyboard. As with most mechanical keyboards, the Alloy Elite has N-Key rollover, which means you can press several keys simultaneously without problems with ghosting (where pressing multiple keys creates a “ghost”, or a key press that wasn’t physically carried out).

Kingston Technologies might be the world’s biggest manufacturer of memory and storage products but – via its “high-performance” division, HyperX – its portfolio also takes in gaming peripherals such as mice, keyboards and gaming headsets. The HyperX Alloy Elite is among the company’s top-tier keyboards that aim to appeal to PC gaming enthusiasts.

Another focus that accompanies business development at Euroform is digitalisation. The company has had a paperless working environment for many years, from design through to quality control. The mould maker is an enthusiastic adopter of the digital 'my DMG MORI' app when it comes to online service requests, which Zwick said significantly accelerates the process of calling in a service technician.

Five-axis simultaneous machining of workpieces up to 1,100 mm in diameter by 1,600 mm and weighing 2,200 kg had already been carried out on a DMU 100 P duoBLOCK in the factory. Euroform's experience with the machining centre was consistently good, leading to the purchase in 2022 of a latest-generation model with a 1,000 × 1,250 × 1,000 mm working envelope.