Is your key ring looking a little bland? Lacking personality? You’ve come to the right place! This tutorial will help you use a laser cutter to design your own keychain to impress all your friends.

Safety First!

STOP RIGHT THERE! Remember to never walk away from the Glowforge while the machine is on. Locate and attach the ventilation fan. Double check that the fire blanket is nearby. Make sure to turn off the Glowforge once your design is done.

Step 1: You will need to design a basic keychain on Adobe Illustrator. Make sure to add a keyring hole! (see example below).

Step 2: If you want to customize your design in Adobe Illustrator with your name, or some other design, you can do that now. (see below)

 

Helpful Hint!

 If you are trying to engrave words on the Glowforge, make sure you convert your text into shapes, or the Glowforge will not recognize them! (To do this: right click the text, then press “create outlines”)

Step 3: Now you have your keychain design ready to go! Save it as a .svg file, and head over to the glowforge site: app.glowforge.com

Step 4: Turn on the Glowforge (power switch is on the back).

Step 5: Choose the material you want to use and place it inside the Glowforge. (We recommend using Proofgrade materials)

Step 6: On the Glowforge app, you will see a button in the top left corner that says “Upload.” Press that button and look for the .svg file you just created!

Step 7: Now you can easily drag and drop your design to the place you want to cut. (See below)

Step 8: Select whether you want to “Cut” or “Engrave” different sections. For this keychain I have selected to “cut” the outline/keyring hole, and “engrave” the text. Since I am using Proofgrade materials, the Glowforge automatically knows what settings to use! (See above)

Tip:

  If the bed image displayed on the Glowforge isn’t up-to-date, you can refresh the image by clicking on the Gear icon in the toolbar and pressing “refresh bed image.”

Safety First!

STOP RIGHT THERE! Before you go any further, make sure you have attached the ventilation fan and it is turned on!

Step 9: You’re ready to cut! Press the “print button in the top right corner.”

Step 10: Once the Glowforge is ready to cut, the blue print button on the machine will start flashing. Press that button and let the cutting begin!

Safety First!

Make sure you are watching the Glowforge for the entire time it is cutting. If you see the material begin to catch fire, open the lid and use the wool fire blanket (located next to the machine) if needed.  

Once the Glowforge is done cutting you can open the lid and take out that sweet new keychain! Nice work.

Safety First!

STOP RIGHT THERE! Remember to turn off the machine and disconnect the ventilation if you are done using it.