Keychains have been practical accessories that we all use on a daily basis, making them a good choice to personalize. Thanks to technology, you can now cut and engrave designs on different materials and turn them into beautiful, unique keychains for brand marketing, gifting, or personal use.

If you are unsure of the right materials to use, how to configure the laser engraver to cut and engrave acrylic, and the finishing touches, I will lay it out for you in this article.

Optional items that will be useful in this project 

If you have a big acrylic sheet, reduce it to a manageable size using a saw so that it fits on the laser bed. It is best to have a regular shape before cutting.

Clean the surface either by washing it with water and soap, or by using rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth. After drying, apply painters’ tape on the top side of the acrylic. This prevents smoke stains and burn marks from forming on the surface after cutting with the laser beam.

Create a shape to cut using design software like Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, or Canva. You can also import and download shapes from premade files in SVG or DXF format for editing. The laser beam works best with vector formats since they are the easiest to trace. Saving the design in vector also helps editing it in future more easily and more accurately.

Start by cleaning the laser bed and lens to remove any debris that might interfere with the cutting precision. Then, plug the engraver into a power source and flip the main power switch. 

Release the emergency button to allow power into the machine and start its functions.

Once the engraver has powered on, the laser head will automatically slide to its “home” position.

This connection allows you to send your design to the engraver for cutting, make adjustments to the laser settings and be in control of the process. You can connect using USB cable, WiFi, Bluetooth, or Cloud apps depending on the engraver type.

The “Add a device” button should detect the engraving machine then enable and save a connection. If the software is unable to detect the engraver, check the cable connection or restart both the computer and the engraver.

After connecting the main control panel pops up, showing it is ready to send the file to the engraver machine for cutting.

Place the acrylic on the laser bed and use the laser’s focus tool to adjust the laser head height depending on the material thickness.

Press the “Frame” button to conduct a frame test. This prompts the laser head to move around the boundaries of your outline without firing laser beams.

Adjust the main cutting parameters in the laser software: power, speed and number of passes. Here are the recommended settings for different acrylic types.

Set the laser’s focal point on the surface or slightly below the acrylic and enable air assist before sending the design for cutting.

If you are working with both engraving and cutting designs on the same canvas, select the cutting layer and then the “start” button. As it cuts, check for excessive smoke, fires, or movement of the acrylic as it cuts. If any of that happens, flip the emergency switch to stop the process.

After the machine is done with the process, allow some cooling time before removing the cut pieces. If the cuts are accurate and clean, you can move on to the engraving process. If not, start another pass using the same cutting settings.

Using the same design software, prepare a design using simple, high contrast graphics, or clear readable fonts. A good tip to remember when engraving photos is that they work best when they are in white and black. 

Start working with a blank canvas, import the design, then size it to match the keychain and save it in vector format.

Here are some recommended engraving settings for power, speed and passes on different acrylic types. 

Select the fill method for logos, letters and numbers, and the image method for photos.

Place the keychain on the laser bed, and focus the laser head until you have sharp beam focus, and then engage the frame test again.

Watch the laser head move and ensure that the laser path doesn’t go beyond the acrylic’s boundaries. Any magnets used to secure the keychain should be outside the test frame’s path.

Once everything is in place, press the “start” button to start the engraving process. If you are using the cutting design together with the engraving one, double check to ensure you have selected the engraving layer.

Again, check any of the danger signs throughout the engraving process. If you spot a fire or the acrylic repositions, engage the emergency button to stop the process. Remember, acrylic can be flammable, so have a fire extinguisher nearby.

After engraving is done, peel off the painter’s tape and brush any burnt residue away using a soft brush. Attach the jump rings to the keychain’s opening using a pair of pliers. If not using a jump ring, insert the keychain piece directly in the split ring like you would a key.

To improve the aesthetics and increase durability of the keychain, you can add color to the design, or seal the surface. Use acrylic or paint pens to apply color on the engraved areas. After drying the paint, use clear acrylic spray to seal the surface. Sealing prevents fading, moisture damage, and scratches, which is especially important as keychains are handled so often.

If you don’t have a laser engraver or prefer a more colorful and detailed design on your keychain, you can use a heat press machine to print designs on heat transfer vinyl or adhesive vinyl and stick it on the keychain.