Animal Keychain

16/08/2024

I. Introduction

A keychain is a common item in our daily life with high practicality. If the keychain is designed and made by oneself, it can better express our feelings. Therefore, this class will share with you the making of animal keychains.

II. List of Materials

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Number
Name
Quantity
1
3mm Basswood Board
1
2
Key Ring
1

III. Laser Modeling

1. Drawing the Shape

(1) From the left-side [Drawing Toolbar], select the [Ellipse] tool. Move the mouse to the drawing area, hold down the left mouse button while pressing the [Ctrl] key on the keyboard to drag and draw two perfect circles with diameters of 45mm and 3mm, respectively. When you observe that the width and height of the shape in the toolbar are correct, release the left mouse button. We will refer to the 45mm circle as Circle ① and the 3mm circle as Circle ②. Circle ① will be used as the outer shape of the keychain, and Circle ② will be used as the keyhole, as shown in the figure below:

Tips: When using the [Rectangle] and [Ellipse] tools, holding down the Ctrl key while dragging the shape will allow you to draw a shape with a 1:1 width-to-height ratio, resulting in a square or circular shape.

(2) Click the [Select] tool from the left-side [Drawing Toolbar] and place Circle ① directly above Circle ②, as shown in the figure below:

Tips: When dragging a selected shape, the software will display alignment guides to indicate the relationship between the shape and adjacent shapes.

2. Drawing Graphical Elements

(1) Find the [Animal Graphics] option in the right-side [Library Panel] and drag the [Rabbit] to the drawing area by holding down the left mouse button, as shown in the figure below:

(2) Select the “Rabbit” shape and click the [Isometric] function in the [Function Area] with the left mouse button. Set the width to 32mm in the width and height parameter bar of the [Function Area], and the height parameter will change accordingly based on the original width-to-height ratio. Select the [Select] tool from the left-side [Drawing Toolbar] and place the rabbit in the center of the 45mm circle, as shown in the figure below:

Tips: In the [Function Area] above, the [Isometric] function locks the width-to-height ratio of the drawn shape. When you enter the width or height, the software automatically adjusts the corresponding height or width based on the current width-to-height ratio of the shape. To customize the width and height of the shape, you can click this icon to unlock it.

3. Laser Processing

(1) Select the “Rabbit” shape and click the red layer in the lower-left [Layer Palette] with the left mouse button to set the “Rabbit” to the red layer.

Tips: The black, red, yellow, and blue layers in the [Layer Palette] have default processing techniques, which are cutting, outlining, shallow engraving, and deep engraving, respectively.

(2) Double-click the black layer in the lower-right [Processing Panel] and set the material, thickness, and technique to basswood board, 3mm, and cutting, respectively. For the red layer, set the material, thickness, and technique to basswood board, 3mm, and outlining. Left-click the black layer and drag it to the bottom of the layer stack, as shown in the figure below:

Tips: The device processes the layers in the order they are stacked in the [Processing Panel], from top to bottom. Generally, we place the cutting layer at the bottom to ensure the integrity of the workpiece.

(3) Click the “Switch” button in the lower-right [Processing Panel] to enter the device management interface. Click the “Test” icon in the row labeled “usb” and proceed when the “Communication Successful” message pops up, as shown in the figure below:

Tips: Before connecting the device, make sure to connect the PC-USB cable from the toolbox directly to the PC interface of the device and the USB port of the computer, and insert the dongle from the toolbox into the USB port of the computer.

(4) Click the “Start” button in the lower-right [Processing Panel] to upload the file to the device, as shown in the figure below:

Tips: Uploading a file with the same name will overwrite any previously uploaded file on the device.

IV. Work Presentation

V. Conclusion

Looking back at the process of completing this example, we first familiarized ourselves with the layout of the LaserMaker software. During the modeling process, we learned how to use drawing tools like ‘Select’, ‘Ellipse’, and ‘Isometric’ in the LaserMaker software. We also learned how to add graphics from the ‘Library Panel’ and how to connect the software to devices. By understanding the four processing techniques of laser cutting, we gained a comprehensive experience of the entire process from design to physical production. Turning ideas into reality!