To laser cut a keychain you first have to design your keychain in Illustrator. Create a new file in Illustrator the size of the laser bed, or 18x32". Then make the red cut line around where you want your keychain to be. Next, give the laser black engrave shapes where you want to engrave your keychain. Finally in Illustrator, create a red circle where you want your key ring to fit. Once you have your Illustrator file go to the laptop by the laser and load your file there. You then print your file to the VLS. Once you have positioned your file on the laser and made sure that the laser will hit the acrylic go into settings in the UCP and set your material type and thickness. Before you continue, make sure the ventilation is on. Once that is done you can close the door and hit start. Finally, pull your keychain off the bed and throw away any waste plastic.
To create a vinyl decal using Illustrator you first make a file in Illustrator that is the size you want your decal to be. Then you fill the work space with the text and images you want. Once you have the decal designed, you take it to the vinyl cutter computer. After you have put in the right color vinyl and adjusted the cutter to cut the vinyl, send it to the machine. Once your cut is complete, you can take the vinyl out of the cutter and cut it to length. After that, put your vinyl on a piece of clear decal tape. Cut the tape so it covers your whole decal and then use a squeegee to adhere the vinyl to the tape. When you are ready to stick the vinyl to a surface, carefully remove the backing and place it on the surface you wish to adhere it to. Squeegee it down again. Finally, carefully remove the clear tape, and hope that it worked properly.
In the introduction to Illustrator I learned how to turn pixel images into vector images, and how to operate the vinyl cutter. I already had a basic understanding of the laser engraver from Physics, but being able to print myself was a nice learning experience. I liked designing parts in Illustrator, and am starting an individual project to print a large number of Waunakee Drama decals for drama club.