3D printed logo keychains: how to design them

What you get

We print a plastic pendant in PLA or PETG. We do not supply the ring or chain, you add those yourself. It is a popular item among promotional items, because it is small and cheap.

A pendant can be thought up in many ways: a name, an animal, a map, a logo in the shape of a company or a room number for a guesthouse. With a larger run, work to keep it simple, because the simpler the shape, the more pieces fit on the bed and the cheaper each keychain is.

Dimensions that last

• Thickness. 3 to 4 mm, thinner pieces break easily.
• Hole. A diameter of at least 4 mm and 3 mm of plastic around it, otherwise it tears.
• Orientation. Print it lying flat, the layers are then parallel to the face and the pendant does not snap along the layers, see orientation.
• Details. Lines and lettering of at least 1 mm, smaller ones get lost.
• Infill. With a thin pendant the walls matter more than the infill.

A keychain is carried in a pocket, it moves and rubs against things, so rounded edges are worth it, see fillet. Sharp corners break and catch in the pocket.

Colours and logo

A single colour is the cheapest. For a two-colour logo, for example white lettering on a coloured base, send a 3MF with colours. The printer can change up to 4 colours, but each change adds time and waste, see multicolour printing.

You have to prepare the logo as a 3D model, a vector from an SVG can be converted in Tinkercad, for example.

Price and run

Keychains are small, so many pieces fit on the bed and the price per piece falls with a larger quantity, see full bed. First print one piece, check the size and the legibility of the logo and only then order the run. For company batches see also corporate gifts. The minimum order is 15 € excluding VAT.