Free tool · no sign-up · SVG, DXF, LightBurn
Laser jig generator
Make a jig that holds your blanks in the same place every time: business cards, dog tags, coasters, keychains, ornaments, pens, or any shape from your own SVG file. Pick the blank and your laser, cut the jig once, and engrave a whole batch without lining up every piece by eye. Every pocket is numbered and sized to your blank, with room for your fingers to lift it out.
Blank outlines and centres at the jig coordinates, to place your artwork. Turn its output off in your laser program: it is a guide, not a cut.
- Cut the fit test first and pick the clearance that holds a blank without forcing it.
- Put a flat sheet on the bed (plywood, MDF, acrylic or thick card) a little bigger than the jig. Cut the jig: score first, then the pockets, the outline last. Do not move it.
- Take out the drop-outs, drop a blank into each pocket, refocus on the top of the blanks.
- Place your artwork on the blank outlines (LightBurn file: layer T1, or the placement guide) and engrave from the same origin. Check the position with Frame before the first piece. See how not to lose alignment below.
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How not to lose alignment
- Open the LightBurn file (File › Open, not Import). Laser window: Start From: Absolute Coords. Home the machine first, then check the position with Frame: the jig and first pocket coordinates are listed above the downloads. A machine without homing switches needs its own fixed origin first.
- The layers are in the right order: 01 score (blue), 02 pockets, 03 outline last, so the jig stays in place while it is cut. T1 holds the blank outlines and T2 the marks when you left the score settings empty: tool layers never burn.
- Leave the jig where it is. Delete or switch off the jig layers, drop your artwork onto the T1 outlines (Grid Array copies it into every pocket) and engrave.
- Names on every blank: Variable Text with a CSV. Set Advance By to the number of pockets, or the next batch repeats names.
- Saved the job for later? Keep it with the jig, and check the device profile after a restart: a different profile can flip or shift everything.
- Import the SVG. Red: Cut. Blue: Score. Teal outlines (if you added them): set to Ignore.
- Cut the jig and leave it in place. Use the camera or the framing to check the position before the first engrave.
- Delete the jig lines, place your design on the outlines and engrave. Keep the project file: the design stays in the same place for the next batch.
- Refocus on the top of the blanks: the jig raises nothing, but thick blanks sit higher than the sheet.
- The SVG is as big as the work area, with the jig at the coordinates listed above the downloads. Upload it without moving anything, then check the placement on the camera view before you cut.
- Turn off anything that moves designs for you before you place the artwork.
- Cut, take out the drop-outs, and keep the jig against the same tray edges for the next batch. Fixed stops (a strip of wood taped to the tray) hold a jig better than marks alone.
- The lid camera can be a few millimetres off: keep a margin of at least 1–2 mm between your artwork and the blank edge.
- Import the DXF. CUT: cut. SCORE: low power line. GUIDE_OUTPUT_OFF: switch output off.
- Set the origin to Absolute (machine zero), or to a fixed origin you can return to. Cut the jig and do not move it.
- Delete the jig layers, place your design on the guide outlines and engrave from the same origin.
- A fiber galvo laser does not cut wood. Cut the jig on a diode or CO₂ laser, or out of thick card or acrylic.
- The jig sits in the centre of the field, which is the reference a galvo repeats best. Place it, then frame the + marks with the red dot and nudge the jig until they match.
- Blanks of a different height move the mark a little (the beam comes in at an angle away from the centre): refocus to the top of the blanks.
Every 5–10 pieces, frame again: air assist or a bump can shift a jig. Tape or pin it to the honeycomb.
How it works
- Choose what goes in the jig and its size. Measure a few blanks and enter the largest.
- Choose your laser or sheet. The generator fits as many pockets as it can, numbers them and adds a notch to lift each blank.
- Cut the fit test strip, pick the clearance that holds a blank without forcing it, then cut the jig. Engrave your batch from the same origin.
Tips
- Cardboard first: a jig from thick card costs nothing. Cut it at an angle to the corrugation and staple it to a heavier scrap.
- Thick blanks (slate, thick acrylic): the jig should be at least half as thick as the blank and not taller than its top. If one sheet is too thin, glue a second copy under it, but keep the top of the blank above the jig.
- Keep a margin of 1–2 mm between your artwork and the blank edge, so a tiny shift never burns the jig.
- Label and keep your jigs. The label on each jig tells you the blank size and the clearance it was made for.
FAQ
What is a laser jig?
A sheet with pockets cut to the shape of your blanks. It sits on the laser bed and holds every blank in a known place, so one file engraves the whole batch in the right spot without lining up each piece by eye.
How much clearance should a pocket have?
Most makers use 0.1 to 0.3 mm on each side. Less holds tighter but blanks of the same kind vary, so a tight pocket can stop a blank from going in. A blank can move by twice the clearance, so push every blank into the same corner when the design runs close to its edge. Cut the fit test strip and pick the pocket that holds a blank without forcing it.
What is kerf compensation?
The laser beam removes a thin line of material, so every pocket comes out a little bigger than drawn. With compensation on, the generator draws the pockets smaller by half the kerf on each side. Measure your kerf with the kerf test, and leave kerf offset off in your laser software.
Why does my engraving land next to the pocket?
Usually the jig or the artwork moved between cutting and engraving, or the job started from a different origin. Cut the jig and engrave from the same origin (Absolute Coords in LightBurn), do not move the jig, and frame before you start. The + marks help you put a jig back in exactly the same place.
Can I use my own blank shape?
Yes: a star, a logo, a bone tag, any blank. Choose Shape › My shape (SVG file) and upload the cut outline of your blank. The pocket follows its outer outline at your clearance; holes, text and engraving inside are ignored. If the file has a real size (mm or inches), it is used; if not, enter the width. The file stays in your browser and is not uploaded anywhere.
Which file should I download?
SVG for LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge. The LightBurn file has the layers ready, in order, with the blank outlines on a tool layer that never burns. DXF for RDWorks, LaserCAD and CAD programs. All files are the size of your work area, with the jig at the same coordinates. The file alone does not place the jig: use Absolute Coords or a fixed origin and check with Frame.
What material should the jig be?
3 mm plywood or MDF is the usual choice; thick card is fine for a few batches. The jig should be about as thick as the blanks, or at least half their thickness, so they stay in their pockets.
Can I use it with a galvo or fiber laser?
Yes. Choose your galvo or lens size and the jig sits in the centre of the field. A fiber laser cannot cut wood, so cut the jig on another laser and line it up with the + marks.
Inches or millimetres?
Switch mm / in next to "Your laser". Sizes, the label on the jig and the file name follow it. The files are drawn to the exact size either way.
Can I sell what I make with these jigs?
Yes. Use the jigs for personal and commercial engraving. The tool and its files may not be resold or shared as a file collection.