car key blank? You know, the laser-cut type where its smooth on the edges but the middle is the grooved/cut part, not an old type of car key that is similar to a house key. The type typically found inside a key fob, or like pictured. I know the laser isnt powerful enough to do it even with the 40watt upgrade, but can it be milled out? Complete newbie to this machine so I apologize in advance, tried to search as well with no luck
Probably not. The Snapmaker2 isn’t rated for milling metal at all—I think some people have managed soft metals like brass, but you have to know what you’re doing and you may void your warranty by trying. Steel, or whatever it is that those key blanks are made out of, is going to be well beyond its capabilities.
The snapmaker team was experimenting with milling Aluminum, but I never saw their results. Several users have done it, search the forums. They went slow, with a shallow depth of cut. It’s not specifically allowed, but it shouldn’t void your warranty unless you’re overly aggressive.
Aluminum (and brass) are both “sticky”. They tend to clog up the cutter flutes. It’s probably not a problem for the small amount of milling a key would require, but YMMV.
You’ll obviously need some kind of jig to hold the key blank. A 3d print that fits around the blank, that you can clamp to the bed shouldn’t be too difficult.
Unrelated to milling, a lot of those key fobs require programming so they can talk to the car. Read up on internet forums about getting 3rd party keys made for your make and model. Some makes are more difficult than others.