The Keychain Hack: Hackaday at TCT Shenzhen 2026
Snapmaker, Polymaker, and TCT Shenzhen put working 3D printers on the show floor for a hands-on badge build that mixes electronics with additive manufacturing.
Hardware Made Live, on the Floor
Hackaday is bringing the Keychain Hack to TCT Shenzhen 2026, a shared, multi-sponsor booth built around one idea: put real 3D printers to work in front of attendees and send everyone home with something they built themselves.
This isn't a display of finished parts behind glass. Sponsor machines run for all three days of the show, each producing a different enclosure variant for the badge that attendees assemble on site. The printers are the demo.
Hackaday's first activation in China sits inside TCT Shenzhen's wider Hackaday Program, which also includes a hackathon and a run of maker project showcases.
Date: October 14–16, 2026
Location: Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, Hall 15, Shenzhen
What to Expect
Sponsor 3D printers running live on the show floor, all three days
A hands-on badge build: a 3D-printed enclosure plus a small electronics kit
A photo booth kiosk where attendees upload a logo, photo, QR code, or custom graphic
A personalized, sponsor-branded keychain to take home
Open to everyone; no 3D printing or electronics background needed
How the Keychain Hack Works
Attendees start at a sponsor's printer, which produces a distinct 3D-printed frame.
Assembly is simple: slot in the display module, snap the enclosure together, attach the keychain loop.
Then at the photo booth kiosk, attendees upload a logo, photo, QR code, or custom graphic that gets built into the piece itself.
Everyone leaves with a working, personalized keychain that has sponsor branding baked into the object, not simply printed on top of it. Produced with reprogrammable e-ink, attendees can continue to add personalized content to their keychains far beyond the event.
Event Partners and Sponsors
The Keychain Hack is sponsored by Snapmaker, Polymaker, and TCT Shenzhen.
Snapmaker supplies the desktop 3D printers running the badge build live on site. The company built its name on 3-in-1 machines combining 3D printing, laser engraving and CNC carving, and has shipped to more than 100,000 users worldwide.
Polymaker supplies the filament. The Shanghai-headquartered materials company has been developing 3D printing filaments and composites since 2013, with distribution across North America, Europe and Asia.
TCT Shenzhen is hosting the program as part of its own show, South China's exhibition for additive manufacturing and 3D printing, held in the heart of the Greater Bay Area.
Why Shenzhen
Shenzhen sits at the intersection of electronics manufacturing, rapid prototyping and hardware supply chains, alongside a fast-growing additive manufacturing scene. That combination is what makes a build mixing 3D printing and electronics feel native to the city rather than bolted on.
Attend TCT Shenzhen 2026
TCT Shenzhen runs October 14 to 16, 2026, at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, Hall 15. Visitor registration for TCT Shenzhen is free until October 13, 2026.
Register for Hackaday Keychain Hack here.
Find the Keychain Hack on the show floor.