Design Guide for Flat Laser-Cut Parts
Useful information about supported vector formats, how to properly prepare your files for laser cutting, and capabilities of our laser cutting process.
Content
Laser Cutting Process
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Capabilities >Capabilities >
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Appearance and finishes >Appearance and finishes >
Format and Software
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Supported Formats >Supported Formats >
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Recommended Software >Recommended Software >
Preparing Your File
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Scale >Scale >
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Content >Content >
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Strokes >Strokes >
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Texts >Texts >
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Minimum Perforations >Minimum Perforations >
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Minimum Bridges >Minimum Bridges >
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Other Considerations about Laser Cutting >Other Considerations about Laser Cutting >
Click on the topics to access them.
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Laser Cutting Process
At LaserBoost, we perform sheet metal laser cutting using the latest cutting-edge technology from Trumpf™. Our expert team combines different types of gases and specific machine configurations for each material to ensure a quality cut.
We have the experience and machinery necessary to ensure manufacturing that aligns with your designs and delivers a superior quality finish.
> Laser cutting process capabilities
Our precision and maximum dimensions at a glance:
±0.20 mm*
Cutting Tolerance
3000 x 1500 mm
Size of our cutting formats
0.3 mm ~ 8 mm
Cutting Thickness Ranges
* Check here for manufacturing tolerances
or get more information about our laser cutting service.
> Appearance and finishes
Micro-joints
The micro-joint is a small connection that is placed on the part during the cutting process. It connects the part and its remnants with the original sheet by means of a minimal geometry. The micro-joint ensures that the parts and remnants do not move during the cutting process and prevents the part from falling into the pit. To guarantee the quality and safety of the process, we add at least one micro-joint.
Micro-joints are practically imperceptible and do not affect the application of the part. Their size can range from 0.05mm to 0.6mm for sheet thicknesses of 0.5mm to 8mm, respectively.
If there are specific areas in the piece where you prefer not to have this joining, please indicate it in the configurator and we will take it into account. If you need there to be no effect at all, we can do it, but it will incur an additional cost. For this, please contact us.
Cutting Density and Temperature Deformation
Laser cutting is a precise technique for manufacturing parts, but if the design has a high cutting density, elevated temperatures can be generated in the process. These temperatures can lead to deformations in the part, compromising its quality and functionality. Therefore, it’s important to consider the distribution of cuts and adjust the design to avoid excessive heat concentrations.
At LaserBoost, we employ different cutting strategies to mitigate this effect; however, in the most extreme cases, the effect can still be noticeable. One way to reduce this effect, often seen in grid patterns, is to space out the holes. Additionally, this can lead to cost savings for your part.
Design with High Cutting Density
Design with Moderate Cutting Density
Surface finishes
At LaserBoost, we offer various surface finishes for your flat parts. In the following table, you can find a brief description of each one.
Finish
Brief description
Natural or Undetermined
The material is supplied as is and may contain scratches, marks, burrs, and a non-uniform visual appearance. This applies to both sides of the part.
SandBlasting
We carefully sandblast the parts with glass microbeads, resulting in a clean and uniform surface. This applies to both sides of the part.
Vibrating
We apply an orbital vibratory finish to the part, providing a uniform finish and removing burrs. This applies to both sides of the part.
Brushed + PVC
Factory brushed finish, the part is delivered protected with a PVC protective plastic, which can be removed manually. This applies only to the front face of the part.
Premium brushed finish
Hand-brushed finish, the part is brushed in our facilities after being cut, providing a superesthetic finish. Applies only to the front face of the part.
Shiny + PVC
Factory glossy finish, the part is delivered protected with PVC protective plastic, which can be removed manually. Applies only to the front face of the part.
Premium glossy
Manually polished glossy finish, the part is polished in our facilities after being cut, providing an almost mirror-like finish. Applies only to the front face of the part.
For more detailed information about the features of each finish and to see availability based on material, please refer to the specific page of the respective material. You can access the main page of our materials here.
Formats and Software
> Supported formats
We support a wide range of vector formats. For these formats, our software can detect all the necessary parameters to provide you with an instant price. You can download an example file for each format below:
For SVG files, it’s important to review the measurements detected by our tool. These measurements can be edited within the configurator itself. The scale of the format can be altered depending on the file version or program used to create it.
For Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and PDF files, the parts within the file must be fully contained within the canvas during the export process. For example, in most designs, an initial A4 size background is set. If the part is larger than the predefined paper format set by the program, you’ll need to adjust the size of the background canvas to a larger format.
Do you have any questions about creating your files? Contact us.
> Recommended software for creating files for laser cutting – 2D
All CAD software in the market can save and export files in the formats supported in our configurator. Here’s a list with our recommendations.
Software
Formats supported by LaserBoost
Adobe Illustrator™
.dxf | .dwg | .ai | .svg | .pdf | .eps
Autodesk Autocad™
.dxf | .dwg
SolidWorks™
.dxf | .dwg
Inkscape™ (free)
.dxf | .svg | .pdf | .eps
QCad™ (free)
.dxf | .dwg | .svg
Autodesk Fusion360™ (free)
.dxf | .dwg
Adobe Illustrator™ and Inkscape™ are the most versatile options, designed for both technical and artistic parts, offering a wide range of export formats and user-friendly interfaces. Autodesk Autocad™ and QCad™ are industry standards for 2D CAD drawing. Solidworks™ and Autodesk Fusion360™ are 3D drawing software tailored for engineering and mechanical design.
Remember that it’s necessary to upload dimension-free parts, without title blocks, drawing templates, and in a 1:1 real scale in millimeters.
Preparing Your File
The 7 basic points to have your parts ready for our configurator:
> Scale
Your part should be at the exact size you want it to be cut (1:1 scale). If you desire the part to be a different size than the original, you should specify it in the configurator by editing the height and width fields. The units for uploading your file should be in millimeters (mm).
> Content
Your file must contain only the cutting lines and paths and a single part design per file. To get an accurate price for your parts, your design should be free from dimensions, notes, edges, and objects that shouldn’t be fabricated.
> Strokes
Your designs should be free of open endpoints and intersections. Our process treats all lines in your design as cuts, so an open area will lack a complete cut, and an area with intersections will result in excess cuts.
Make sure your designs don’t contain any of these elements unless they are absolutely necessary.
> Texts
There are fantastic fonts out there, but we don’t have all existing typefaces on our cutting machines. To prevent any misinterpretation of your text, we need you to convert the text to outlines.
In most CAD programs, the functionality of converting text to shapes is referred to as “explode” or “explode text”. In Adobe Illustrator™, you can achieve this by selecting the text and clicking on the Text menu > Create Outlines.
> Minimum Perforations
For a proper cut, we require that all perforations have a minimum diameter.
Thickness t (mm)
Minimum Diameter d (mm)
0.5
0.5
0.8
0.5
1.0
0.5
1.2
0.8
1.5
0.8
2.0
1.5
2.5
2.0
3.0
2.5
4.0
2.5
5.0
3.5
6.0
4.0
8.0
5.0
In the case of aluminum, the minimum hole diameter (d) must be equal to the thickness of the sheet (t).
> Minimum Bridges and Distance to the Nearest Vertices
To avoid burns or irregularities in the narrow areas of the part, we need them to meet a minimum distance. This also applies to the minimum distance between the cutouts and the outer edge of the part.
Thickness t (mm)
Minimum Space s (mm)
0.5
0.5
0.8
0.5
1.0
1.0
1.2
1.0
1.5
1.5
2.0
1.5
2.5
1.75
3.0
2.1
4.0
2.8
5.0
3.5
6.0
4.2
8.0
5.6
In the case of aluminum, the minimum distance between cutting elements and the outer contour of the piece (s) must be equal to the thickness of the sheet (t).
> Other Considerations about Laser Cutting
Heat-induced deformations
Our cutting process subjects the part to high temperatures. A very high cutting density can generate deformations or oscillations in the part. For example, a large-sized grid. More information is available in our design guide for flat laser cutting.
Part flatness
LaserBoost’s raw material complies with European regulations for the supply of flat sheets. However, the final flatness of the piece may depend on several factors: its geometry, the width-to-height ratio, the cutting density, and the selected material. These factors can influence the flatness and quality of the final piece, so it is important to consider them in the design.
Files with multiple designs
Each file must contain a single piece or design. If a file includes more than one piece, whether of the same model or different models, our team will contact you to adjust your order accordingly.
Any questions? LaserBoost’s technical team is at your disposal to help you with your design and validate its productive potential.
Contact us here.
About User Guides, Tolerances, and Production Capabilities of LaserBoost Service
It is possible to correctly manufacture parts that do not meet the capacities announced here. However, LaserBoost cannot guarantee the correct result of cutting and/or bending if the specifications mentioned on our website are not met. If a design does not meet any of the announced tolerances, capacities, or limitations, it can be produced by LaserBoost at the customer’s risk. You can validate the proper producibility of your design prior to placing an order by contacting our technical team at info@laserboost.com.
For more information about using our platform, you can visit our Terms and Conditions of Service.
