Kerf in laser cutting: what is the rule?

Plan for a cut width of roughly 0.1–0.4 mm, depending on thickness. Press-fit and slot-and-tab joints need clearance of about 0.1–0.2 mm on top of the kerf.

Minimum hole and slot in laser cutting: what is the rule?

Hole diameter and slot width at least equal to the material thickness. Smaller features burn out or distort.

Minimum web in laser cutting: what is the rule?

Keep at least 1× the thickness of material between cut features. Thin webs warp from the heat.

Sharp inside corners in laser cutting: what is the rule?

Add a small radius (about 0.2–0.5 mm) at inside corners. The beam cannot cut a perfectly sharp inside corner and sharp corners concentrate stress.

File hygiene in laser cutting: what is the rule?

Closed contours, correct units, no overlapping lines, text converted to outlines. Open or duplicated lines make the machine cut twice or skip features.

Laser cutting: design rules

Cutting flat sheet and plate with a laser; fast and precise, with a small heat-affected edge.

Typical tolerance

Typical: ±0.1–0.25 mm on cut features, depending on thickness and material.

Files to send

DXF or DWG at 1:1 scale with closed contours, no duplicate lines, one entity per edge; STEP for 3D parts that are flattened by the shop.

Common materials

Mild and stainless steel, aluminium, brass, copper (reflective metals need a fibre laser), some plastics and wood on CO2 lasers.

The rules, with reasons

Kerf. Plan for a cut width of roughly 0.1–0.4 mm, depending on thickness. Why: Press-fit and slot-and-tab joints need clearance of about 0.1–0.2 mm on top of the kerf.
Minimum hole and slot. Hole diameter and slot width at least equal to the material thickness. Why: Smaller features burn out or distort.
Minimum web. Keep at least 1× the thickness of material between cut features. Why: Thin webs warp from the heat.
Sharp inside corners. Add a small radius (about 0.2–0.5 mm) at inside corners. Why: The beam cannot cut a perfectly sharp inside corner and sharp corners concentrate stress.
File hygiene. Closed contours, correct units, no overlapping lines, text converted to outlines. Why: Open or duplicated lines make the machine cut twice or skip features.

Before you ask for a quote

Material, grade and thickness
Quantity
DXF at 1:1
Edge quality needs (laser edge or deburred)
Secondary operations (bending, tapping, finish)

Common mistakes

DXF in the wrong units
Overlapping duplicate lines
Holes smaller than the thickness
Expecting a mirror-smooth edge on thick plate

Agents and scripts can check a design automatically with the check_design MCP tool or POST /api/design-rules. How to connect.

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Typical rules of thumb, not a guarantee. The manufacturer's own design guidelines override them: ask for them and check your design against both before ordering.