File Preparation

• Accepted formats: .DXF, .STEP, .STP
• Build your file at the exact size you want the part cut — no scaling factors
• Convert all text to outlines/paths before exporting
• Every cut path must form a closed shape, with no intersecting or duplicate lines
• Keep all cut geometry on a single layer

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Laser Cutting

Minimum Hole Diameter

Holes cut smaller than roughly half your material's thickness risk warping, poor edge quality, or closing up entirely during cutting. As a rule of thumb, keep hole diameters at or above material thickness for the cleanest results.

Thin Webs & Narrow Features

Narrow webs of material between two cuts (or between a cut and the part edge) can distort or tear during handling. Keep the material remaining between adjacent features at least as thick as the sheet itself.

Internal Corners

Internal corners can't be perfectly sharp — the laser's kerf leaves a small radius at every inside corner. Design sharp-looking internal corners with this in mind rather than expecting a true 0° point.

Floating Elements & Nesting

If your design includes pieces that would fall free once fully cut, add small bridges to keep them attached to the surrounding sheet. Submit one part per file with quantity set at checkout rather than pre-nesting multiple parts into a single file.

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Forming & Bending

Bend Radius

Bend radii that are too tight relative to material thickness can crack or fracture the outside of the bend, especially on stainless and harder alloys. We size each bend's inside radius to your material and thickness automatically — if a submitted bend is tighter than our press brake tooling supports, it will be flagged for CSR review rather than silently adjusted.

Minimum Flange Length

Flanges that are too short relative to material thickness can't be reliably formed — the material may slip out of the die. As a general guideline, keep flange lengths at least 2× the material thickness, and longer for thicker gauges.

Feature-to-Bend Clearance

Holes, slots, and cutouts placed too close to a bend line will distort when the part is formed. Keep functional features clear of the bend region — as a rule of thumb, at least 3× material thickness away from the bend line, more for tighter radii.

Extreme Aspect Ratios

Very long, narrow flanges or ribs (a high length-to-width ratio) are prone to warping during forming and shipping. If your part includes an extreme aspect-ratio feature, our team may flag it for review to confirm intent before production.

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Powder Coating

Hardware holes and threaded features should be called out clearly so they can be masked before coating — an unmasked hole can fill with powder coat and require rework. Let us know at configuration time which features need to stay coating-free.