Laser and Sheet Cutting Services

A standard finish is available for all materials. No additional post-processing is performed, leaving the surface as-is after your choice of de-tabbing and deburring is performed. Plastics and cosmetically finished products may have an overwrap left on the faces for production. It is common for pre-polished, brushed, or textured materials to have only one side cosmetically finished.

Metal parts are sanded by hand, abrasive belt sander, or timesaver, in the direction of the grain to create a uniform finish. This is also called linear finishing.

Metal parts are sanded by hand, orbital sander, or timesaver, in a random pattern or swirl to create a uniform finish. This is also called a random swirl finish.

Like our other services, Xometry can offer turnkey finishing services like anodizing, chem-film, metal plating, powder coating, heat treating, passivation, and even multiple custom finishes. See samples and learn more by visiting our Metal Finishes Gallery.

Xometry can accept DXF, STEP, STP, SLDPRT, IPT, and SAT files for laser and waterjet sheet cutting services. These files should be flat profiles extruded to the appropriate thickness or gauge of the intended material. Xometry’s instant online quoting tool also allows 2D DXF files to be uploaded and their thickness defined directly on the platform.

Xometry can cut features down to about 0.25” x 0.25” depending on complexity. Parts below the size of a nickel may require specialized workholding. It is recommended that parts under 2” x 2” may need to be tabbed to a sheet or bridged on as a strip to prevent falling between machine slats.

Holes and cutouts should be larger than the material thickness or 0.050”, whichever is greater.

Yes! Sheet cutting, such as laser cutting services, can cut the outline of a part and any top-down through features such as holes, design patterns, grate features, etc. These features should be provided all in one file.

Sheet cutting cannot do partial-depth features like blind bosses, counterbores, undercuts, or side holes. This would require CNC machining services.

Kerf refers to the material that is burnt or cut away during laser cutting. Kerf is the gap thickness created by the laser and is usually around 0.008” with a +/- 0.004” tolerance depending on the process and material thickness.

Waterjet cutting has a stream thickness of between 0.04” to 0.05”. Think of it as a regular sharpie with medium pressure regarding detail resolution.

Xometry’s typical part tolerance is +/- 0.010” for laser cutting or waterjet cutting; this includes compensation for kerf. Small holes, thin gaps, and relief cuts may be slightly larger than dimensioned if their design is close to the kerf thickness.

Extruded materials such as metals and some plastics will have a grain direction. This is presented by linear features, which are generated as the material is created. Hardwood and wood veneer will also have a grain direction based on the growth.

Parts are weaker or may crack more easily along their grain. If grain direction is important to a part's function or cosmetics, please identify that using an attached technical drawing or notes. Otherwise, Xometry’s suppliers will use their best practices when cutting the parts.

Laser beams have a slight cone shape and will show a small taper from the top cut to the bottom face of a material. This is more exaggerated over thicker parts. Waterjet cutting will also spray in a tight cone, showing a small reverse taper from top to bottom.

In both laser cutting and waterjet cutting, there will be vertical striations on a cut surface. This differs from a CNC milled, or CNC routed edge, which will appear smoother.

We offer various de-tabbing and deburring options to allow you to balance costs and time. Learn more about these options by visiting our FAQ page.

The holes a laser can cut or a waterjet can cut are rougher than a standard drill due to the edge condition. If the holes are tolerance-critical it is recommended to undersize the hole by 0.005” and post-drill the feature.

Xometry can tap most sheet cut parts using our standard threads. Adding inserts, such as PEM inserts, is also available for metal sheet parts.

Yes! You can nest your design into a 2D DXF file and upload it for quoting.

Laser engraving is a great way to add high-contrast markings to designed parts.

You will need two files to specify laser engraving. The first file is the cut file, uploaded as your part in Xometry’s instant quoting engine (this is your line item). The engraving file should be uploaded as an attached drawing. Engrave files are preferred to be DXF, but vector-based SVG or PDF files are also acceptable. Xometry cannot laser mark with raster or pixelated files.

Be sure to note “Laser Marking” under the Part Marking options to notify our team that laser engraving services are required.

Yes! We may need to manually quote shim stock or spring stock materials, but if there is a readily available gauge of your design, we can quote your project.

Note that as metal material stocks are thinner, it is more likely they are provided in a roll (think aluminum foil). This means that flatness is not guaranteed on shim material.

Shim stock may need to be sandwiched with sacrificial material for cutting, which can increase costs.

Nope. Your parts will ship dry!

If you have any special packing requirements or requests, please let us know in the part notes section when building your quote.