Guidelines for laser cutting

Steel 0,8 - 25 mm
Stainless steel 0.5 - 20 mm
Aluminum 1 - 10 mm

 

Plate thickness up to 5 mm 15 x 15 mm
Plate thickness 6 to 15 mm 18 x 18 mm
Plate thickness 20 mm 20 x 20 mm
Plate thickness 25 mm 25 x 25 mm

 

Plate thickness up to 10 mm 2.980 x 1.480 mm
Plate thickness 12 mm 2.976 x 1.476 mm
Plate thickness 15 mm 2.970 x 1.470 mm
Plate thickness 20 mm 2.960 x 1.460 mm
Plate thickness 25 mm 2.950 x 1.450 mm

 

Length 100 to 750 mm 15 mm
Length 750 to 1500 mm 40 mm
Length from 1500 mm 60 mm

 

Plate thickness  up to 2 mm 1,5 mm
Plate thickness 2,5 to 15 mm 0,7 x plate thickness
Plate thickness 20 and 25 mm At least the plate thickness

Plate thickness up to 2 mm 2 mm
Plate thickness 2,5 2.5 mm
Plate thickness 3 mm 3 mm
Plate thickness 4 mm 3 mm
Plate thickness 5 mm 3.5 mm
Plate thickness 6 mm 4 mm
Plate thickness 8 mm 5 mm
Plaatdikte 10 mm 7 mm

  ø nitrogen ø oxygen 
Plate thickness 0,8 up to 1 mm  0,5 mm  
Plate thickness 1,25 up to 1,5 mm 0 ,8 mm  
Plate thickness 2 mm  1 mm  
Plate thickness 2,5 mm  1,25 mm  
Plate thickness 3 mm  1,5 mm 1,5 mm
Plate thickness 4 mm  2 mm 2 mm
Plate thickness 5 mm  3,5 mm 2,5 mm
Plate thickness 6 mm  4 mm 2,4 mm
Plate thickness 8 mm  5,5 mm 5 mm
Plate thickness 10 up to 15 mm   6 mm
Plate thickness 20 mm   11 mm
Plate thickness 25 mm   15 mm

 

  ø 
Plate thickness 0,5 up to 1 mm  0,5 mm
Plate thickness 1,25 up to 1,5 mm     0 ,8 mm
Plate thickness 2 mm  1 mm
Plate thickness 2,5 mm  1,25 mm
Plate thickness 3 mm  1,5 mm
Plate thickness 4 mm  2 mm
Plate thickness 5 mm  2,5 mm
Plate thickness 6 mm  3 mm
Plate thickness 8 up to 12 mm  3,1 mm
Plate thickness 15 mm 4 mm
Plate thickness 20 mm 5 mm

 

  ø 
Plate thickness 1 mm  0,5 mm
Plate thickness 1,2 up to 1,5 mm     0 ,8 mm
Plate thickness 2 mm 1,5 mm
Plate thickness 2,5 mm 2 mm
Plate thickness 3 t/m 4 mm  2,5 mm
Plate thickness 5 mm  3,5 mm
Plate thickness 6 mm  4 mm
Plate thickness 8 mm  5 mm
Plate thickness 10 mm  7 mm

 

247TS_Guidelines_Dam_Hole_Slot_en

 

Mark as marking point

Holes with a diameter that are too small to cut, are marked. In practice, this means either a small hole or a marking point to indicate the position of the hole.

lasercutting-marking holes

 

lasercutting-marking smaller holes

 

Starting points and lead-in length

Starting points can be specified in Sophia®. 247TailorSteel determines the position if the starting points have not been specified.

247ts_tekening_08

 

The starting point must be drawn at least 3 mm outside of the entity or at the top (see image). A distance of at least 5 mm applies to sheets that are thicker than 10 mm.

When placing the starting point, note that there must be space perpendicular to the starting point for insertion. A starting point must therefore not be placed in the middle of a narrow slot.

Microjoints

Depending on the contour size and stability, microjoints are placed.

microjoints

 

Corners

When cutting holes into corners, specific hole diameters are maintained. The table below shows the desired hole diameter according to sheet thickness.

For example, a sheet thickness of 0.5 mm to 3 mm should have a hole diameter of 1 mm. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a sheet thickness of 15 mm to 25 mm should have a hole diameter of 4 mm. See the table for a complete overview.

247TS_Plaatmetaal_02

 

Plate thickness Hole diameter
0,5 up to 3,0 mm 1,0 mm
4,0 up to 6,0 mm 1,5 mm
8,0 up to 12,0 mm 2,0 mm
15,0 up to 25,0 mm 4,0 mm

 

Edging sharp corners

≤ 3 mm: 0,3 mm
> 3 mm: 0,1 x plate thickness

Corners drawn without rounding are automatically rounded as in the information above. The same applies to all contours that are cut. Since the laser always approximates angles tangentially, angles of 90° are not possible. Plates with <3mm material thickness are automatically rounded to a radius of 0.3mm (almost perpendicular to the eye). For sheets of >3mm material thickness, 0.1x material thickness is used, the rounded corner is then visible.

 

lasercutting-rounded edges

 

Holes in material thickness

Holes may only be located on the top (blue side) of the product.  Holes drawn in the thickness of the material (see illustration) cannot be recognised by Sophia and may cause incorrect hole calculations.

Note the black pinhead in Sophia®, which indicates which contour is being cut.

Incorrect drawing, Sophia® does not recognize this part.

lasercutting-wrongplacing-holes

 

Correct drawing. This can be identified by the black pinhead on the blue surface.

lasercutting-rightplacing-holes

 

Engraving

247TailorSteel only engraves functionally, for positioning or identification. Only the upper side of the sheet can be engraved. 

  • Engravings must not touch or cross the outer contours.
  • In the case of a STEP file, the engraving must be drawn at least 0.2 mm deep.
  • Engraving lines are displayed as yellow lines.

Please refer to STEP and/or DXF/DWG file specifications for character specifications.
247TS_Plaatmetaal_05a

 

Edge finishing

Sophia®️ offers the option of edge breaking. Here you have two options; edge breaking burr side or edge breaking double-sided. With edge breaking burr side only the underside of the sheet is machined, with edge breaking double-sided the sheet is deburred on both sides. This machining produces less sharp edges on the product, reducing the risk of cuts. Rounding may leave marks on the surface (slight scratches).

Minimum product dimensions:

  • Aluminium/Stainless Steel= 50x50 mm
  • Steel = 250 x 60 of 600 x 50 mm

Maximum product dimensions:

  • Aluminium/Stainless Steel = 2980 x 1350 mm
  • Steel = 2980 x 1300 mm 
Machining is only possible on one side for the following materials: ground, brushed and foiled laser parts (foiled laser parts are only machined on the non-foiled side). Machining is not possible on tear plate and brass.

Specify edge finishing on your part in Sophia®

EN deburring

 

Examples of light scratches after edge finishing

lasercutting-edgefinishing-light-scratches

 

 

lasercutting-edgefinishing-light-scratches1

 

Tolerances

Dimensional tolerances of cut contours. Cutting is in accordance with the ISO9013 norm, unless stated otherwise in the table below.

Work piece thickness (mm) Allowable tolerances for the range of nominal measurements (mm)
  > 0 < 3 ≥ 3 < 10 ≥ 10 < 35 ≥ 35 < 125 ≥ 125 < 315 ≥ 315 < 1000 ≥ 1000 < 2000 ≥ 2000
> 0,5 ≤ 1 ± 0,2 ± 0,2 ± 0,2 ± 0,2 ± 0,2 ± 0,3 ± 0,4 ± 0,65
> 1 ≤ 3 ± 0,2 ± 0,2 ± 0,2 ± 0,25 ± 0,25 ± 0,35 ± 0,4 ± 0,65
> 3 ≤ 6 ± 0,2 ± 0,2 ± 0,25 ± 0,25 ± 0,3 ± 0,4 ± 0,45 ± 0,7
> 6 ≤ 10 - ± 0,25 ± 0,3 ± 0,3 ± 0,35 ± 0,45 ± 0,55 ± 0,75
> 10 ≤ 15 - ± 0,3 ± 0,35 ± 0,35 ± 0,45 ± 0,55 ± 0,65 ± 0,85
> 15 ≤ 20  - ± 0,4 ± 0,4 ± 0,4 ± 0,55 ± 0,75 ± 0,85 ± 1,2
> 20 ≤ 25 - ± 0,45 ± 0,45 ± 0,5 ± 0,7 ± 0,9 ± 1,1 ± 1,6

Discoloration of material after laser cutting

Depending on the material and contour of the laser parts, discoloration of the material may occur during laser cutting. This occurs especially with small geometries or contours and narrow webs, because the heat of the laser cannot be sufficiently dissipated in these areas. Discoloration is a common phenomenon and can only be removed by grinding.

Color after lasercutting - picture 1

 

Bild2

 

Laser splashes and soot

Depending on the material and sheet thickness, spatter or soot may occur on the underside of laser parts during laser cutting. This can be caused by laser insertion, part geometry, very small contours and part positioning on the laser blades. Depending on the material, soot cannot always be avoided, but it can be easily removed by simply wiping it off.

rust and sparks after lasercutting - picture 2

 

rust and sparks after lasercutting - picture 3

 

rust and sparks after lasercutting - picture 4

 

The difference between nitrogen and oxygen

  Laser cutting with nitrogen     Laser cutting with oxygen
Advantages Clean cutting edge with minimal burning or discoloration     Cost-effective
  Low heat-affected zone     High cutting speed (for aluminum)
Disadvantages Faster burr formation on tight/small contours Discoloration and oxidation possible
  Limited choice of materials Wide heat-affected zone

 

Results by laser cutting with oxygenOxygen lasercutting

 

Results by laser cutting with nitrogennitrogen lasercutting

 

Distortion during laser cutting

For long or large parts with many small recesses or contours provided with fine lines on the surface, heat distortion is often inevitable. It is important to take this into account when designing. Many and/or strong concentrated engravings also cause warping of the product.

lightly bended plate due lasercutting

 

lightly bended plate due lasercutting-2

 

Burr formation

The presence of a laser burr on the underside is technically unavoidable and depends on the sheet thickness and material. If you do not want a burr on your product, it is advisable to select edge trim when ordering.

Without edge finishinglasercutting-noedgefinishing1

 

Without edge finishinglasercutting-noedgefinishing2

 

With edge finishinglasercutting-withedgefinishing1

 

Changelog

Date Change Description
24-05-2024
  • Publication
 Page published