How to Prep a DXF for Laser or Waterjet Cutting

The fastest quotes we send out are for the cleanest files we receive. When a DXF imports at the right size with nothing but closed cut paths in it, our quoting software reads it, nests it, and prices it in minutes. When it doesn't, someone in the shop has to stop and fix the drawing first — and that's the part you're waiting on. Here's the checklist we wish every file followed. It applies equally to laser and waterjet work.

1. Draw at 1:1, and tell us the units

A DXF has no built-in idea of what a "unit" is. If a 6-inch part was drawn in millimeters, it imports as a 6 mm part and looks completely reasonable until someone measures it. Draw at full scale, work in inches if you can, and put the units in the filename or a note on the quote (bracket-rev-b-inches.dxf). We check every file, but a mismatch here is the number one reason a quote gets delayed.

2. One part per file, named by part number

Send each part as its own file and name it the way you'd want it to appear on the quote and the packing slip. If the same part number shows up on the quote form, the drawing, and the print, nothing gets mixed up on a twenty-line job. Don't pre-nest parts onto a sheet unless you specifically want that layout cut as-is — our software nests for material yield, and a nested sheet has to be pulled apart first.

3. Closed contours only

Every outline and every hole has to be a single, closed loop. The machine follows the geometry exactly as drawn: a gap of a few thousandths means the part never separates from the sheet; two lines drawn on top of each other means the laser cuts the same edge twice and leaves a burned notch; a hole made of eight short segments instead of one circle cuts slower and rougher. Most CAD programs have a "join" or "close polyline" command — run it before you export.

4. Delete everything that isn't a cut path

Dimensions, title blocks, revision notes, center lines, hatching, hidden layers, and construction geometry all import as lines, and a cutting program can't tell a dimension line from an edge. Strip the file down to the geometry you want cut. If you have text that should actually be cut out — a stencil, a nameplate — convert it to outlines and use a stencil-style font, because the inside of a closed letter like an O or a B is an island that falls out.

5. Keep arcs as arcs

When you export from some 3D packages, curves get chopped into hundreds of tiny straight segments. It looks the same on screen, but the machine slows down at every corner and the edge comes out faceted. Export true arcs and circles where you can, and convert splines to arcs or polylines before saving.

6. Mind hole size versus material thickness

Our rule of thumb on the laser is that a hole should be at least as big as the material is thick — a 1/4" hole in 1/4" plate is comfortable, a 1/8" hole in 1/4" plate is not. Waterjet can go smaller, down to around 0.040" in most materials. If you need a small hole in thick plate, it's often better to have us cut a pilot and drill or tap it afterward. We do tapping and chamfering in-house, so just note it on the quote.

7. Draw finished dimensions — we handle kerf

Both processes remove a small width of material along the cut, called the kerf. Don't try to compensate for it in your drawing. Draw the part at the size you want it to be when it comes off the table, and we'll offset the toolpath in programming. If you pre-offset and we offset again, the part comes out wrong.

8. If it gets bent, send the model too

For parts that will be formed on the press brake, the ideal package is a STEP file of the finished bent part plus your flat pattern. If you only have the bent model, that's fine — we'll unfold it using your K-factor or ours. If you only have a flat pattern, tell us the bend radius and angles you designed around so we can confirm it will fold to the right dimensions.

9. What to put on the quote

• Material, grade, and thickness — our quote form dropdowns match the material database in our quoting software, so picking from the list means no translation step. Not sure of the grade? Pick the material and tell us the end use in the notes.
• Quantity per part, and whether this is a one-off or a repeat job.
• Finish — deburred, sanded, left as cut, powder coated.
• Tolerances tighter than ±0.010", if you have any. Standard work doesn't need a note.
• Need-by date and how you want it delivered.

10. File formats, in order of preference

DXF is the cleanest thing you can send us. DWG is fine. STEP is the right choice for formed or 3D parts. PDF prints are welcome as a reference, and if a PDF is all you have we'll draft the cut file from it — we just need a little more time. A sketch on paper, photographed and uploaded, works too. We've built plenty of parts from those.