Laser cutting: Laser cutting is a process that cuts flat sheet material along a programmed path with a focused laser beam, melting or vaporising a narrow kerf.
A laser cutter focuses a beam to a small spot and moves it over the sheet while an assist gas (oxygen, nitrogen or air) blows molten material out of the cut. Fibre lasers dominate metal cutting; CO2 lasers still cut plastics, wood and some metals well. The input is a 2D drawing, usually a DXF.
What it means for the price
Laser time is driven by cut length, by cutting speed (which falls steeply as thickness rises) and by the number of pierces. Material is priced from the sheet area each part takes up in the nest, not just the part’s own area. A setup charge per job and per material covers loading and programming. Cutting with nitrogen gives a clean, oxide-free edge but uses more gas.
Example: a bracket with 1,200 mm of cut and 6 pierces in 3 mm steel, cut at 3 m per minute with 1 second per pierce, has 24 seconds of cutting and 6 seconds of piercing. The figures are an example.
Common confusions
Laser cutting and laser engraving often share a machine but are priced differently: engraving by area and passes, cutting by length. Quotometry prices laser cutting and engraving today from a DXF or SVG drawing. Read what drives laser cutting cost, see the laser cutting process page, or try the laser cutting cost calculator.
Go deeper: How to price laser cutting: cut length, pierces, material and sheet use