Best File Formats for Online Laser Cutting
Files Accepted by Our Instant Quote System:
AutoCAD | .dxf |
CorelDraw | .eps |
Fusion360 | .dxf |
Inkscape | .eps |
Solidworks | .dxf |
Adobe Illustrator | .ai |
We exclusively receive vector files for laser cutting and our online quoting system currently accepts DXF (Preferred), AI (Adobe Illustrator), EPS, and DWG formats (with more to be added soon). If you create your parts using non-CAD software such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Inkscape, kindly provide us with the original (native) .ai or .eps file, and we'll handle the conversion process.
If you have a raster file (JPEG, GIF, PNG) and need a vector file for laser cutting, don't worry! Our tutorials can guide you on how to convert your art to a vector format using Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.
File Requirements
Here are some tips to keep in mind while designing your laser-cut parts, and rest assured that our team is available to assist you throughout the process.
Artwork should be correctly scaled
To ensure accurate laser cutting of your design, please send us the artwork in the exact size you want it cut, at a 1:1 scale. Please note that written dimensions within the drawing will be ignored by our system. While we prefer Imperial Units (inches), metric units are also acceptable for your convenience.
Kindly take note that we only accept designs in metric units measured in millimeters (mm). Other metric units such as centimeters (cm) or meters (m) are not supported.
Please ensure that you verify the dimensions of your converted vector file before submitting it for laser cutting. Printing your design at 100% scale can help you confirm the dimensions and scale to ensure the accuracy of the final product.
Files should only contain your parts/cut-paths
To streamline the laser cutting process and minimize costs, it's important to remove any unnecessary instructions, dimensions, notes, borders, and unused objects from your design file. Only include the cut-path that the laser should follow for cutting. Additional information such as notes and quantities can be noted on your order and we'll reach out to you if we need more details.
Kindly take note that if you are using a "Student Version" of Solidworks, the lettering will be automatically disregarded by our systems. Therefore, you do not need to worry about it affecting your order.
Convert all text to shapes/outlines.
To ensure proper processing of your vector design for CNC laser cutting, it's important to avoid including any "active" text boxes. If you do need to include text, simply convert the active text boxes to shapes or outlines, which is a simple process in most design software.
Not sure if you have any active text boxes? Hover your cursor over the text, and if it is editable as text, then it needs to be converted into a shape. In Illustrator, this is called “converting to outlines.” In some CAD software, it might be called “explode” or “expand.”
Shapes and fonts/type should be stencilized or connected with “bridges”
To ensure proper processing of your vector design for CNC laser cutting, it's important to avoid including any "active" text boxes. If you do need to include text, simply convert the active text boxes to shapes or outlines, which is a simple process in most design software.
We’re unable to retain cut outs like the one’s highlighted in red x mark above. Please submit these as separate designs or add bridging if you want to retain them.
Shapes, holes or cutouts are at least 50% material thickness
For laser cutting, it's best to avoid holes or interior geometry smaller than 50% of the material thickness as they may not be accurately cut. This is because the laser pierces the material to begin cutting, which requires a certain diameter allowance.
For instance, if your material is 0.100" thick, the smallest hole you could expect to cut would be 0.050" in diameter. We recommend keeping all geometry greater than 1/2 material thickness and no smaller than 0.015".
In the example above the red circles would be too small to cut correctly
Avoid intersecting or common lines
It's important to ensure that none of your parts are touching or sharing a line and that there are no overlapping or intersecting lines in your design. The laser won't be able to interpret these correctly, resulting in incomplete cuts. To easily identify these issues, view your part in wireframe or outline mode (in Illustrator, for example).
Your file should not contain empty objects or open contours
Make sure that your shapes are fully closed, without any open contours. The laser will follow the path of your shape, and if it stops, so will the laser. To quickly find these issues, view your design in Outline or Wireframe mode in your design software.
