Precision machining

Some of our orders consist of industrial parts, for a very diverse group of customers. But how do you know whether a laser-cut part will fit or not?

The answer is of course: Tolerances.

We supply our laser cutting work, unless otherwise stated, in accordance with ISO9013-1. This international standard specifies the limit tolerances that the nominal sizes of products with a thermal cutting process (such as laser cutting) must comply with.

Linear dimensions (ISO 9013-1)

Nom. size Sheet thickness	to 3	> 3 to 10	> 10 to 35	> 35 to 125	> 125 to 315	> 315 to 1000	> 1000 to 2000
0 to 1	±0.1	±0.1	±0.1	±0.2	±0.2	±0.3	±0.3
> 1 to 3	±0.1	±0.2	±0.2	±0.3	±0.3	±0.4	±0.4
> 3 to 6	±0.3	±0.3	±0.4	±0.4	±0.5	±0.5	±0.5
> 6 to 10		±0.5	±0.6	±0.6	±0.7	±0.7	±0.7
> 10 to 50		±0.6	±0.6	±0.7	±0.8	±1	±1.6

Please note: no compensation for cutting loss as standard

Unlike, for example, laser cutting of steel, we do not adjust drawings to compensate for cutting loss (cut width). This means that outer contours become slightly smaller and holes become slightly larger. How much bigger? The cutting loss is indicated on the relevant material pages and we cut in the middle of the drawn line.

If you want dimensionally accurate (small) parts, you must compensate for the cutting loss in your drawing. We can of course help you with this. In that case, please contact us.

Tolerances on the thickness of the base material

The sheet materials supplied to us by our suppliers can vary considerably in thickness. Especially with acrylics you quickly have a thickness tolerance of +- 0.6 mm. This is generally the most important tolerance to take into account!

These thickness tolerances are specified per material in the material overview on our website.

Precision and flexibility

With this knowledge in hand, laser cutting of plastics and wood is an ideal way to make precision parts that are guaranteed to fit.