Laser Cutting & Sheet Metal Bending FAQs

Most of our materials are supplied in a maximum sheet size of 3000 x 1500mm, but the laser cutting process requires a 10mm border around the sheet, so the maximum part size we can cut is 2980 x 1480mm.

Along with the 3000 x 1500mm sheet size the other generic sheet sizes available are 2500 x 1250mm and 2000 x 10000mm and so the largest part we could cut from these would be 2480 x 1230mm and 1980 x 980mm. The standard sheet sizes vary between material grades, finishes and thicknesses and availability.

For more info on availability please visit our materials page.

One of the main advantages of laser cutting is the accuracy, our laser cutting tolerances are +/-0.25mm.

For 35mm and 40mm, our tolerances are + / -0.50mm, this is in line with ISO guidelines.

Find out more about our laser cutting technology here: https://lasered.co.uk/our-technology/

We start by providing customers with a bespoke quote once the enquiry has been received by the Sales department, once confirmed, the order is checked internally by our Auditing department who thoroughly check the drawings and the enquiry for preventative issues. The parts are nested into Production onto the relevant sheets of material and are programmed to the machines for the cutting process to begin. All parts go through a series of quality checks by experienced Operatives, parts are then presented to the Dispatch department where they are carefully wrapped and booked to be shipped directly to customers.

A laser beam can be created in many ways, at Lasered Components we use the Trumpf TruDisk technology, this uses pump modules along with a series of mirrors to generate a high powered laser beam. Fibre optic cables are used to transmit the laser beam, allowing it to reach the cutting head efficiently and accurately. At the cutting head, the laser beam passes through a focusing lens. This lens concentrates the laser energy into a small intense spot, this high energy density then enables precise cutting. When the laser beam hits with the material, it rapidly heats and vapourises the material and the intense heat causes the material to be expelled. To help with the cutting process and remove molten material, an assist gas, such as nitrogen or oxygen, is simultaneously directed onto the material surface. The laser beam follows a predetermined cutting path on the material which considers various factors such as the shape, thickness, and material composition.

Lasered Components uses reliable and reputable suppliers for all our material, it is imperative that we know and understand the origins of our material to ensure that we have full traceability and can provide mill certificates upon request to our customers. Please note that we do not use any Russian origin material. All our material comes from the EU, and other recognised world wide suppliers to ensure that our pricing remains competitive and of prime quality.

We primarily use nitrogen and oxygen. We mostly use oxygen for Mild Steel 10mm – 40mm as it provides a cleaner cut on thicker material. Nitrogen is used for all other materials. The major benefit of a nitrogen cut, is a clean oxide free cut edge ready for further processes such as welding and painting.

Unfinished means that we don’t provide any secondary operations on our laser cut parts. You will receive your parts freshly packed directly from the laser bed. Most materials naturally will have some blemishes on them and are not entirely scratch free. This is because material needs to be handled throughout the production process. We do take great care when handling your parts but the nature of laser cutting means that no item can be 100% guaranteed to be scratch free. Unfinished may mean that some parts may need minor linishing to remove any molten slag which could have occurred during the cutting process and may have been coated in anti-splatter to aid in the cutting process.

Warping is the unwanted bending or miss-shapening of your parts. Whether you intend your parts to be flat, square, curved, round, etc., if it bends or twists unintentionally, that’s warping. Unintentional/undesirable warping can inconsistently happen to all parts.

We don’t remove the plastic coating before or after the laser cutting process on sheet metal, the plastic coating serves as a protective layer during the cutting process. It helps prevent scratches, marks, and other damage to the surface of the sheet metal. Removing it before cutting will likely result in surface imperfections. The plastic coating makes it easier to handle and transport the sheet metal, especially for large or thin pieces. The coating adds a layer of grip and stability, making it less likely to slip or be damaged during handling. Plastic coating is standard on Dull Polished and Mirror Polished finishes and is avaliable on other materials by request.

We want to ensure that we can manage our customers’ expectations and always ask that decorative drawings are fully inspected internally by our Auditing department to ensure their suitability for laser cutting and to be able to consider the intricacy of the design, the material and thickness requested. We are happy to advise where we feel that if the design was tweaked, it would produce a better-quality piece and to work with customers ensuring that if it’s unachievable, that we explain why. If a customer chooses to proceed with a design, we may not be able to recut this design again.

Anti splatter refers to a protective lubricant coating which is applied prior to the laser cutting process for all Stainless , Aluminium, Brass and Copper. It is designed to prevent or minimise the occurrence of molten splatter during cutting. Molten splatter is the small molten metal particles or sparks that are produced when a laser beam melts and vaporises the metal sheet. The main purpose of using an anti-splatter is to improve the overall efficiency and quality of the laser cutting process and to reduce molten which remains on our customers parts. Splatter can cause unwanted marks, dents, or scratches on the metal surface. By using an anti-splatter agent, the formation of splatter is reduced, ensuring that the sheet metal remains intact and undamaged during cutting.

Ordering repeat parts is easy and we aim to process these for you quickly, please let us know what your previous job number was and we can marry this up to go straight to order once it has been repriced, we of course will always ensure that it is the best price possible. If there are any amendments to make to a repeat order, please do ensure that this is made clear in your correspondence so that we are able to capture these changes in your bespoke quote.

We welcome all our customers to let us know if your order is time sensitive and encourage our customers to order ahead of time where possible. Customers can speed up the quoting process by ensuring that you provide all the relevant information to us in your correspondence including any CAD / DWG / NC files available. Our average lead time is 3-5 working days however, we will always ship our customers parts to them as soon as they are ready with fully automated emails letting you know that your parts have left our premises so you can track them on their journey by our trusted couriers.

Metal by nature does rust quickly when it encounters any moisture, so this is much more prevalent in the winter months. Lasered Components never stores any of our stock material outside and when it arrives on our premises, it is quickly stored appropriately in our dry and warm warehouse. Sometimes, customers will receive a part with surface marks on, which are hardly visible. This can look like rust, but sometimes it could be anti-spatter that’s used during the laser cutting process. This usually wipes off easily, and it isn’t rejectable.

All parts should be stored in a dry and warm environment once they’re received. Any exposure to moisture for prolonged periods of time risks rust spots appearing and oxidation to appear on the material.

Steel isn’t naturally flat. There are multiple reasons a laser cut part could warp, but fundamentally it happens because internal stresses inside the part become unbalanced. Most materials hold whatever shape they’re in (whether that’s flat or bent) because of the way they’re stressed. Imbalance can be caused by increasing or decreasing stresses in the part unevenly. Or it can be caused by removing partial sections of stressed material. We’ll do our best to let you know if parts in your order are likely to warp during the quotation stage and will highlight this risk within our email communication to you. If you choose to proceed with the risk and your parts do end up warping or bowing during laser cutting, we may reach out to you to discuss what can be done, however, the parts may not be rejectable, and recuts may have the same outcome.

Some materials by composition are softer than others and these are prone to surface scratches when being handled and loaded onto the bed of the laser. Deep gouges refer to significant indentations or cuts in the sheet metal surface. These gouges often appear when on thicker materials where a forklift is required due to the weight, we do have trained forklift drivers that do their best to limit issue. Light scratches are superficial marks on the surface of sheet metal. They are usually shallow and do not penetrate deeply. While light scratches may affect the aesthetic appearance, they do not pose significant structural concerns and depending on the secondary process applied afterwards, they wouldn’t be noticeable to the eye.

Grained material is achieved by lightly brushing / sanding the material in one direction through a feed route to achieve a surface finish with an aesthetically pleasing look. It is commonly used for appliances, cabinet hardware and other high-traffic areas in home décor as it helps disguise fingerprints and blemishes. There are a few different names for this material including:

• Grained
• Dull Polished
• Brushed
• Satin Finish
• DP1

Pickling and oiling is a coating applied onto steel and some other metals to protect the surface from the mill. It slows down surface rust and is desirable when parts need fabricating as it gives a better surface for paints / coatings to sit on.

Etching consists of a light marking to the surface of the material without cutting through the material completely, this is achieved by using a lower power setting. Usually used for identification purposes. Engraving is a similar technique to etching but generally the cut is deeper and will last longer in the material, used for more decorative pieces. This is not something Lasered Components offer.