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What is laser cutting?

Laser cutting is the process of cutting material using a laser beam to vaporise material. The term laser (meaning Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation), is a generic term that includes multiple technologies all capable of forming a laser beam with the most common technologies being LED, CO2, and fiber. Laser cutters are extremely fast and accurate thanks to the use of computer numeric control on all axis and the high predictability of laser beams. Furthermore, laser cutters are one of the few manufacturing techniques that can be applied to both prototypes and mass-produc

What can laser cutting be used for?

Laser cutting can be used in just about every industry, and the wide variety of laser beams allows them to cut anything from thick pieces of steel to micron sized incisions in soft materials. One particular use for laser cutting is in products that are moving from a prototyping stage to an initial product run. When scaling up a prototype, parts can be needed in the hundreds of thousands, and Ponoko laser cutting services are ideal for this. The lack of design file changes or machinery changes enables for scaling with ease, and any sudden design changes can be inserted prior to production. Lase

How long does it take to laser cut something?

Laser cutting is a very fast process when compared to other manufacturing techniques including CNC and manual cutting. However, complex designs with many features and engraved designs can slow down the production process. Unless a design requires intricate detail, it is best to keep designs as simple as possible, and also avoid using area engraving if possible as these require the laser beam to cover an entire area (keep in mind that laser beams focal points can be in the sub mm meaning it would take a long time to engrave a 10x10cm area). Even if a design has complex features and large engrav

What is the difference between plasma cutting and laser cutting?

The biggest difference between plasma and laser cutting is that a plasma cutter uses a stream of hot plasma (superheated gas where the electrons and nuclei are separated), to cut through material whereas a laser cutter uses a laser beam. Plasma cutters take advantage of the fact that plasma is electrically conductive by electrically charging the plasma torch and the workpiece. The electrical conductivity of the arc helps to sustain the plasma stream while also directing the stream towards the workpiece. While plasma cutters can cut thicker materials than laser cutters, it can only cut electric

What design files do laser cutters use?

Laser cutters are numerically controlled by computers, and these almost always use g-code which describes positions and feed rates for all axis. However, users never submit g-code and instead submit a design file that describes each layer in their design including line cuts, line engrave, and area engrave. Generally speaking, the best file to use when submitting a laser-cut design is DXF, and once a file is uploaded to Ponoko, the dimensions of the design can be inserted. It is also important that customers clearly define line cutting, line engraving, and area engraving with various colors.

How fast can laser parts be ordered and received from Ponoko?

Ponoko is a worldwide laser cutting service available to all, but US customers can benefit from Ponoko’s 24-hour delivery service on low-quantity orders. This means that once a design has been fabricated by a US-based Ponoko laser cutting centre, it will be immediately shipped out and arrive within 24-hours which is especially useful for prototyping. Larger orders (such as mass-production parts), are sent to dedicated Ponoko cutting facilities around the world. Even then, all the materials listed on the Ponoko site are available in both small and large order quantities no matter where a custom

What are Ponoko’s capabilities?

Ponoko offers a range of on-demand prototyping and production technologies - from fiber and CO2 laser cutting, to photo chemical machining, 3D printing, injection molding and custom printed circuit board fabrication and assembly. Our technologies are carefully matched to specific materials to ensure custom parts are produced to a high degree of accuracy and precision, so your thousandth part is identical to the first. Ponoko has the capability to produce parts as large as 3000mm x 1500mm x 25mm, while offering a dimensional accuracy between ±0.08mm and ±0.31mm, depending on the manufacturing t

What materials can Ponoko laser cutters cut?

Ponoko stocks over 200 materials with various compositions, thicknesses, and colors. However, the most important feature of all of these materials is that they are engineered meaning that they are all manufactured to a specific standard and have clearly defined characteristics such as tensile strength and density. Materials that Ponoko stocks include steel, brass, copper, aluminum, card, cardboard, paper, and felt. Ponoko also stocks a range of plastic materials including acrylic and Delrin, but doesn’t stock plastics such as PVC as these release harmful gasses (such as chlorine), when laser c