Cutting

Sheet metal cutting creates flat blanks and profiles from sheet or plate using thermal, abrasive, or mechanical methods with fast lead times and flexible geometry.

Overview

Sheet metal cutting turns sheet or plate into 2D blanks and profiles that become the starting point for forming, welding, and assembly. Common methods include laser (CO2 or fiber), waterjet, plasma, and mechanical shearing—chosen based on material, thickness, edge quality, and cost.

Cutting fits prototypes through production when you need accurate flat patterns, frequent design changes, or multiple part variants nested from a single sheet. Lasers excel at speed and feature detail; waterjet avoids heat effects; plasma targets thicker steel at lower cost; shearing is fastest for straight cuts.

Tradeoffs center on edge condition and secondary work. Thermal processes can leave heat-affected zones, dross, or taper; waterjet can leave a striated edge and runs slower; shearing limits you to straight lines and can distort thin sheet. Hole quality, small features, and tight tolerances may require post-processing or a different approach.

Common Materials

  • Mild Steel
  • Stainless Steel 304
  • Aluminum 5052
  • Aluminum 6061
  • Carbon Steel Plate
  • Copper

Tolerances

±0.005"

Applications

  • Sheet metal enclosures and panels
  • Gussets and brackets
  • Base plates and mounting plates
  • Machine guards
  • Electrical backplates
  • Architectural metal screens

When to Choose Cutting

Choose cutting when the part is primarily a flat pattern (or a set of flat patterns) and you want fast iteration from CAD to parts. It works well for low to mid volumes, mixed part families, and nested runs where material utilization matters. Expect best results when critical dimensions can be controlled in 2D and downstream operations handle bends, threads, and assembly features.

vs Forming

Choose cutting when the geometry is defined by the 2D perimeter and internal features, and you need rapid changes or many variants. Forming is for adding 3D shape; cutting is typically the first step to create the blank that later gets bent or drawn.

vs Punching

Choose cutting when you have complex contours, variable designs, or thicker materials where tooling cost and lead time don’t make sense. Punching wins on high-volume repeat parts with standard hole shapes, but cutting avoids dedicated tooling and handles fine details better depending on thickness.

vs Fastening

Choose cutting when you need to create the primary part profile, holes, and slots in sheet stock; fastening is an assembly method after parts exist. Cutting can also create tab/slot and alignment features that reduce fastener count and speed up assembly.

vs Welding (Sheet Metal)

Choose cutting to create accurate blanks, tabs, and joint prep that make weldments fit and assemble correctly. Welding joins parts; cutting defines the interfaces and can reduce weld time by improving fit-up and repeatability.

vs Hydroforming

Choose cutting when the part can be built from flat patterns and simple formed features without needing a seamless 3D shell. Hydroforming is for deeper 3D shapes with smooth transitions; cutting is the cost-effective path for flat or lightly formed components.

Design Considerations

  • Call out material, thickness, and grain direction requirements so the shop can plan nesting and avoid bend cracks later
  • Keep minimum hole/slot size realistic for thickness (small features may taper, wash out, or need drilling/reaming)
  • Avoid tight inside corner radii smaller than the process can produce; add corner radii to reduce overburn and stress risers
  • Dimension to functional datums and specify which edges are critical; don’t tolerance every profile point unless necessary
  • Add lead-ins/reliefs where needed for downstream forming (bend reliefs, corner reliefs) to prevent tearing and distortion
  • Specify edge quality requirements (deburr, no dross, max taper, no HAZ) only where it matters to control cost