How to Prepare DXF Files for Laser Cutting: A 10-⁠Point Checklist

A clean DXF file is the fastest way to an accurate laser cutting quote and parts that match your design. Messy files lead to back-and-forth emails, delays and, in the worst case, scrapped parts. Run through this checklist before you hit send.

The 10-point DXF checklist

1. Draw at 1:1 scale. Export the part at full size. Never scale the drawing to fit a sheet.
2. State your units. Tell us whether the file is in inches or millimeters. A part drawn in millimeters and read as inches comes out 25.4 times too big.
3. Use closed contours. Every cut path should be a closed loop. Open ends and tiny gaps confuse nesting software.
4. Remove duplicate and overlapping lines. Double lines make the laser cut the same path twice, which burns edges and wastes time.
5. Delete everything that is not a cut line. Remove dimensions, title blocks, borders, notes and centerlines, or put them on a clearly named layer.
6. Convert text to geometry. If you want text cut or etched, explode it to outlines. Fonts do not travel with DXF files.
7. Mind your minimum hole size. As a rule of thumb, keep hole diameters at or above the material thickness for carbon steel. Smaller holes may need drilling or a design change.
8. Add bridges to stencil features. Letters like O, A and D will lose their centers unless you add small tabs to hold them in place.
9. Put bend lines on their own layer. For formed parts, send the flat pattern with bend lines on a separate layer, or send a 3D STEP file and let us develop the flat.
10. Send the details with the file. Material grade, thickness, quantity, finish or coating, and any critical tolerances.

One part per file, named clearly

Save each part as its own file and name it with the part number and revision, for example BRKT-104_revB.dxf. It prevents mix-ups and makes reorders simple.

STEP files for formed parts

For parts that will be bent after cutting, a 3D STEP file is often the best option. It lets us calculate the flat pattern for our tooling and material, so the finished dimensions come out right.