Materials behave differently during machining, with capabilities and limitations that vary between materials and their thicknesses. That’s why it’s important to understand the tolerance of specific materials when designing your projects to be laser cut.
To help, we created a chart that organizes the general maximum and minimum limitations for all of our materials, and a second chart that shows the maximum and minimum material limitations for post processing (bending, tapping, and deburring). Let’s talk about why knowing this information is important, and exactly how to read these charts.
Material Limitations for Post Processing
Knowing your chosen material’s post processing limitations prior to placing your order can save you a lot of time and headache. If you know exactly what the material can handle during post processing, you can plan for it during the initial design phase as opposed to having to change something after you’ve already finished designing the part.
Let’s take a look at an example. Below is a screenshot of the rows of information given in our Processing Minimums and Maximums chart.
Within this chart you’ll see the following information:
- Material
- Thickness
- Minimum flat part size we’ll bend
- Largest flat part size we’ll bend
- Maximum bend length
- Minimum flange length (before bend/flat pattern)
- Maximum flange length (after bend) 90 degrees or less (obtuse)
The image shows this information for 0.025″ 2024 T3 Aluminum.
For other materials, if you see “N/A” written in columns next to a given thickness, it simply means that we do not offer bending in that material and thickness.
Material Limitations for Machining
Machining limitations vary between materials, thicknesses, and especially machining processes. You don’t have to worry about what machining process to use for your parts because we take care of that for you, but you do have to choose the right materials and thicknesses for your design. This is where our Material Min/Max charts come in handy.
Below you can see the information given in each chart. We have four charts in total (Metals, Plastics, Composites, and Wood) but all four have the same information columns.
- Material
- Dimensional thickness
- Maximum part size available with instant pricing
- Maximum part size available with a custom quote
- Minimum part size across the board
- What machining process we use to machine your parts.
Making Online Laser Cutting and Machining Easy
We are continually adding resources like the above charts to make fabricating easier for you. Whether you’re designing and ordering 2,000 parts for your own customers or creating custom mods for your car rebuild, SendCutSend is here to make the process simple, fast, and affordable.
If you have any questions about our services, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team. Or if you’re ready to go, upload your parts and get instant pricing today!