Laser Cutting Manufacturers Capability Checklist - Factory sourcing support for custom laser cutting

laser cutting manufacturers

Use this page to decide which specification choices remain open and what to verify before accepting an alternative process, thickness or finish. Numbers below are questions to put on the RFQ, not a claimed house envelope. Confirm process, thickness envelope, inspectable tolerance, finish and certificates for the cell that will run the nest—and whether kerf compensation already lives in the art file.

Thickness and alloy written as a range the shop must confirm

Tolerance and Ra treated as inspectable features, not slogans

Certificate names requested for the cell that will run the nest

Open choices that change manufacturer replies

Process

Fiber, CO2, punch, waterjet. Name approved substitutes before a shop silently swaps cells on a branded panel.

Assist gas

Nitrogen, oxygen, air. Edge oxidation and paint prep depend on this line, especially on a visible logo face.

Thickness

Ask the shop to confirm 0.5–12 mm carbon and 0.5–8 mm aluminum only if those ranges appear on your drawing.

Tolerance

Critical features at ±0.025 mm cost more than blanks at ±0.1 mm. Do not copy a catalogue “high precision” line onto every hole or letter island.

Finish

As-cut, deburr, powder, passivation ASTM A967, anodize Type II/III. Each is a separate confirmation.

Lead path

Prototype days versus production weeks must be written separately. Unconfirmed dates stay open. One-off art does not inherit a production calendar.

Specification matrix to complete with the factory

Industry examples below are starting questions. They are not this desk’s published capacity. The etch versus through-cut trade-off on branded panels belongs in the same matrix as bed size.

Group	Ask the manufacturer
Cut envelope
Sheet thickness	Confirm carbon, stainless and aluminum ranges against the drawing, including any 12 mm plate that may need a slower pass or a different process.
Max nest size	Ask bed size in mm. Do not assume a 2000 × 1000 envelope unless the quote states it.
Kerf / edge	Record whether kerf compensation on the art file is already applied. A second controller offset will shrink logo islands. State dross rule and whether nitrogen edge is included.
Etch vs through-cut	Name which islands mark (etch depth or Ra) and which islands drop out. A mixed branded panel without that split is not a comparable quote.
Inspection
Dimensional tolerance	Name ±0.025 mm only on datums that assembly needs. Opening other features to ±0.1 mm is a cost discussion, not a quality failure.
Surface roughness Ra	As-cut vs tumbled vs milled. Ra 1.6 μm is a machining-like ask; most laser edges will not match that without a second process. Etch depth on a logo is a separate balloon.
Reports	FAI, CMM, CoC, mill cert. State format and which balloons are measured, including letter islands if they through-cut.
Commercial
MOQ	Prototype 1 pc vs production lot vs EAU. Sheet yield on a one-off art nest may set the true minimum.
NRE	Programming, fixture, first-article. Ask if NRE repeats when the revision letter changes or when kerf is moved from the art file to the controller.
Incoterms	EXW, FOB or DDP. Rank a US delivered total on one Incoterm only.

Certificate badges to request, not to display as ours

ISO 9001Confirm the certificate covers the cutting cell and inspection lab that will run this nest.

IATF 16949Only if the buyer’s automotive PPAP path requires it. Do not add it as decoration.

AS9100Ask about FAI AS9102 when the drawing is aerospace. This desk does not hold AS9100.

ISO 13485Relevant when the part enters a medical device file. Material and cleanliness notes must be explicit.

Request a capability audit against your drawing

List process, thickness, tolerance, finish and documents you will accept. We will ask factories to confirm or decline each line, including etch versus through-cut and art-file kerf.

No implied ownership of a laser cell

No copied competitor discount

Open etch, kerf, and lead-time items stay labelled until written