Nesting and cutting guides

Plain answers for shops that cut flat parts: sheet metal gauge thickness, kerf, getting a clean DXF out of CAD, and nesting for laser, plasma, waterjet and CNC router.

• How to export a DXF for cutting

  Step-by-step DXF export for cutting from Autodesk Fusion, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Inventor, Onshape, FreeCAD, Inkscape, Illustrator and SketchUp, with a checklist for a clean file.

• Kerf width by cutting process

  What kerf is, typical kerf widths for fiber laser, CO2 laser, plasma, abrasive waterjet and CNC router, plasma kerf by thickness from Hypertherm's charts, and how kerf affects part spacing in a nest.

• Nesting for laser, plasma, waterjet and router

  How nesting differs between laser, plasma, waterjet and CNC router: part spacing, heat and distortion, lead-ins and pierce points, common-line cutting, taper, small holes and holding router parts down.

• Sheet metal gauge chart

  Sheet metal gauge to inches and millimeters for steel, stainless, galvanized steel and aluminum, with steel weight per square foot and standard sheet sizes for laser, plasma and waterjet cutting.