Capability
Laser Cutting
HPS Fabrications runs laser cutting in house on carbon steel, stainless, aluminum and alloys, within an overall cutting range of 16 gauge to 2.5 inches. Laser suits clean, accurate profiles in sheet and lighter plate. Send a DXF or STEP file and we will tell you whether laser is the right process for your part.
| Materials | Carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, alloys |
|---|---|
| Overall cutting range | 16 gauge to 2.5 inches across our cutting processes |
| File formats | DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES, PDF |
| Downstream in house | Forming, welding, machining, assembly, coating |
What laser is good at
Laser cutting produces a clean, narrow, accurate cut in sheet and lighter plate. Edges usually need little or no secondary work, which removes a finishing step from the job.
It is the right choice when the profile is intricate, when holes and slots need to land accurately relative to each other, or when the part goes straight from cutting into forming and welding without cleanup in between.
Where it is the wrong choice
Being straight about this saves everyone a quoting round.
Laser puts heat into the part. On thin material that is irrelevant. On some alloys, or where the cut edge is going to be highly stressed or must have no heat-affected zone at all, waterjet is the better process: it cuts cold.
On heavy plate where edge finish matters less than getting through the material, CNC plasma is usually faster and cheaper.
We run all three. That means the recommendation you get is about your part, not about the one machine we happen to own.
Cut parts, or the finished thing
Plenty of customers send a file and take delivery of cut blanks. That is fine work and we do it.
But cutting is the first operation, not the job. Most parts that leave here have also been formed on the press brake, welded into an assembly, machined, and coated in our own paint booth, without leaving the company. One purchase order, one schedule, one organization accountable for the result.
If the part does not exist yet, our licensed professional engineers can design it first.
What to send
A DXF or STEP file quotes fastest. DWG, IGES and PDF all work.
Tell us the material and thickness, the quantity, and whether you need cut parts or a finished assembly. If you have a target date, say so. We would rather give you a realistic timeline than an optimistic one.
Common questions
Laser Cutting: questions buyers ask
Can you laser cut my material and thickness?
We cut carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum and alloys. Across our cutting processes the overall range is 16 gauge to 2.5 inches, the top end on our plasma table, and laser is the right choice for sheet and lighter plate. Send the part and we will tell you whether laser suits it or whether waterjet or plasma is the better call.
What file should I send?
DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES or PDF. A DXF or STEP is easiest to quote from. If all you have is a sketch or a sample part, send that instead: our engineers can work from it.
Do I have to take the parts away as cut blanks?
No, and most customers do not. Forming, welding, machining, assembly and coating all happen inside HPS. A laser cut profile can leave here as a finished, coated assembly rather than as a box of blanks you then have to find someone else to work on.
How accurate is it, and what tolerance can you hold?
Laser is the most accurate of our three cutting processes and leaves the narrowest kerf. We do not publish a blanket tolerance figure, because the honest answer depends on the material, the thickness and the feature. Send the print with your tolerances called out and we will tell you before you commit whether we can hold them.
Is laser always the cheapest option?
No. On heavy plate it is usually the most expensive of the three, and CNC plasma is often the better economic answer where the edge is going to be welded anyway. We own all three machines, so we have no reason to steer you onto the wrong one.