"I received my pieces today and they look great! Not only did they arrive almost two weeks ahead of the estimate but the wood was gorgeous. Please pass on my thanks to your production team! :)"
Understand how your costs can fluctuate based on material, machine time, and fabrication type with our pricing estimator. Or get a custom quote.
Regardless of whether a part is a prototype or a final product, Ponoko laser-cut parts are always made to the exact same standards of precision with a dimensional accuracy of ±0.13mm, complex features of 1x1mm, and a laser kerf of 0mm to 0.2mm. Ponoko laser cutting is always done to the highest standards,. Furthermore, all our capabilities apply whether a part is being made in steel, aluminum, wood, or felt, and these same capabilities apply to any order of any size.
Ponoko laser cuts hundreds of materials precisely, accurately, and with rapid turnaround. Use our online quote system to easily get pricing on your components, even if you just need one part shipped today. Ponoko's wide range of engineering materials are available with no minimum order quantity, yet can scale up to easily handle your full production requirements.
Ponoko offers laser cutting services for a wide range of engineering materials, all precision cut and quality assured. While many of our customers are leaders in their industries, our services are affordable to even small startups and individuals. Our customers range from industry giants like Apple to engineering students and hobbyists, all of whom seek the highest quality laser cut parts at the right price.
We protect your intellectual property automatically with our standard account terms of service, which include a non-disclosure agreement and confidentiality terms. Order risk free laser cut parts, and if they aren't perfectly suitable as per our quality guarantees, we'll re-make and re-ship for free.
Laser cutting is a subtractive manufacturing method that uses a focused laser beam to cut a workpiece.
The vast majority of laser cutting systems are two-axis machines that move in the X and Y direction, and as such are primarily designed for cutting 2D shapes. Each axis is driven with the use of stepper motors, and these are themselves controlled by a computer. As such, laser cutters fall under the category of CNCs (Computer Numeric Controlled).
Despite lasers having existed since 1963, it was only in the 1980s that laser cutting as manufacturing became a viable option. Prior to this, lasers were primarily used to cut holes in diamond dies for the aerospace industry, but once it became apparent that their speed of operation combined with numeric control could create parts with incredible degrees of precision, their use exponentially grew.
Ponoko is a laser cutting company based in the Oakland Bay Area with over 15 years of experience. Having served over 33,000 customers with over 2 million parts fabricated, we have been involved with numerous projects spanning all industries. As the biggest challenge faced by engineering teams is time, we have focused our attention on developing a laser cutting company that can quote, produce & deliver precision parts in under 24 hours.
Any design software that can output files compatible with our online software service can be used (we accept 3D STEP, 2D DXF, SVG, EPS and Ai files). Like with any manufacturing process, the software used to design a product never interacts with the machinery, and most manufacturers will convert submitted files into their own specific formats.
In the case of laser cutters, design files are converted into g-code that dictate where the laser head is positioned as well as the energy output of the beam. For example, areas being engraved instruct the laser head to reduce power while areas being cut increase this power.
For those looking for a suitable design software package, engineers have numerous options available to them with some being paid for and others being free. FreeCAD is one option that designers can use and is ideal for those looking for an open-source environment. It is able to export common file formats, and its ability to design both 2D and 3D parts makes it ideal for those looking to expand their use of CAD.
For those looking for a more engineer-oriented design software suite, Alibre makes a good choice as it is specifically designed with engineering projects in mind. Individual parts can be designed, combined, and then mechanically simulated. From there, parts can be outlined and exported for use with Ponoko laser cutting services. Other design software options available to engineers also include AutoDesk which is massively popular within the CAD community and SolidWorks which is able to create complex engineering projects just like Alibre. Then we have online CAD tools like Autodesk's Fusion 360 and PTC's OnShape.
Laser cutting offers engineers one of the most economic solutions by far, due to the low operating costs of laser cutters, the speed at which they can cut, the ability to scale with ease, and the ability to cut any 2D shape without the need for machine-specific settings.
First, laser cutters use a beam of light to remove material meaning that there are no expendable tools involved (such as drills and blades). While there are optical components to a laser cutter, these rarely require replacement especially if the laser cutter is well maintained. As such, the only major cost in operating a laser cutter is the electricity needed to generate the laser beam.
The lack of molds commonly found in other manufacturing methods also removes the need for custom tooling or part-specific equipment. A laser cutter can accept any design file and start cutting without any changes made to the laser cutter itself. While plastic injection molding is cheaper than laser cutting, this is only the case for large order quantities in excess of ten thousand. Even then, plastic injection molding doesn’t support sudden design changes as new molds are required.
As a laser cutting company, we are committed to offering our customers an excellent balance between cost, quality, and speed. Our online software-powered service allows for designs to be uploaded and quoted without any input from us which allows engineering teams to spend more time focusing on material selection and part design.
The consistency of laser beams and the use of stepper motors allows for laser cutters to be used to make precise cuts. At Ponoko, our precision is within 0.13mm tolerances.
Lasers are so accurate, they are frequently used to actively trim precision capacitors and resistors whereby material is removed until the desired electrical characteristic is achieved. When compared to other manufacturing technologies, laser cutting provides the best trade-off between precision and speed.
For example, 3D printing is notorious for poor dimensional accuracy when printing with plastic materials such as PLA and ABS, while printing metal powders causes challenges with accuracy as heating the part causes shrinkage. CNC milling is a manufacturing process that can achieve better precision than laser cutting, but the long length of time taken for each pass means that it’s only applicable in applications where precision is essential (i.e. fitting pistons into an engine block).
High-powered laser beams can struggle to form small cutting diameters, while low-powered beams will struggle to cut outright. This means that while laser cutters can offer excellent dimensional accuracies, they are not ideal for creating tiny features with narrow cutting widths and complex parts close together.
To ensure consistency across all parts and materials, we have created a list of capabilities that are always guaranteed regardless of what material you choose or the size of the part. For example, the dimensional accuracy on all parts is ±0.13mm meaning that no matter the size of your part, its size will always be within ±0.13mm of the stated dimension. The smallest parts that we can cut are 6x6mm in size due to the use of grated beds (this means that parts smaller than this would fall through holes in the laser bed). Complex features on parts have a minimum size of 1x1mm otherwise the extreme heat of the laser may cause warping and disfigurement.
Many materials can be cut with a laser including metal, plastic, wood, organics, and more, but contrary to popular belief, lasers don't melt the part they are cutting but instead vaporize the material. It is this vaporization that allows laser cutters to work with combustible materials such as wood and paper without setting them alight.
Types of metal that are popular with laser cutters include aluminum, brass, and steel as they work well with fiber lasers, but metal such as copper can be challenging as their reflective nature can damage optical components in the laser cutter. Common plastics used with laser cutters include acrylic and Delrin thanks to the clean edge left by the laser cutter, the ease of cutting, and their durability. Popular organics used with laser cutters include paper, cardboard, wood, and felt. Thicker and thin materials can introduce unique challenges.
Even though various materials can be used with laser cutters, not all can as some can be toxic while others can damage the laser cutter itself. As such, engineers are often tasked with finding suitable material stock that is laser safe, and this can use up valuable time.
To help engineering teams, Ponoko has a curated range of laser-safe materials all available through our online part ordering app. Our range of materials include engineered metal, wood, plastic, and more, our materials have carefully controlled characteristics such as tensile strength, density, and electrical conductivity. This is especially useful for engineers designing parts for applications with tight controls such as medical, automotive, and aerospace.
But if there is a very particular material you need cut, then we can do that too! Just send us an inquiry stating the need for a custom material and our engineers will help arrange the project, or select “Custom Material” when choosing a material from our online materials catalog.
Yes. If there is one thing that can be said about engineering projects, it's that there is always some unusual problem that needs to be solved whether it is the need for a non-standard material or the development of a unique fitting. To make matters worse, it can be challenging to find manufacturers willing to tackle these issues without facing serious compromises to the project.
As a laser cutting business, we pride ourselves on tackling any project that comes our way. Whether our customers are startups, small businesses, or enterprise corporations, our team of experienced engineers and machine operators can provide professional consultation on design and manufacturing processes. With over 15 years of experience in the laser cutting industry, we have tackled numerous unique projects ranging from rapid testing kits for COVID to aerospace components experiencing extreme environments.
From $50 for just 1. 93% off for 10,000.