Laser cutting — custom parts, quoted and delivered same day.^*

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.

The speed of a laser cutter depends on numerous factors including the thickness of the part, the complexity of the shape, the total length of cut needed, and the material being cut, but basic shapes and outlines can be cut in seconds. But to truly appreciate the speed of laser cutters, other manufacturing processes need to be considered.

3D printing is a manufacturing method that is great for complex 3D structures (something that laser cutting cannot do), but the length of time taken by 3D printers only makes them suitable for individual prototypes. By the time a 3D printer has printed its first layer, a laser cutter would have easily cut out multiple parts from a sheet of material.

CNC milling is an excellent option for precision work, but the use of a rotating milling bit to remove material from a workpiece usually requires multiple passes over that piece at varying depths. Furthermore, CNCs require the workpiece to be clamped down due to the mechanical force of the cutting bit, and just like 3D printers, a laser cutter could easily produce multiple parts in the time taken for a single pass of a CNC.

Injection molding is one of the few manufacturing processes that can compete against laser cutting for time, but while injection molding is faster, it is also extremely expensive to set up due to the need for molds. As such, injection molding is often reserved for large-scale production where quantities exceed 10,000.

Our use of laser cutting technologies allows us to manufacture parts to a great degree of precision while offering turnaround times not available from other manufacturing processes. A rush order placed before 11 AM (and a quantity below approximately 100 custom parts) is not only fabricated that same day but also shipped that same day. Customers in the Bay Area can receive their parts the same day meaning that a design submitted in the morning will be delivered to your door before that very evening.

First, laser cutting is extremely fast compared to other popular methods such as CNCs and 3D printers meaning that engineers spend less time waiting for parts to be fabricated (and thus can accelerate project development).

Second, the lack of tooling means that a laser cutter can be cheaper and easier to maintain compared to CNCs which have expendable parts (this also helps to accelerate manufacturing times by removing the need for tool changes).

Third, the lack of mechanical forces on the workpiece being cut means that parts do not require tabs or breakouts to hold them in place. As such, parts can be neatly cut out of a sheet of material and require no additional processing, again, saving time. Fourth, the dry nature of laser beams also allows for numerous materials to be cut including paper, cardboard, wood, and felt (something which cannot be done using a water jet).

Finally, laser cutters can be controlled using numeric control systems meaning that any shape can be cut. Not only does this allow for prototypes to be quickly fabricated, but it also allows for parts to be manufactured at scale with no need to adjust machinery or design files. Once a design is ready for mass production, a laser cutter will treat that design in the exact same way whether one part or one thousand are being made.

Our use of laser cutting technologies helps to bring the advantages of laser cutting to our customers through high quality and high precision parts in extremely short timeframes. The use of our online software-powered manufacturing service enables engineers to upload, quote and order parts in minutes, and our ability to manufacture and ship products same day helps engineers to decrease the time between design iterations and thus accelerate the completion of projects.

LED lasers are by far the cheapest laser cutter technology on the market and are commonly found in DIY desktop laser cutters. However, their low energies (typically less than 10W) and price mean that they are also the weakest and are mostly used to cut and perform laser engraving on paper and wood (even then, wood is difficult to cut with an LED laser beam).

CO2 lasers utilize a tube of CO2 gas that is then excited with an energy source to produce a uniform beam of infrared light. CO2 lasers are significantly more powerful than LEDs and as such can be used for harder materials such as thick wood and metal (depending on the energy of the laser and thickness of the material). But due to the laws of economics, CO2 lasers are more expensive than LED lasers with industrial units starting at around $10,000. As such, they are only economical to own and operate if being utilized on a daily basis.

Optical fiber lasers are the most powerful industrial laser cutting technology that utilizes rare-earth elements in a fiber optic cable. The use of fiber allows for light energy to be trapped (as a result of total internal reflection), and this aids in generating a powerful focused laser beam. As such, fiber lasers are used in applications involving the toughest and thickest materials. But, just like CO2 lasers, the increased power and capabilities of fiber lasers make them some of the most expensive with prices typically exceeding $100,000 and are only economical for manufacturers using them on an hourly basis.

Here at Ponoko we house a wide range of laser cutting technologies including both CO2 and fiber laser systems all calibrated to ensure that all parts manufactured by us meet our strict standards. Our carefully selected range of materials has also been paired with different laser systems to ensure the most efficient cutting, and our years of experience as a laser cutting company ensure that all machines operate flawlessly. Considering that we have manufactured over 2 million parts, it goes without saying that when it comes to laser cutting, we are a cut above the rest.

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.

For example, stacking slices a 3D shape into multiple layers that are stacked together with each layer being a planar shape. Stacking is ideal for non-complex 3D shapes such as enclosures that have little variation on the sides of their faces. Furthermore, stacking allows for material variation between each layer, and this can be used to create unique patterns and designs, but the use of stacking can be expensive if layers are thin and waste large portions of material.

Another technique for creating 3D structures is the use of bends whereby a 3D shape is exploded into a 2D shape that is bent into shape (similar to origami). However, while this method is useful for boxed designs and keeping costs low, it is not suitable for intricate designs with complex features.

Joints can also be laser cut into most materials and have been a popular method for connecting parts together for centuries (if done correctly, joints can hold a structure together without needing any screws or glue as is in many Japanese houses and wooden castles). But while joints are an excellent method for holding parts together, they require extreme care as joints that are not designed perfectly can be loose.

Recognising the numerous challenges faced by engineers, we offer a range of additional finishing services to our laser-cut parts including metal bending. Designs that specify bend lines can transform a flat 2D shape into a 3D structure, and is ideal for parts such as brackets, fixtures, and enclosures. This is especially advantageous for engineers looking to minimize the number of manufacturing steps on their part as well as removing the need for customers to have access to cut metal bending services.

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.

For example, some plastics such as PVC have no trouble being cut with a laser beam, but the resulting gasses formed from the intense heat can be highly toxic and thus dangerous for the environment. Other materials can release particulates and residue that can be harmful to optical components of a laser cutter (and thus reduce the amount of laser light hitting the workpiece). This is also dangerous for the laser cutter itself as reflective optical components that are covered with residue can become damaged through sudden thermal changes.

Some materials can be highly reflective meaning that laser incident laser light bounces off the workpiece. This is particularly hazardous for a laser cutter as laser light can bounce back into the laser cutter itself and damage key components. CO2 lasers are susceptible to this damage whereas fiber lasers are more resilient.

To ensure that customer parts are made to the highest quality, we have a specially curated range of laser-safe materials whose characteristics have been carefully documented. Additionally, we also pair materials to specific laser cutters to ensure consistent results between cuts. While we can cut custom materials for customers with specific requests, the part being cut must still be a laser-safe material. This is why we highly recommend the use of our stocked materials that have been thoroughly tested and proven.

Another major advantage of using laser cutters is that, unlike other manufacturing processes, a design file that has moved out of the prototyping phase requires no additional changes for mass production. This means that once a design has been locked in, it can be immediately produced in volume, and the flexibility of laser cutters allows for orders to be scaled with ease.

Furthermore, laser cutting has the advantage that any design change needed can be submitted and implemented immediately. For comparison, any design changes to a plastic injected part typically requires thousands of dollars for a new mold, weeks to design the mold, and then an initial production run to test that the new part is correct.

Our laser cutting service has been designed with speed and scalability in mind. Engineers looking to reduce the time of their development cycle can submit designs and have them manufactured the same day, and once a part is ready for mass production, we can take the same design file and immediately start work. Customers can choose the quantity they require and receive discounts of up to 93% (depending on the quantity), while also having the ability to contact our engineers should a design mistake be spotted - we’re standing by for you.

Ponoko laser cutting also offers unique options that allow for parts to be market-ready including engraved designs, unique surface finishes, and bending that help to reduce the number of additional manufacturing steps needed.

The result of all of the cuts is that the length of the material across the living hinge is massively increased and thus exhibits great flexibility (and therefore can be folded). But while living hinges are aesthetically appealing and useful for creating a naturally flexible bend, it also reduces the strength of the part as less material is being used to hold it together. Living hinges are popular with cut metal, and cut wood.