Laser cutting??

finsruskw

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H-M Supporter Gold Member
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May need some small parts made from 3/16" sheet 3.5" x 7.25"
Anyone have a laser cutter and would consider doing this?
 
Another vote for sendcutsend, they are my go to vendor.
 
Another vote for sendcutsend, they are my go to vendor.
i would love to hear more about them please. I might have to bail on my laser cut co and I’m looking for options. Like how many pieces can they handle? If there’s a problem are they responsive? Are they good about troubleshooting dxf files? Do they really not charge shipping?
 
i would love to hear more about them please. I might have to bail on my laser cut co and I’m looking for options. Like how many pieces can they handle? If there’s a problem are they responsive? Are they good about troubleshooting dxf files? Do they really not charge shipping?
They can handle 1 to thousands of pieces. Our orders are generally in the 20 piece range. They have always been very responsive, and have quick turnaround. We normally see 4 to 5 days from order to delivered parts.

Troubleshooting DXF files? I assume they can. I don't know if they charge for that. But I recommend that you send clean DXF files.

We normally create models in Fusion 360, then export to dxf, then open in NanoCAD and do any cleanup needed. There are some tricks you can use in Fusion to make this process painless, because Fusion can really screw up a dxf file if you try to export directly from the 3D model. I don't know about other CAD software. If you create the files in native 2D software like AutoCAD, then there should be no problem.

That's right, shipping is included.

 
Thanks. My problem is I don't have the time or energy to learn 360 or AutoCad. I have been doing my simple 2D in CorelDraw and exporting in dxf. I've not had any problems since I went to doing my drawings from the scratch in CorelDraw. My early probs were the files I'd gotten back from my original laser co. Turns out my first amongst many probs with them was they were worse at CAD than me. And their files were a multi layer mess. So when I quit trying to edit their files and just did my files from scratch I quit having problems. I guess I'm hoping they check the files and make sure they work before sending me a bunch of junk.

I like that SendCutSend is way closer in NV. The outfit I'm with right now is in TN. So shipping is eating me alive w/cost and logistics. The original co was in AZ and they were friends of my sister and just a hot mess.

I generally do at least 100 pieces at a time a month, all out of 1/8 steel sheet. Usually 50pcs per 12x12x12 box @ 18lbs.
 
I guess I'm hoping they check the files and make sure they work before sending me a bunch of junk.
Yeah that can be a problem. :eek:

I always put one dimension on the dxf part so they can compare the actual target dimension to the part to make sure the parts come out correct. The assumption is that if one dimension is correct, the rest of the part will be correct also. Sometimes there can be a scaling issue so potentially the part could be larger or smaller than the drawing target.
 
Yeah that can be a problem. :eek:
Not until I started trying to edit the drawings they had made did I realize what was going on. They would only say they needed a part, so I'd send it. I thought they were using it to make the drawing with. But I think they were really scanning it, then tracing the scan to come up with the end drawing. They were unable to edit or fix a drawing. Very FRUSTRATING. And because I wasn't fluent in CAD I was basically dead in the water for 6mo. Then I got a line on this other co and sent them the file that the old co said they couldn't read and bingo, it was done. No problem. So I moved on and things have been great. I've been able to expand my product line from 3 models to now 9 very different models without a hitch.

Until this last month. Seems every time a company has a personnel change there's a hitch. And I get there is a learning curve and stuff can go schwangel. But the old outfit has me paranoid that once there is a problem, it's like a pebble on a pond. It just keeps expanding. The last thing I want to do is change ships, and I don't want to get into constant gripes. But at one point it's either move on or quit.

Sad to say me being more of an artist than a CAD guy it never dawned on me to include dimensions. Thanks for that tip and all your feedback.
 
Sendcutsend shows you a preview of the part and it’s dimensions so it’s pretty easy to do a coarse check. It takes a few seconds to upload a part and get a quote. I’ve really enjoyed their service.
 
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