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The file format used for laser cutting of aircraft kits is the *.DXF, *.DWG or CorelDraw compatible formats. If you wish
to provide a cut ready drawing the following formatting guide should be kept in mind.
The table is 36" wide and 24" high. 4"x36" balsa and 4"x24" bass sheets are usually on
hand as well as ply in 12"x24" sheets. Our balsa is in the 6-8lb/cuft range.
We normally cut from 36" long balsa sheets. But, the shipping cost can be reduced if you configure your parts so
the sheet can be cut to less than 24", eg, two 18" long sheets, or one 12" and one 24". The same is true
of ply sheets. 12" wide boxes and shipping are more expensive than 5" boxes. If you can arrange your parts on
the ply sheets so they can be cut to less than 6" widths it can reduce your shipping costs.
All pieces to be cut must have 'connector' tags to hold the pieces in the sheet. These should be at least 1/8" wide.
Most parts should have at least two connectors. If you have lightening holes or other pieces you don't need you can let them
fall out (no connector tags). If you plan on kitting your design this does not look professional.
Also, please leave a 'margin' of at least 0.2" around the outside of the sheet. Balsa is notorious for shrinking
and some of our sheets are not a full 4" wide once we get ready to cut them.
Remove all duplicate lines from your drawings. In CAD converting lines to polylines will speed the cutting process and
will insure that your parts are cut as you desire. Line width must be set to 0.001" or smaller. Keep in mind that the
laser width is approximately 0.005". If you desire very close tolerances then you must account for that in your drawings.
If you wish labels or other text etched then provide that information on a separate layer from the lines to be cut. Keep
in mind that most etching will significantly increase the laser time. If you include labels and they are not on a separate
layer, they will be cut through.
When cut ready drawings are sent, no guarantee is made to assure parts fit. It is also up to you to maximize material
use in the 'nesting' of parts on the material selected.
If there are any questions you will be contacted prior to start of work.
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