DXF vs DWG vs STEP - which should I send?
Whichever your CAD system exports cleanly. DXF and DWG both describe the 2D profile directly and are the natural choice for parts drawn flat; STEP carries the full 3D model, and the flat profile is taken from it at our end - useful when the part lives inside an assembly and you would rather not redraw it.
There is no penalty for one over the other. If you work in 3D, sending the STEP saves you an export step and avoids the errors that creep in when a model is flattened by hand. If you work in 2D, a DXF or DWG straight from your drawing is ideal.
what if I only have a PDF or a sketch?
Send it anyway. Simple profiles can be redrawn from a PDF or a sketch, and any redraw time is agreed before it is added to the price - so there are no surprises on the quote.
A dimensioned sketch works better than an undimensioned one: mark the overall sizes, hole diameters and positions, and the material and thickness. The clearer the sketch, the quicker the redraw and the sooner you have a price.
Skip the theory. If the file opens, we can price it - upload it and the number is back within one working day.
upload your fileshow should the drawing be set up for laser cutting?
Three rules cover almost everything: draw outlines as closed polylines, draw at real scale (1:1, in millimetres), and note the material, thickness and quantity with the file. A closed, true-scale profile goes straight to nesting; an open or scaled one has to be queried first.
Common snags worth a quick check before sending: duplicate lines sitting on top of each other, small gaps where an outline does not quite close, text or dimensions left on the cutting layer, and splines where a simple arc would do. None of these are fatal - they just add a question before the quote.
You do not need to allow for kerf; the beam width is compensated automatically when the job is programmed. Draw the part at its finished size.