General FAQ's - CutLaserCut

FAQs:

• How can I get a quote?
• Can you give me a quote over the phone from a description?
• I don’t have a vector file yet, can you give me a rough quote?
• Can you draft a vector drawing for me?
• How large can you laser cut / engrave?
• Do you hold stock of all of the materials displayed in the gallery?
• Can I supply my own materials?
• Can I get a sample made up?
• Can you cut metals?
• I need to discuss a job in detail, can I come to speak to you in person?
• Can I drop into your studio any time to have something laser cut or engraved?
• Can I cut the job myself?
• Can I stay in the studio whilst my job is being processed?

For us to quote a job, you’ll need to send us your laser ready vector files and full job specification. The Get a Quote page details the 6 key bits of information we need from you.

We quote by estimating the time it will take to complete your job including all the drawing setup and laser cutting and engraving which differ from machine to machine. The same job can take different times to process from one machine to another. Sometimes we also need to work on your drawings and develop your idea further so it’s ready for the laser. Then of course there are materials to consider – The same drawing will take a different time to cut or engrave from material to material.

Put simply, we really need something to quote from. Ideally a laser ready file. See more on setting up a vector file for laser cutting and engraving. From the information you supply we’ll be able to work out how long your job will take in full, scope the material and setup cost and give you a quote. We can get a quote back to you very fast! In some cases within the hour.

Unfortunately we can’t give quotes over the phone for the reasons described above (so please don’t try!). You’ll need to send us data to quote from.

If you are not quite ready with a vector file, but just want to get an idea of how much a project will cost (to judge the scope of a project for a client for example) we can supply an approximate quote, but you’ll need to send us the following information:

• A 2D mockup / sketch of the parts to convey visually the details of your parts. The most important thing for us is getting an idea of the detail of cutting or engraving involved since costs are calculated by estimating laser time.
• You may also send over a photo or image to support your mockup if it helps convey the detail. (Please don’t just send photographs of objects)
• All mockups / scans need to include all relevant dimensions in mm.
• Include the quantity you need as if sending a standard job.
• Include details of the material type and thickness. If supplying your material(s) or object(s) please specify the sheet size / or object dimensions you will be sending.
• The mockup can be sent in any file type that we can view, a scan of a hand sketch (JPG, GIF, TIFF, PDF), a mock-up in illustrator or photoshop, paint, etc…. it’s up to you.

Note: quotes supplied from non vector data are benchmarks guide only. They may be subject to change when final drawings are sent over to us. We reserve the right to alter quotes at any time.

Yes we can. Prices start from £30.00 + vat.

Our maximum bed size is 3000mm x 2000mm.

Not everything, we keep stock of the most readily used materials types, sheet sizes and thicknesses. Lesser requested materials types / larger sheet sizes and thicknesses will need to be special ordered from our suppliers. This will be factored into the overall turnaround time of your job when supplied with a quotation. The special order charge will also be factored into the material charge on your quotation.

The website material pages give an indication if a material is stock, special order, or if you need to supply.

We have a very quick delivery service from our supplier network. Most materials can be delivered within one working day.

Yes of course. Lots of our clients send us their materials and objects to be cut and engraved. Not everything is laser friendly though so you’ll need to give us details of the materials you want to work with so we can advise if it’s possible for us to work with them.

If the material is not something we have come across before, we’ll need to test it on the machine to establish the optimum cutting / engraving settings. You’ll need to provide us with excess material for us to test.

The only material that we can’t work with is PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) and any other plastics that contain chlorides. This is because the fumes emitted when processing kill the machines! This unfortunately includes a lot of sticky back vinyl so we tend to avoid it.

If you are supplying us with a plastic fabric material you’ll need to make sure you acquire the necessary documentation to demonstrate the material properties and to verify it contains no PVC or any other Chlorides.

Artwork sample

Yes, if producing a volume order we can provide a sample made from your artwork for you to prove. We do charge for this as there is setup and laser time involved. Prices usually start from £15.00 + vat depending on the size of the sample.

Material samples

We also have samples of all the materials we stock / special order that we can send to you. Each sample is laser cut and engraved to demonstrate the quality achievable with a given material on our machines.

We can’t cut any sheet metal on our C02 lasers unfortunately. We can however engrave metals and metal laminates. If ordering these from us, we can have them pre-cut to the size you need prior to engraving. Browse the metal laminates available to order.