Laser cutting cost estimator

The laser is billed by the minute, the material by the kilogram

Two quotes for the same 2 mm CRCA panel can differ by 40% and neither supplier is wrong. On a part of that thickness the metal is 90–95% of the price and the machine is 3–5%. Buyers usually argue about the wrong half. This estimator builds the machine-time half from geometry, and lets you put your own rate against it.

The time model

t_part = L / v + n × t_p + t_setup / Q + t_sheet / n_nest

L is total cut length in mm, v the planning cut speed in mm/min, n the pierce count, t_p the pierce time in minutes, t_setup the programming and nesting time per order, Q the order quantity, t_sheet the load and unload time per sheet and n_nest the parts per sheet. Then:

cost per part = t_part × R + (area × t × ρ / U) × C_mat + c_deburr

R is the machine hour rate, U the nest utilisation, ρ the density and C_mat the material rate per kg. Every one of those is an input, not a published price.

Speed by thickness at 12 kW

A 12 kW fibre source cuts 1 mm mild steel at tens of metres a minute and 20 mm at under one. Thickness is the first thing to ask about, and the second is material, because nitrogen-cut stainless and aluminium run at half the mild steel speed.

These are straight-line peaks. Corners, lead-ins, small contours and the acceleration limits of a gantry drop the average by 30–40%, so the planning speed is 60–70% of the peak. That is why a quotation built from a heat sheet is always optimistic.

Holes smaller than the thickness

A hole under about 1× material thickness cannot run at sheet speed. The laser has to slow at the contour and the pierce has to be gentle or the slug welds itself back in. On a 3 mm part with 4 mm holes the cut time can double. Perforated panels are a different quote entirely: 400 holes of Ø5 mm in 2 mm steel is 6.3 m of cut plus 400 pierces, roughly 90 s of piercing alone.

Pierces cost more than they look

Every pierce is a separate event: the head stops, the cut starts, and on thick material the pierce itself takes seconds. Six pierces at 0.3 s is 1.8 s. For a part that cuts in 7 s, that is a fifth of the cycle. On 8 mm material, six pierces at 1.8 s is 10.8 s and the total cycle becomes dominated by piercing.

A production trick is common-line cutting and nesting holes into shared contours, but that is a nesting decision made after the order, not something a buyer can price from the drawing.

Nesting and material utilisation

Utilisation is the ratio of part area to the sheet area consumed, including the skeleton and the edge trim. On a mixed nest it lands between 70% and 85%. On a single-part nest with an awkward outline it can fall to 55%.

A supplier who cuts from a cheap 2,500 × 1,250 sheet at 70% utilisation can beat a supplier using a 3,000 × 1,500 sheet at 85%, and the reverse is also true. Utilisation and sheet price have to be compared together.

Deburring

Laser-cut mild steel above 3 mm leaves a dross line on the underside and a hard oxide edge. Stainless leaves a sharp edge even when clean. Deburring by hand, linisher or vibratory bowl runs from 0.2 to 0.8 min per part and belongs in the conversion price or on its own line. It is often quoted as included and then done badly.

Why two laser quotes differ

• Material basis. Gross weight consumed or net part weight, and whether scrap credit is returned.
• Grade. CRCA D versus DD, IS 2062 versus IS 513, 304 versus 304L. The mill price moves more between grades than the cutting cost does.
• Machine. A 3 kW source on 6 mm steel is a different cost base from a 12 kW source.
• Batch size. Programming and nesting are fixed per order; at 100 parts the setup is 20% of the price, at 1,000 it is 2%.
• What is excluded. Deburring, first article inspection, packing and freight are frequently left off one quote and built into the other.

What Ganesh runs

Cutting runs on a 12 kW fibre laser with a 40 ft × 16 ft bed, supported by two 6 kW and two 3 kW machines, in mild steel, CRCA, stainless, aluminium, brass and copper, to 20 mm plate. The bed size matters commercially: a 9 m canopy rail or a long elevator frame section is cut as one piece instead of being split, welded and straightened afterwards.

See the 12 kW fibre laser capability, how nesting reduces sheet metal cutting cost, how material thickness changes laser cutting price and the DXF checklist for a laser cutting RFQ.

What to put in the RFQ

• Cut length per part, including holes and slots, or a DXF that carries them.
• Material grade and thickness, with the tolerance you will accept.
• Pierce count and the smallest hole diameter.
• Quantity per release and annual volume.
• Edge condition: deburred, as-cut, or tumbled.
• Whether one-piece cutting is required for long parts.

A 2.0 mm CRCA panel, 1,200 mm total cut, 6 pierces, blank area 0.22 m². Planning values, all editable: speed 16 m/min peak × 0.65 = 10,400 mm/min, machine rate ₹1,800/h (₹30/min), material ₹62/kg, nest utilisation 80%, sheet load and unload 30 s per sheet with 8 parts on it, programming 20 min per order.

Step 1 — Cutting: 1,200 / 10,400 = 0.115 min per part.

Step 2 — Piercing: 6 × 0.3 s = 1.8 s = 0.030 min.

Step 3 — Sheet handling: 30 s / 8 parts = 3.75 s = 0.063 min per part.

Step 4 — Programming at quantity 100: 20 / 100 = 0.200 min per part. Cycle 0.115 + 0.030 + 0.063 + 0.200 = 0.408 min, or 40.8 min for the order.

Step 5 — Machine cost: 40.8 × ₹30 = ₹1,224, or ₹12.24 per part.

Step 6 — Material: 0.22 × 2.0 × 7.85 = 3.45 kg net; at 80% utilisation 4.32 kg consumed; 4.32 × ₹62 = ₹267.70 per part.

Step 7 — Deburr 20 s at ₹300/h = ₹1.67.

Total ≈ ₹281.61 per part. At quantity 1,000, programming falls to 0.020 min and the machine cost drops to ₹6.84 per part, for a total of ₹276.21. A 10× quantity increase saves 1.9%, because the metal is the price.

A second quote at ₹240 per part is not cheaper cutting. It is a thinner gauge, a different grade, or a net-weight material basis.