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Design rules

The limits the machines work to, in one table per process. A part that sits inside them can be made without a conversation first.

1 of 12 figures confirmed so far. The rest read “TBC” until the workshop publishes them; if your part is near one, ask.

Laser cutting#

The laser holds fine detail the router cannot, but every material has a thickness beyond which the edge stops being clean. More on laser cutting

Minimum hole diameter
TBC
Holes smaller than this taper through the thickness and may not clear.
Minimum slot width
TBC
Narrower slots close up as the heat goes in.
Minimum feature size
TBC
Thin webs between cuts distort or burn away.
Kerf
TBC
The width the beam removes. Draw the finished size; we allow for it.
Cutting tolerance
TBC
On the cut profile, not on folded dimensions.

CNC routing#

The router takes thicker and denser material than the laser and leaves no burn, but every internal corner carries the radius of the cutter. More on cnc routing

Minimum internal radius
TBC
A cutter cannot cut a sharp inside corner. Add a dogbone if the corner must clear.
Minimum hole diameter
TBC
Set by the smallest cutter we run.
Cutting tolerance
TBC
Tighter on rigid material, looser on anything that moves under the cutter.

Folding#

A fold needs metal to grip. The tooling sets how short a flange can be, and how close a hole can sit to a bend before it pulls oval. More on folding

Minimum flange
TBC
Anything shorter cannot be held in the tool.
Bend to hole
TBC
Measured from the edge of the hole to the start of the bend radius.
Maximum bend length
3100mm
The longest single fold the folder will take.
Angle tolerance
TBC
Every additional bend stacks its own tolerance on top.