Laser Tube Cutting

Laser tube cutting uses a CNC-controlled laser to cut profiles, holes, and miters in tubing with high speed, accuracy, and clean edges.

Overview

Laser tube cutting (tube laser) is a CNC process that uses a focused laser beam to cut round, square, or rectangular tube and pipe. It can produce end cuts, miters, copes, slots, and through-holes in one setup, often with automatic feed for long lengths. Compared to mechanical cutting, it typically delivers cleaner edges, better repeatability, and faster changeovers for complex cut patterns.

Choose laser tube cutting when you need accurate fit-up features for welding or assembly, frequent design revisions, or high part counts with consistent geometry. It shines for nested patterns, multiple features per part, and tight length control without secondary drilling.

Tradeoffs: kerf and heat tint/HAZ may matter for cosmetic parts or certain coatings; thick-wall sections and highly reflective materials can reduce speed or require process tuning. Fixturing and minimum clamp lengths can limit features near tube ends, and internal burr/dross control depends on material and parameters.

Common Materials

  • Mild steel
  • Stainless steel 304
  • Stainless steel 316
  • Aluminum 6061
  • Aluminum 5052
  • Galvanized steel

Tolerances

±0.005"

Applications

  • Weld-ready tube frames with tab-and-slot fit-ups
  • Roll cage and chassis tubes with precise miters
  • Handrail and guardrail posts with through-holes
  • Equipment skids and machine bases with locating slots
  • Furniture tubing with decorative cutouts
  • Conveyor and automation stand components

When to Choose Laser Tube Cutting

Choose laser tube cutting for tubes that need multiple features (holes, slots, copes, miters) with consistent accuracy and clean fit-up for welding. It’s a strong choice for prototypes through production runs where repeatability and fast revisions matter. Works best when tube size and wall thickness fall within standard tube-laser capacity and features aren’t too close to clamp zones.

vs Saw Cutting

Choose laser tube cutting when you need holes, slots, copes, or complex end profiles without secondary drilling or milling. It also improves repeatability on miters and multi-angle cuts across batches, especially on mixed part numbers.

vs Abrasive Cutting

Choose laser tube cutting when edge quality, feature accuracy, and throughput matter. Laser cutting avoids abrasive grit contamination and typically reduces deburr and cleanup time for weld-ready parts.

vs Plasma Tube Cutting

Choose laser tube cutting when you need tighter dimensional control, smaller feature sizes, and cleaner edges with less post-processing. It’s better suited for detailed fit-up features and consistent part-to-part geometry.

vs Waterjet Cutting

Choose laser tube cutting for high production efficiency on tube profiles and for integrated rotary/feeding automation. It’s typically faster and more cost-effective for long runs of tube parts when heat effects are acceptable.

Design Considerations

  • Keep critical features away from the tube ends to account for clamp/grip zones and cut lead-ins
  • Specify tube OD/ID, wall thickness, and corner radius (for square/rect tube) since real tube geometry affects fit-up
  • Add small reliefs at tight inside corners or intersections to prevent overburn and improve feature definition
  • Call out datum scheme and which dimensions are cut-critical (overall length vs hole-to-end vs hole-to-hole) to avoid over-tolerancing
  • Provide a clear weld/finish requirement if heat tint, spatter sensitivity, or cosmetic appearance matters
  • Avoid extremely small holes/slots relative to wall thickness; size features to be robust to kerf and dross control