What Tolerance Can You Expect from Laser Cutting?

Understand typical tolerances and when you need tighter precision.

Buyers often ask: how accurate is laser cutting? Typical tolerance for fiber laser cutting: ±0.1mm on parts up to 2000mm

This varies by material thickness

For thin sheet (1-3mm), expect ±0.05-0.1mm

For thick plate (10-20mm), ±0.2-0.3mm (kerf width increases)

Edge quality: clean, no burr on thin sheet

Slight dross on thick plate (usually acceptable)

When do you need tighter tolerance? If parts mate together (interlocking tabs), if you have precision holes for bearings, or if it's a machined part

In those cases, specify ±0.05mm and we'll use CNC machining for critical features

Tips: avoid tight tolerances on non-critical dimensions (it costs more), specify tolerance only on mating holes and edges

At Yiguangnian, we state tolerance on every drawing and confirm before production.