DXF: DXF is a 2D drawing exchange format created by Autodesk that stores lines, arcs and curves, and is the standard input for laser, waterjet, plasma and routing work.
A DXF file describes a drawing as entities: lines, arcs, circles, polylines and splines, usually organised in layers. Cutting machines follow those outlines, so a DXF is what most shops ask for when a buyer wants a flat part cut from sheet or plate.
For quoting a cut part, software reads the DXF to find the outside profile, the holes and slots inside it, the total cut length and the number of pierces. Those, with the material and thickness, drive the price.
Example: a 200 × 100 mm plate with four 8 mm holes has an outer cut of 600 mm and four inner cuts of about 25 mm each, so roughly 700 mm of cutting and 5 pierces.
Common problems are worth knowing:
- units: a DXF may declare its units or leave them blank, and a part drawn in inches can arrive at the wrong size (see file units);
- open or doubled lines: an outline that does not close, or two lines on top of each other, confuses the cut path and doubles the cost;
- extra content: title blocks, dimensions and notes on the same layer as the part.
A DXF holds 2D geometry only. For a bent sheet metal part, the buyer can send a DXF of the flat pattern or a 3D STEP the shop unfolds. Read laser cutting cost for how DXF geometry turns into a price.
Go deeper: How to price laser cutting: cut length, pierces, material and sheet use