# Laser cutting sheet metal question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638 "2018-07-26T21:09:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/1 "2018-07-26T21:09:51Z")
recently I had to have a couple of hundred triangles cut out of sheet metal. They insist they have to be cut individually instead of just cutting out a saw tooth pattern and then shearing them off. I end up with twice the cuts and twice the price doing them individually. Is there anyway I can change what I am asking for somehow?? I don’t know why it is so difficult but I got the same answer at three different places. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/2 "2018-07-26T21:49:02Z")
How would you propose creating this sawtooth shape? Most sheet metal bench notchers are 90 degrees ([https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGRV\_enUS801US801&biw=1280&bih=918&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=pUBaW7PFA4vitQXk9aSICw&q=“bench+notcher”&oq=“bench+notcher”&gs\_l=img.3..35i39k1.2093.3364.0.3645.2.2.0.0.0.0.89.160.2.2.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.2.159....0.n-7fnYLwKQI](https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS801US801&biw=1280&bih=918&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=pUBaW7PFA4vitQXk9aSICw&q=%22bench+notcher%22&oq=%22bench+notcher%22&gs_l=img.3..35i39k1.2093.3364.0.3645.2.2.0.0.0.0.89.160.2.2.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.2.159....0.n-7fnYLwKQI)), so unless you’re making 45/45/90 isosceles triangles making the sawtooth shape would be cumbersome. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/3 "2018-07-26T21:53:53Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > How would you propose creating this sawtooth shape? Most sheet metal bench notchers are 90 degrees ([https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGRV\_enUS801US801&biw=1280&bih=918&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=pUBaW7PFA4vitQXk9aSICw&q=“bench+notcher”&oq=“bench+notcher”&gs\_l=img.3..35i39k1.2093.3364.0.3645.2.2.0.0.0.0.89.160.2.2.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.2.159....0.n-7fnYLwKQI](https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS801US801&biw=1280&bih=918&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=pUBaW7PFA4vitQXk9aSICw&q=%22bench+notcher%22&oq=%22bench+notcher%22&gs_l=img.3..35i39k1.2093.3364.0.3645.2.2.0.0.0.0.89.160.2.2.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.2.159....0.n-7fnYLwKQI)), so unless you’re making 45/45/90 isosceles triangles making the sawtooth shape would be cumbersome. Thats why I have them lazer cut as I said in the title. When I do cut them in my saw I set up a jig and then just flip the material after each cut. I just don’t like doing hundreds of them with my saw. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/4 "2018-07-26T21:56:21Z")
How acute are the angles? Are they insisting that the pricing is per part? Large parts with lots of acute angles are more labor intensive but with that quantity are they not offering discounts, or are the parts too small (and thus labor intensive) for them to do so? ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/5 "2018-07-26T22:04:38Z")
Pure WAG without more information, but I assume that these are small patterns close together or that they require high precision if water-jet isn’t an option but if they are small the heat of a laser may also interfere with a cut. That said, typically the shops I have worked with as a customer are pretty upfront on why they won’t or can’t do something so I would still be tempted to try another vendor if they didn’t offer good explanations. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/6 "2018-07-26T22:42:49Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Thats why I have them lazer cut as I said in the title. When I do cut them in my saw I set up a jig and then just flip the material after each cut. I just don’t like doing hundreds of them with my saw. As far as I know there is nothing tricky about the angles, I just need them to cut a zig zag pattern and that would create the triangle pieces I need. Instead they say when they program the cutter it won’t wok cutting a zig zag. I think that is non sense, you should be able to cut any shape they want. The triangles are 1 1/2" high and 1" wide. The metal is 14-16-and 18 gauge steel. I have had a bunch of them already done but they were cut as individual triangles. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/7 "2018-07-26T23:15:04Z")
Just tell them you want to cut a zig-zag in the metal. Don’t them them that you will shear them yourself. They are probably concerned with dimensional accuracy of the shearing step. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/8 "2018-07-27T00:18:51Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > …Laser cutter… Goodbye, Mister Bond! ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-cutting-sheet-metal-question/818638/9 "2018-07-27T01:22:45Z")
A 1 1/2" strip of metal. First one right side up, second one upside down. Repeat. Repeat…