Laser Cutting & Waterjet Cutting Services — Plastic, Metal & More
Two precision cutting processes, one source — CO2 and fiber laser cutting for plastic and metal sheet, tube laser cutting for structural profiles, and cold-process abrasive waterjet cutting for virtually any material.
Laser Cutting vs. Waterjet Cutting — Choosing the Right Process
Before diving into each process in detail, here’s the side-by-side breakdown that answers the question most customers ask first:
| Laser Cutting | Waterjet Cutting | |
|---|---|---|
| Process Type | Thermal — focused laser beam melts or vaporizes material | Cold — high-pressure water + abrasive stream cuts material |
| Heat Introduced? | Yes | No — cold process throughout |
| Heat-Affected Zone? | Present on some materials | None |
| Best For Thin Material? | Yes — fast, precise, excellent edge quality | Yes |
| Best For Thick Material? | Limited by thickness | Yes — commonly cuts 6″+ |
| Heat-Sensitive Materials? | Not recommended | Yes — preferred process |
| Edge Finish on Acrylic? | Excellent — often fire-polished off the machine | Good — clean but matte |
| Can It Cut PTFE / Teflon? | No — hazardous fumes | Yes |
| Tolerances | ±0.005″ – ±0.010″ | ±0.005″ – ±0.030″ |
| Metals? | Yes — fiber laser for sheet and tube | Yes — all metals and alloys |
| Composites & Laminates? | Limited | Yes — preferred process |
The short version: laser cutting is faster and produces superior edge quality on plastics like acrylic, and handles metal sheet and tube with exceptional precision. Waterjet cutting is the better choice when heat is a problem, when material thickness exceeds laser capacity, or when you’re cutting a material that simply can’t be laser cut. For many projects, both processes are used on different components — and that’s exactly why having both under one roof matters.
LASER CUTTING SERVICES
Laser Cutting Services — CO2, Fiber & Tube
Laser cutting is a non-contact thermal cutting process in which a high-powered laser beam is focused onto a material surface, melting, burning, or vaporizing it along a precise programmed path. The result is a clean, accurate cut edge with minimal material waste and no tooling contact — which means no tool wear, no clamping marks, and no mechanical stress on the workpiece.
At Plastic-Craft, we operate three laser cutting configurations, each optimized for a specific category of work:
CO2 Laser Cutting uses a gas-based beam that excels on non-metallic materials — acrylic, polycarbonate, PVC, PETG, and a wide range of engineering plastics. CO2 laser cutting produces exceptionally clean, often fire-polished edges on clear plastics, particularly acrylic — making it the preferred process for display components, signage, enclosures, and precision fabricated parts where edge quality is visible in the final application.
Fiber Laser Cutting uses a solid-state beam optimized for metals including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and brass. Fiber lasers cut faster and more efficiently than CO2 on metals and hold very tight tolerances on thin to medium gauge sheet — making them the standard for precision metal sheet fabrication.
Tube Laser Cutting extends laser cutting capability to structural profiles — round tube, square tube, rectangular tube, and other hollow sections. A tube laser holds and rotates the profile while the laser cuts along its length and circumference, enabling precise hole patterns, mitered cuts, saddle cuts, and complex end profiles directly into metal tube and pipe — eliminating the manual marking, drilling, and grinding operations those features would otherwise require.
Materials We Laser Cut
Plastics: Acrylic (PMMA), Polycarbonate (PC), PVC, PETG, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, Nylon (PA), Acetal/Delrin (POM), UHMW Polyethylene, HDPE, Noryl (PPO), Polyurethane, Phenolic, Hydlar Z, Torlon (PAI), Ultem (PEI), Vinyl, Vespel (PI)
Metals: Steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and other conductive sheet and tube materials.
Note: Teflon (PTFE) and certain chlorinated plastics are not suitable for laser cutting due to hazardous fume generation. These materials are excellent candidates for waterjet cutting instead — see below.
LASER CUTTING APPLICATIONS
- Custom precision-cut acrylic, polycarbonate, and engineering plastic components for displays, enclosures, and industrial parts
- Architectural and decorative panels with intricate cutout geometry
- Metal sheet brackets, panels, flanges, and structural components
- Structural tube and pipe fabrication for frames, assemblies, and support structures
- Medical and laboratory components requiring tight tolerances
- Aerospace and defense parts in high-performance plastic and metal
- Gaskets, templates, and precision fixtures cut from sheet stock
WATERJET CUTTING SERVICES
Waterjet Cutting Services — Plastic, Metal & Composite
Waterjet cutting is a cold-process cutting method in which water — pressurized to between 40,000 and 90,000 PSI — is directed through a small nozzle at extremely high velocity. For cutting hard or thick materials, a fine abrasive powder (typically garnet) is mixed into the stream at the nozzle, creating an abrasive waterjet capable of cutting through steel, stone, glass, composites, and thick plastics with precision.
Because the process uses water and abrasive rather than heat, there is no heat-affected zone, no thermal distortion, no melting, and no change to material properties at the cut edge. The workpiece is cut at room temperature throughout — which is what makes waterjet cutting the go-to process for materials that would be damaged, discolored, or chemically compromised by any thermal cutting method.
Materials We Waterjet Cut
Plastics: Acrylic (PMMA), Polycarbonate (PC), Acetal/Delrin (POM), Nylon (PA), UHMW Polyethylene, HDPE, PVC, Phenolic, Hydlar Z (Kevlar-filled Nylon), Noryl (PPO), PEEK, PETG, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, Polyurethane, Teflon (PTFE), Torlon (PAI), Ultem (PEI), Vinyl, Vespel (PI)
Metals: Steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, titanium, and other metals and alloys.
Other Materials: Rubber, foam, glass, stone, ceramic, composites, and laminates.
Note: Teflon and other materials excluded from laser cutting due to thermal sensitivity are excellent candidates for waterjet cutting. The cold process has no impact on chemical properties or structural integrity at the cut edge.
WATERJET CUTTING CAPABILITIES
- Abrasive waterjet cutting for metals, thick plastics, composites, and hard materials
- Pure waterjet cutting for soft materials including foam, rubber, and thin sheet
- Large-format cutting for oversized sheets and plates
- Complex profile cutting from DXF or CAD files including interior cutouts and irregular geometry
- Thick section cutting well beyond the practical range of laser cutting
- Sheet stacking of multiple thin sheets for efficient production runs
Waterjet Cutting Applications
- Thick plastic plate cutting and custom-dimensioned blanks from heavy engineering plastic stock
- Heat-sensitive material cutting including Teflon, phenolic, composite laminates, and chlorinated plastics
- Precision-cut metal sheet and plate parts including structural components, brackets, and flanges
- Gaskets and seals cut from rubber, PTFE, or sheet plastic to exact specifications
- Composite and laminate cutting without delamination
- Aerospace and defense components in high-performance plastics and metals
- Architectural and decorative elements in stone, tile, metal, or plastic
Need a quote for laser or waterjet cutting? Request a Quote
Our Cutting Process — From File to Finished Part
Whether your project calls for laser cutting, waterjet cutting, or a combination of both, every job follows the same quality-driven workflow.
File Review & Process Recommendation
Submit your DXF, DWG, AI, or CAD file along with your material, thickness, and quantity. Our team reviews your geometry, confirms cut feasibility, and recommends the right cutting process — or combination of processes — for your application. Design-for-manufacturing feedback is provided where it can prevent issues or improve cut quality before the first piece is cut.
Material Setup & Process Configuration
Material is staged and secured on the cutting table or tube fixture. For laser cutting, power, speed, focus, and assist gas are configured for your specific material and thickness. For waterjet cutting, pressure, nozzle size, abrasive flow, and feed rate are dialed in to your material and cut requirements.
Precision Cutting
Parts are cut under CNC control to your exact specifications. The cutting head follows the programmed path precisely, holding dimensional accuracy across every part in the run — from first piece to last.
Edge Treatment (if required)
Laser-cut acrylic often comes off the machine with a clear, fire-polished edge that requires no additional finishing. Waterjet-cut edges are typically smooth and clean, with a matte finish. Depending on your application, secondary edge treatments — flame polishing, sanding, deburring, or machining — can be applied after cutting.
Inspection & Delivery
Finished parts are dimensionally inspected before packaging and shipment. First-article inspection is available for new programs. Parts are packaged carefully and delivered to your specifications.
Frequently Asked Questions About Laser Cutting & Waterjet Cutting
Laser cutting uses a focused beam of high-powered light to melt or vaporize material along a programmed path — it’s a thermal process that produces very clean edges, particularly on plastics like acrylic. Waterjet cutting uses a high-pressure stream of water and abrasive to cut through material without introducing any heat — making it the right choice for heat-sensitive materials, very thick stock, and materials that can’t be safely laser cut. Both processes achieve tight tolerances; laser cutting typically offers slightly finer tolerances on thin material, while waterjet handles thick and composite materials that laser cutting cannot.
CO2 lasers are best for non-metallic materials — acrylic, polycarbonate, PVC, PETG, nylon, and many other engineering plastics. Fiber lasers handle metals including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and brass. Teflon (PTFE) and certain chlorinated plastics are not safe to laser cut due to hazardous fume generation — waterjet cutting is the appropriate alternative for these materials.
Waterjet cutting is one of the most material-versatile cutting processes available. It can cut virtually any material — all plastics (including PTFE and other materials excluded from laser cutting), all metals and alloys, glass, stone, ceramic, rubber, foam, and composite laminates. Very few materials are unsuitable for waterjet cutting.
Waterjet cutting regularly handles material thicknesses that are beyond the practical range of laser cutting — commonly up to 6 inches or more depending on material. Cutting speed decreases with thickness, but dimensional accuracy is maintained through the full depth of cut. Contact us with your specific material and thickness for a realistic assessment.
Laser cutting typically holds ±0.005″ to ±0.010″ depending on material, thickness, and geometry. Waterjet cutting typically holds ±0.005″ to ±0.030″, with tighter results achievable on thinner materials and simpler profiles. For applications requiring tolerances tighter than either process can reliably deliver on its own, secondary machining or finishing can be combined with cutting.
Tube laser cutting uses a specialized laser system that holds and rotates structural tube and pipe profiles while the laser cuts along their length and circumference. This allows precise hole patterns, mitered end cuts, saddle cuts, and complex profile features to be cut directly into round, square, and rectangular metal tube — eliminating manual operations that would otherwise be required to produce the same geometry.
No — CO2 laser cutting on acrylic typically produces a clear, smooth, fire-polished edge directly off the machine. For many display, signage, and architectural acrylic applications, no secondary edge finishing is required. This is one of the primary reasons laser cutting is the preferred process for clear acrylic fabrication.
We accept DXF, DWG, AI, and PDF vector files for both laser and waterjet cutting. All geometry should be provided as 2D profiles at 1:1 scale. For tube laser cutting, a 3D model (STEP or IGES) is helpful for complex end profiles. Contact us if you need guidance on file preparation.
Yes. Both laser cutting and waterjet cutting require no tooling, which means there’s no minimum order quantity and no setup cost difference between a one-piece prototype and a full production run. You get the same process, the same accuracy, and the same quality whether you’re ordering one part or one thousand.
Resources & Guides
Blogs, how-tos, and guides to help you choose the right cutting process.
BLOG
Laser Cutting vs. Waterjet Cutting: Which Is Right for Your Project?
A practical guide to choosing between laser and waterjet for your material and application.
GUIDE
CO2 Laser Cutting Acrylic: Edge Quality & Best Practices
How CO2 laser cutting produces fire-polished acrylic edges and when secondary finishing is needed.
BLOG
Tube Laser Cutting: What It Is and When You Need It
How tube laser cutting eliminates manual operations for structural metal fabrication.
Ready to Cut Your Next Project?
Whether your job calls for laser cutting, waterjet cutting, or both, Plastic-Craft delivers accurate, clean results across a broad range of materials — all in-house. Upload your file or share your project details and we’ll recommend the right process and get back to you with a quote.