CNC cutting, laser and nesting · Lesson 1 of 4

CNC cutting, laser and nesting: principles and terminology

How a laser cuts sheet, the three ways the cutting gas works, the vocabulary of a nest from pierce to skeleton, and the laser and fume hazards with the rules and standards that govern them.

You will be able to: Name the parts of a laser cutting head and of a nest, define kerf, the three laser cutting processes, common line cutting and micro-joints, and state the laser and fume safety boundaries.

11 min · 11 slides · 8 questions

All lessons in this module

Slide 1 of 11

What this module covers

ISO 9013:2017 classifies three thermal cutting processes: oxyfuel flame, plasma and laser cutting.

This module covers laser cutting and the nest that feeds it, plus the strip nesting AFS plans flashing with.

Shop planners and programmers lay out and cut; contractors read sheet counts and yield; architects name a cut-quality standard when edge tolerance matters.

Sources

ISO 9013:2017 Thermal cutting - Classification of thermal cuts - Geometrical product specification and quality tolerances (scope, with Amd 1:2024 listed) - ISO (scope read on the Estonian Centre for Standardisation store page)
Design Center Material Takeoff: first-fit decreasing strip and sheet nesting (method material-takeoff 1.2) - Architectural Flashing Supply

Videos for this lesson

What this video shows: KEYENCE, a laser maker, on laser safety classes 1 to 4, enclosures, eyewear, interlocks, training and warning signs, and how a proper enclosure can create a Class 1 environment. It includes a short section on its own products.

Video: Laser Safety Classes, Laser Enclosures, and 5 Key Laser Safety Measures | KEYENCE by KEYENCE CORPORATION, on YouTube. AFS checked its description against this lesson.

Glossary

Kerf: The slot a cut removes from the sheet. TRUMPF says a laser kerf is barely wider than the focused beam.
Flame cutting: Laser cutting with oxygen as the cutting gas: TRUMPF says the oxygen burns and oxidizes the melt, adding energy, and calls it the standard method for mild steel.
Fusion cutting: Laser cutting with nitrogen or argon, which TRUMPF says does not react with the metal, so the cut edges stay free of burrs or oxides.
Nest: The layout of parts on a sheet that nesting software (CAD/CAM software, in Hypertherm's words) turns into the cutting program.
Common line cutting: Placing parts so that two or more of them share one cut path; Hypertherm says it saves material and runtime, especially for parts in grids.
Micro-joint: A thin area left uncut so a part stays attached to the sheet until it is collected (OSH Cut). TRUMPF's nano joints are tabs where the laser does not cut all the way through.
Embedded laser: A higher-class laser inside an interlocked, labelled protective enclosure; the OSHA Technical Manual says most industrial Class I lasers are built this way.
Lead-in: The path a cut takes into a part contour, paired with a lead-out; Hypertherm's ProNest sets their style for the part geometry and quality.