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Laser and water jet cutting

Laser and water jet cut gaskets, with no tooling.

Laser and water jet cutters follow your drawing file directly, so there is no cutting tool to design, make or pay for. That makes them the quick route to prototypes, short runs and parts that change, and water jet cuts thick rubber, foam and PTFE cleanly with no heat. We choose the method for each part from the material, the thickness, the detail and the quantity.

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Parts cut straight from your drawing file
No tool
Drawing files we quote from
DXF, DWG, PDF, STEP
High-precision digital flatbed cutting system

Tool-less cutting

Cutting without a tool: prototypes, short runs and complex parts.

A die holds the shape of a part in steel; a laser or water jet cutter holds it in software. The machine reads the outline from your CAD file and steers a beam or a jet along it, so the first part can be cut as soon as the file is ready. There is no tool charge and no tool lead time, and a revised drawing costs no more than a new file.

The trade-off is speed. A die cuts the whole outline in one stroke, while a tool-less cutter traces every edge, so each part takes longer and the unit price stays higher. For prototypes, pre-production batches, large gaskets that would need an expensive die, and parts ordered in tens or hundreds, cutting without a tool usually costs less overall. When the design is settled and volumes grow, the same drawing can move to die cutting for a lower unit cost.

Computer-guided knife cutters, which drag or oscillate a blade along the cut path, are a third tool-less method, suited to soft gasket materials and foams of moderate thickness. Whichever method we recommend, we tell you why.

Talk to our technical team
Brass shims and rings

Laser cutting

Laser cutting: fine detail and tight tolerances.

For non-metallic materials, a CO2 laser focuses infrared light to a spot a fraction of a millimetre across, and the material along the path melts or vaporises. The cut is narrow, typically 0.1 to 0.3 mm wide, so fine slots, small holes and sharp inside corners that a die cannot form are routine, and tolerances of about ±0.1 mm are typical on thin, stable material. Fibre lasers do the same for metals, which is how thin metal shims are cut to drawing.

Laser cutting suits films, papers, insulation boards, many plastics and thin rubber. Electrical insulators are a good example: parts in Nomex® aramid paper and polyimide film for transformers, motors and generators often need finer detail or tighter tolerances than a die can hold, and that is where we use laser cutting.

Because it cuts with heat, a laser leaves a fused or slightly darkened edge on some materials, and a narrow zone beside the cut is heated. That is harmless for most parts, but it rules the laser out for a few materials, listed below.

Nomex® is a trademark of Arclin or its affiliates. Other names are the trademarks of their owners.

Metal shims cut to drawing

Laser safety

Materials usually cut another way than by laser, and why.

Some materials give off corrosive or toxic gases when they burn, and others cut badly with heat. As general guidance, these are usually die cut or water jet cut instead, so the method never compromises the part or the people making it. Some can be laser cut with the right fume extraction, PTFE among them, but another method usually gives a cleaner edge.

If your drawing calls for laser cutting in one of these materials, we will suggest the method that gives the same part safely.

Ask about your material

Materials and the laser

Why some materials are cut another way

PVC, rigid sheet and foam
Releases hydrogen chloride gas, which is toxic and corrodes the machine
Usually cut instead by: Die cut or water jet cut
Neoprene and other chlorinated rubbers
Releases hydrogen chloride; the edge chars
Usually cut instead by: Die cut or water jet cut
PTFE and other fluoropolymers
Releases toxic fluorine compounds; possible only with suitable fume extraction
Usually cut instead by: Die cut thin sheet; water jet cut thick sheet
Polycarbonate
Discolours and chars at the edge
Usually cut instead by: Die cut thin gauges; water jet cut thicker sheet
Polyurethane foams
Gives off harmful fumes; the edge melts
Usually cut instead by: Die cut or water jet cut
Silicone rubber
Leaves a powdery silica residue on the edge
Usually cut instead by: Water jet cut or die cut
Rubber and foam over about 10 mm
The edge melts and tapers
Usually cut instead by: Water jet cut

General guidance. We confirm the cutting method for your material with the quotation.

A set of cut gaskets for a car transmission

Water jet cutting

Water jet cutting: thick rubber, foam and PTFE with no heat.

A water jet cutter forces water through a jewel orifice at around 4,000 bar or more, producing a jet about 0.1 to 0.3 mm across that cuts soft materials cleanly. For hard materials, such as metals and thick rigid plastics, abrasive garnet is fed into the jet, which widens the cut to about 1 mm. The jet is cold, so there is no melting, no charring and no heat-affected edge.

That makes water jet the method of choice for thick parts: rubber and foam gaskets tens of millimetres thick, solid and sponge silicone gaskets, and thick PTFE plate, which our PTFE gasket guide explains is usually water jet cut. Edges come out square and smooth, without the concave edge a die can leave on thick, soft material.

The jet has limits too. On thick material it spreads slightly, so the cut can taper by a few tenths of a millimetre from top to bottom. Thin films flutter under the jet and cut better by die or laser, and absorbent materials such as cork and paper-based gasket fibre take up water, so they are usually die cut. Water jet parts are dried before they are packed.

Cold, clean and square: water jet is the answer for thick, soft parts.

Choosing a method

Laser, water jet or die cutting? Thickness, tolerance and batch size compared.

The table compares the two tool-less methods with die cutting on the points that usually decide. Values are typical for non-metallic gasket and shim materials; what we can hold on your part depends on the material, its thickness and the shape.

As a rule of thumb: a laser for fine detail in thin material, a water jet for thick or heat-sensitive material, and a die once the quantity justifies the tool. For self-adhesive parts on a liner, a die can kiss cut through the face material and adhesive and stop at the liner.

Cutting methods compared

Typical values, not a specification

Material thickness
LaserUp to about 10 mm, by materialWater jetAbout 0.5 to 100 mm and more
Die cutting: About 0.012 to 25 mm; soft foam thicker
Typical tolerance
Laser±0.05 to ±0.1 mmWater jet±0.1 to ±0.25 mm
Die cutting: ±0.1 to ±0.4 mm, by tool
Width of cut
Laser0.1 to 0.3 mmWater jet0.1 to 0.3 mm; about 1 mm with abrasive
Die cutting: None: a blade removes no material
Cutting tool
LaserNoneWater jetNone
Die cutting: A die made for each part
Set-up
LaserFrom the drawing fileWater jetFrom the drawing file
Die cutting: Tool designed and made first
Edge
LaserFused or slightly darkened on some materialsWater jetSquare, cold and clean; dried after cutting
Die cutting: Clean; slightly concave on thick soft material
Best batch size
LaserOne-offs to a few hundred partsWater jetOne-offs to a few hundred; thick parts at any quantity
Die cutting: Hundreds to millions of parts

General guidance for non-metallic materials; metals are cut with a fibre laser or an abrasive water jet. We confirm the method and tolerance for your part with the quotation.

Calliper, bolts, nuts, shims and drawings

Files and tolerances

Drawing files and tolerances for laser and water jet cutting.

A tool-less cutter cuts exactly what the file says, so a clean file is the quickest route to a correct part.

  • Send a vector file

    DXF or DWG at full size in millimetres is ideal; STEP and IGES models and dimensioned PDF drawings work too. A photo or sketch (PNG or JPG) is fine for a first conversation.

  • Closed outlines, one part per file

    Closed outlines with no duplicate or overlapping lines cut cleanly. Put dimensions, notes and the title block on a separate layer so they are not cut.

  • Tolerances where they matter

    Mark the critical dimensions, such as bolt hole positions, and leave the rest at a general tolerance. We allow for the width of the cut, so draw the finished part.

  • Material, thickness and quantity

    Tell us the material and grade, the thickness and the quantity, now and per year, so we can compare tool-less cutting with a die. Our custom gaskets page lists the materials most often specified.

  • Handled in confidence

    Drawings and files you send us are handled in confidence and used only to quote for and make your parts.

Laser and water jet FAQs

Laser and water jet questions, answered.

Can't find what you need? Our technical team is happy to help.

Ask our team
Can you laser cut rubber gaskets?

Thin nitrile and natural rubber can be laser cut, but the edge melts slightly, and neoprene, a chlorinated rubber, should not be laser cut at all. Most rubber gaskets are die cut or, when they are thick, water jet cut, which leaves a cleaner, cold edge. Tell us the rubber and the thickness and we will recommend the method.

Which materials cannot be laser cut?

PVC and other chlorinated materials such as neoprene, which release hydrogen chloride gas; PTFE and other fluoropolymers, which release toxic fluorine compounds; and polycarbonate and polyurethane foams, which char or give off harmful fumes. We cut these by die or water jet instead.

Water jet or laser?

Choose a laser for fine detail and tight tolerances in thin material, such as films, papers and insulation boards. Choose a water jet for thick parts, for materials that must not be heated, and for materials a laser cannot cut, such as PTFE and PVC. Neither needs a cutting tool.

Is laser cutting cheaper for small quantities?

Usually, yes. With no die to make, the cost is mostly machine time, so a few parts or a few hundred can cost less in total than die cutting once the tool charge is included. As quantities rise, the lower unit cost of die cutting wins. Tell us your quantities and we will compare the two.

What file format do you need?

DXF or DWG at full size in millimetres is best. STEP and IGES models and dimensioned PDF drawings work too, and a photo or sketch is enough to start a conversation. You can upload up to three files with your quote request.

Can you laser cut metal shims?

We supply thin metal shims laser cut to drawing in metals such as stainless steel, brass and aluminium. Our metal shims page lists the metals and the thicknesses we supply, from 0.005 mm foil to 3 mm sheet. Tell us the metal, thickness and tolerance and we will confirm the cutting method.

Send us your drawing

Get a quote for laser and water jet cut parts.

  1. 01

    Send your drawing

    Upload a DXF, DWG, PDF or STEP file, or describe the part. Everything you send is handled in confidence.

  2. 02

    Material advice

    Our technical team helps you select the right material and thickness for the application.

  3. 03

    Precision cut in-house

    Die cutting, precision laser or water jet, chosen to hold your specified tolerances.

  4. 04

    Delivered to your deadline

    Manufactured in the UK and shipped worldwide.

Request a quote

Tell us what you need and a member of our technical team will be in touch.

Gasket and shim materials

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