Skip to main content

Describe your part. Get a cut-ready DXF.

Most people who need a metal part cannot draw one. Type what you want in plain English — or photograph the sketch on the back of an invoice — and this draws it against our parametric templates, including real laser-cut lettering. Free to download, and every dimension stays yours to adjust.

Laser-cut text, done properly

Most “text to DXF” exports put a TEXT entity in the file. A laser has no font, so that annotation cuts nothing and the part comes back blank where the lettering should be. Here, every character is read out of the font file and converted to closed outlines before it reaches the DXF — geometry the machine can follow.

The middles of letters matter just as much. The counter of an A, O, B or 8 has to be its own closed contour, wound the opposite way to the shape around it, or CAM offsets the kerf the wrong side and every counter comes out oversize. And when the text is cut through a plate, those counters are loose islands: without a bridge holding them to the plate, they fall out of the sheet. Set a bridge width and the tool splices each island into the aperture around it, then tells you how many it held in.

Four typefaces are available: two weights of a clean sans, an Arial-metric face for matching existing signage, and a true stencil face. All four are SIL Open Font License 1.1 and shipped unmodified.

What it can draw

Nineteen parametric templates, all cut-ready: plates, discs, washers, shims, hex blanks, slotted adjustment plates, L-brackets, Z-brackets, gussets, shelf brackets, U-channels, weld tabs, NEMA motor mounts, castor plates — plus cut-out lettering, sign plates and paint stencils. Browse and customise them directly in the free template library.

Bracket templates that need folding come as a flat pattern with the fold lines on a separate BEND layer, so the laser cuts the blank and the press does the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need CAD software to use this?
No. Type what you need — "a 300 x 150mm plate with four 8mm holes" — and the tool picks the closest parametric template, fills in its dimensions and draws it. You get a preview and a DXF you can download and cut, or send straight to our instant quote. Every dimension stays adjustable on screen, so you can correct anything it read wrong.
Can it cut text and letters?
Yes, and the text comes out as real cut geometry, not a font instruction the machine ignores. Every character is converted to closed outlines, the counters (the middles of A, O, B and 8) become separate contours wound the opposite way so CAM treats them as holes, and you can pick from four typefaces. Three lettering jobs are supported: letters cut as individual parts, words cut through a sign plate, and reusable paint stencils.
What is a stencil bridge, and why do I need one?
When you cut letters through a plate, the middle of an O is a loose island — nothing holds it, so it drops out of the sheet and you end up with a solid blob instead of an O. A bridge is a narrow strip of material left uncut, joining that island to the plate around it. Set a bridge width on the sign plate or stencil template and every island is joined automatically; the tool tells you how many were bridged, and warns you if one was too small to bridge.
Can I upload a photo of a hand sketch?
Yes. Attach a photo and the tool reads the dimensions written on it alongside your description. Sketch reading is best-effort — always check the numbers in the panel before you download. Anything the tool guessed is listed under "What we assumed".
Is the DXF actually ready to cut?
It is drawn by the same engine as our free template library: millimetres, closed contours on a CUT layer (bend lines on a separate BEND layer), correct winding so hole offsets go the right way, and real extents so CAD opens on the part. Every template is checked at every extreme of every slider by an automated geometry probe before it ships, so no combination of settings can put a hole off the edge of the part.
What about material and thickness?
Those are not part of the drawing. Pick your material, thickness and quantity when you upload the DXF to the instant quote — we cut mild steel up to 16mm, stainless and aluminium up to 8mm.

Next steps

  • Free template library — the same parts, driven by sliders instead of a description.
  • DXF viewer — open the file you just downloaded and check it before you order.
  • Instant quote — upload the DXF, pick material and thickness, see the price.