Our tube laser is a 5-axis TRUMPF TruLaser Tube 5000 fiber laser. It cuts round, square, and rectangular tube in steel and aluminum, with features cut in a single setup including holes, tabs, slots, copes, miters, and bevels. These guidelines cover the practical limits and conventions to design around. For general laser cutting concepts like kerf, taper, and surface finish, see the General Laser Cutting Guidelines.

Stock Sizes

We stock a curated set of round, square, and rectangular tube sizes in both steel and aluminum. The full list of profiles, wall thicknesses, and material grades is on the materials pages:

If you need a size that isn't listed, contact us.

Length

Maximum finished part length is 96". There is no minimum length and no minimum order quantity. The machine cuts from longer raw stock, so end of stock drop-off is factored into pricing automatically. Length tolerance on a finished part is +/-0.020", which accounts for the cut off from raw stock and end squareness.

Edge Radius

Square and rectangular tube stock has a small radius on the outside corners rather than perfectly sharp edges. The edge radius is a natural result of the tube forming process and varies between batches and suppliers.

For quicker lead times, do NOT model the edge radius in your STEP file.

Stock comes in with a different edge radius every time, so there is no specific value to design to. Sharp corners in CAD are fine. The physical part will have whatever radius the stock arrives with.

Hole and Feature Sizing

Minimum hole diameter is 0.020" regardless of wall thickness or material.

Keep holes at least 1 wall thickness away from any tube edge or end cut.

On square tube, place holes on the flat face rather than across the corner radius. Holes that cross the corner distort because the surface is curved through the kerf path.

Tapped holes require at least three full threads of engagement to hold load. On walls thinner than 0.083", use a press in nut or threaded insert instead of tapping.

End Cuts and Joining Features

The 5-axis head supports a wide range of end conditions and joining features in a single operation:

Square cuts perpendicular to the tube axis
Miters up to +/-45 degrees
Compound miters, rotated and tilted in one cut
Copes, also known as fish mouths, for tube to tube intersections
Bevels for weld preparation
Tab and slot features for self-locating assemblies

Designing with these features eliminates secondary cutting and reduces or removes welding fixtures. For more about the process and its applications, see Tube Lasers Explained.

Engraving

Laser engraving is the process of using the laser at lower power to mark the tube surface without cutting through it. It's commonly used for part numbers, orientation marks, logos, or weld location callouts.

Fabworks does not currently offer engraving.

File Format

Tube laser cuts geometry directly from your 3D model. Upload a STEP or STP file when ordering. A 2D drawing cannot be processed for tube laser parts since the cuts wrap around the tube surface in three dimensions. If you're new to STEP export, see the guides for Fusion 360 and Onshape.

Tube Laser Cutting Guidelines