Are you wondering that how the laser cutting workshop charges you when you let them cut you steel plates? We’re doing laser cutting every day, would like to give a brief introduction of the cost calculation for laser cutting.
Before doing that we need to know how the laser cutter works. The simple statement is that the metal plate is melted, gasified and burned by the energy of the laser. Below is main factors which determine the cost of laser cutting. 
Metal types: It is easy to understand that it takes different amount of power or energy to burn the different material as the composition is not same. It is more expensive to laser cut the stainless steel than carbon steel and the aluminum sheet is the most expensive one, under the same conditions. The aluminum is special, its surface would reflective the laser and it would cost more to laser cut it.
Thickness: This should be the first factor that comes to our minds. And we can calculate the laser cutting cost by the relationship of thickness, for example that the unit cost to laser cut 2 mm plate is two times of the 1 mm plate.
Start point: The laser head moves on the metal plate and it will move to another place and set a new start point when it finishes a closed plane. The start point will take extra energy and the laser cutting shop will charge it individually. So it depends on the design of the plate, the start point will be high if there are many closed planes, like there are many holes need to be laser cut.
Above listed is the main factors that will be considered by the laser cutting workshop. Don’t forget that all the bargain skills can be used; the cost will be cheaper if there’s a large quantity, you need to negotiate if there are a lot of small holes on the metal plate as the start point cost will be high.
