2D Profile strategy

The 2D Profile toolpath is for cutting sheets of material using a laser cutter, waterjet, or plasma cutter.

2D Profile toolpath on a sheet of material.

Laser cutters use heat from a laser beam to melt or vaporize material. The process is used with or without gas to assist in the removal of molten or vaporized material. Laser cutters are generally more accurate than waterjets and plasma cutters, producing the smallest cutting kerf (or width of cut).

Waterjets use a high-velocity, high-pressure stream of water, forced through a small-diameter orifice, with an abrasive added to the stream. Water at a high pressure erodes many materials rapidly, acting like a saw blade. Waterjets are generally more accurate than plasma cutters, producing a moderate cutting kerf.

Plasma cutters use electrically heated gas to cut electrically conductive materials. The gas is heated to an extremely hot temperature so that its atoms are ionized. Plasma cutters are generally the least accurate of the three types of tool, producing the largest cutting kerf.