Work out laser cutting time instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Cutting time is the path length divided by the feed rate, plus a fixed pierce time for every point where the beam has to start a new hole. On designs with many small holes the pierce time can rival the cutting time, which is why nesting and combining contours speeds up a job.
Cutting time
seconds = path length / cutting speed
Total
total = cutting time + pierces x pierce time
seconds = path length / cutting speed. Cutting time is the path length divided by the feed rate, plus a fixed pierce time for every point where the beam has to start a new hole.
On designs with many small holes the pierce time can rival the cutting time, which is why nesting and combining contours speeds up a job.
Enter total cut path length, cutting speed, number of pierce points, time per pierce. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.