- Set the spacing to the larger of 3 mm and the thickness, and the edge margin to about 10 mm
- Subtract the kerf: the web of metal left between two parts is the spacing minus one kerf width
- Cut two test parts at the gap you want, then keep that value for the material and thickness
What the gap is for
- Heat: two cuts close together heat the thin web between them. On thin sheet it can warp or burn through, and parts can fuse to each other.
- Kerf: the beam or arc removes a slot of metal. The controller offsets every contour by half the kerf, so the metal left between two parts is the spacing minus one kerf width.
- Tip-up: a small part cut free next to an empty area can tilt on the slats and catch the head. A web of material around the parts keeps the sheet stiff until the end.
- Price: in Zorocut's part-rectangle billing the spacing is added to every part's box, so it is material the customer pays for.
Starting values
| Thickness | Zorocut default spacing | Plasma kerf, Powermax45 XP | Web left on plasma (spacing − kerf) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mm | 3 mm | 1.3 mm | 1.7 mm |
| 3 mm | 3 mm | 1.4 mm | 1.6 mm |
| 6 mm | 6 mm | 1.5 mm | 4.5 mm |
| 10 mm | 10 mm | 1.7 mm | 8.3 mm |
| 16 mm | 16 mm | 2.1 mm | 13.9 mm |
The kerf values are Hypertherm's for a 45 A torch on mild steel. Fiber kerf is far narrower, but no chart we could find publishes it: measure your own. Cut a 50 mm square, measure the part and the hole it leaves in the skeleton — half the difference is the kerf. Zorocut never writes the kerf into the DXF; compensation is the controller's or the CAM program's job.
Edge margin
The edge margin keeps parts away from the edge of the sheet, which is often not square and is where the clamps sit. Zorocut starts at 10 mm (our estimate); raise it if your sheets are sheared roughly or your clamps reach in.
How Zorocut uses it
- The spacing field shows the default for the chosen thickness until you type your own; clear the field to go back to it.
- The pre-cut check warns when the spacing is thinner than the sheet (“part spacing 2 mm is thinner than the 3 mm sheet”) and offers the default in one click.
- Moving a part by hand keeps the spacing too: Zorocut refuses a move that would bring two parts closer than the gap.
- Small parts can sit inside the holes of large ones (part-in-part). The spacing applies to the hole's edge as well, and the small part is cut before the part around it, so it does not drop with the slug.
Sources
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