Guide
Tube laser cutting or saw and drill: what it changes in the cost of an assembly
Laser cutting costs more than sawing. The finished frame costs less. Here is why, with a costed example.
The conventional frame, step by step
Take a 2 × 2 HSS frame with eight tubes, four notched crossmembers and twelve mounting holes. With a saw, each tube is cut to length, then marked, drilled and ground for the notches.
At assembly, the welder positions the eight tubes in a jig, checks squareness, tacks, measures again, then welds. A tube cut a little short gets filled with weld.
| Operation | Saw and drill |
|---|---|
| Cut to length | 8 cuts, plus deburring |
| Notches | 4 notches ground by hand |
| Holes | 12 holes marked and drilled |
| Positioning | Jig, squaring, measuring |
| Welding | Gaps to fill, distortion to correct |
| Labour time (example) | About 2 h 30 per frame |
The same frame on a tube laser
On a six-axis laser, the eight tubes come out cut to length, with the four notches, the twelve holes and etched marks for orientation.
The notches are coped joints: the crossmember slots into the upright. The frame positions itself. The welder tacks and welds, without a complex jig.
| Operation | Tube laser |
|---|---|
| Cut to length | 8 cuts, burr-free |
| Notches | Made at the cut |
| Holes | Made at the cut |
| Positioning | Self-positioned by the notches |
| Welding | Fitted joints, less filler metal |
| Labour time (example) | About 50 min per frame |
What it changes in the cost
- A laser minute costs more than a saw minute. On this frame, laser cutting adds a few dollars per tube.
- Assembly labour drops from about 2 h 30 to about 50 minutes. At $75 an hour, that is over $100 saved per frame.
- Rework disappears: a frame identical to the previous one, with no short tube to fill.
- Over 100 frames a year, the labour gap exceeds $10,000. The extra cutting cost comes nowhere near it.
Compare the cost of the finished frame, not the cost of the cut. Tube laser pays for itself in the welding hours it removes.
When the saw remains the right choice
A one-off part, with no notch or hole, cut to length. A profile that does not fit through a 4 in opening. A thickness beyond 1/2 in.
In those cases, we say so in the quote. Tube laser is not an answer to everything; it is an answer to repeated assemblies.