Frequently asked questions

Pick CNC routing, fiber laser or CNC plasma cutting, upload a file, review the detected features, and choose material and quantity. You see each part’s price and the total before you pay, and you review the proof before ordering. 3D printing has its own quote, for STL, 3MF, OBJ and STEP models.

STEP (.step/.stp) is preferred for solid models. DXF and SVG are supported with feature and depth review. For DWG, PDF, or Illustrator artwork, export DXF or SVG at 1:1 and outline text.

No. You can start a quote as a guest. Sign-in is required for checkout and account order history.

Check the feature report and cleanup notes. Correct the file or request engineer review in the quote. You can also contact the shop with the problem.

Uploads are processed to prepare part previews, features, and quotes; files attached to a quote request or inquiry are opened only by shop staff to price the job. Quote links can grant access to the quote, so share them carefully. Files are used only to quote, make and support your orders: never sold, never shared with other customers, and handled only by the service providers that run the site, as needed. They’re kept 2 years after your last activity unless you ask us to delete them sooner. See how files are handled.

The CNC router positions to ±0.001″. Finished parts typically hold ±0.005–0.010″ in sheet goods — plan on ±0.010″ for ACX and construction plywood, and allow for wood and HDPE moving with humidity and temperature. Tell the shop about critical fits before ordering. The tolerances guide has the details.

Up to 61″ × 121″ on the CNC router, and up to 72″ × 144″ on the fiber laser — the largest laser part depends on the metal’s stocked sheet size, and up to 49″ × 97″ on the plasma table. Every part must also fit a stocked sheet of its material and thickness; the quote checks this for you.

The smallest router bit is 0.125″, so routed inside corners have at least a 0.0625″ radius. Add corner relief (a dog-bone) where a square tab must fit a routed slot. Round holes down to 3 mm (0.118″) are drilled; smaller holes are drilled on request — the quote flags them and the shop confirms the part before you pay.

It machines one face per part — the machined face the quote asks you to confirm — with through-cuts and through-holes going all the way through. In rare cases the shop can flip the sheet and re-index it to machine the second side; that's custom work at an extra fee, so ask the shop before you order. Pockets on both faces can often be avoided by gluing two thinner parts or boring hardware afterward.

Parts are cut to your file and shipped as cut. Router-cut edges are machined and can need light sanding; laser-cut edges can show light dross or discoloration; plasma-cut edges carry some dross along the bottom and a slight bevel. Sanding, grinding, deburring, painting and other finishing aren’t included with cut parts — ask the shop before ordering if you need them. 3D prints come with the finish chosen in their quote.

For 3D prints and carved foam, yes. A 3D print’s finish is chosen in its quote — supports removed, support marks sanded, sanded smooth, primed ready to paint, or painted one color — and priced by surface area. Carved foam is hard-coated, primed and painted by the shop, priced job by job because the hand work varies. Printed vinyl graphics can be installed by the shop, quoted with the print. Routed and laser-cut parts ship as cut; painting, powder coating and assembly of those stay with you or your finisher.

Sheets are cut as supplied — sanding and face grades aren't quote options, so ask the shop before ordering if you need sanded faces or a particular grade. Grain matching is opt-in and off by default; turn it on in the Parts step and review each part’s grain direction.

For routed parts, yes: choose customer-supplied sheets on the Quote step. The quote lists the sheet sizes to bring and charges cutting plus a per-sheet handling fee. Bring the sheets to the shop by appointment after you pay — flat, dry and full size — and your lead time starts when they arrive. Laser and plasma parts are cut from the shop’s metal, billed by the area they use.

For wood, plastic, and other routed sheets, it’s your choice. That material is billed as whole sheets, so on the Quote step tick “Keep the leftover material” and we pack the offcuts with your parts for pickup or delivery. Leave it unticked and the shop keeps them. The price is the same either way. Metal is different: it’s billed only by the area your parts use, so the rest of the sheet stays with the shop. Bringing your own sheets? Tick the box if you want your offcuts back.

The laser cuts mild steel (A36 / CRS) 0.048–1″, galvanized steel (G90) 0.036–0.135″, stainless steel 304 0.036–0.75″, stainless steel 316 0.048–0.25″, aluminum 5052-H32 0.04–0.25″, aluminum 6061-T6 0.125–1″, and brass 260 and copper 110 0.032–0.25″. The quote picker shows the thicknesses in stock today. See fiber laser cutting for details.

Each part is priced, for its metal and thickness, on its cut length, each hole by its size, its pierces and any etched lines, plus setup and programming once per design, handling for each piece and loading for each sheet the job uses. Metal is billed by the area your parts use — each part’s outer size plus a little cutting space — never more than the sheets they’re cut from. Identical parts get automatic quantity discounts on the cutting from 2 pieces, and the quote shows each part’s price before you pay.

Upload your file for an instant quote. While laser rates are being finalized, approving a quote with laser parts sends an order request instead of taking payment: the shop confirms the price by email before cutting, then you pay online and pick up or get local delivery. Nothing is charged until you agree.

No. A laser cuts all the way through, so pockets, dados, and partial-depth holes can’t be made; the quote flags them. Through-holes, slots, cutouts, and etched lines are fine. Holes smaller than about half the material thickness may not cut cleanly. Need a pocket? Route the part in wood or plastic.

The same tolerance statement as the router applies: the machine positions to ±0.001″, and finished parts typically hold ±0.005–0.010″ depending on the metal and its thickness, with thin sheet at the tight end of that range. The beam’s kerf is compensated when the job is programmed, so outlines and holes come out at the size you drew. Holes, slots and webs narrower than the metal is thick can taper or distort — tell the shop about press fits, bearing bores and other critical fits before ordering.

No — laser parts ship flat and as cut. Bending, tapping, countersinking, deburring, painting and powder coating aren’t part of an online order, so draw holes at the size you need (or at tap-drill size if you’ll tap them yourself). If a part needs a finishing step, ask the shop before ordering.

Mill test reports aren’t included with online orders. If your job needs material certs, say so in the notes for the shop when you approve your proof, and the shop will tell you before cutting whether they can be provided.

Nothing is charged until the shop confirms your price and you pay, so a request can be changed or cancelled any time before then — reply to the price email or contact the shop with your quote number.

The plasma table cuts mild steel (A36 / CRS) 0.048–1″, stainless steel 304 0.036–0.75″, stainless steel 316 0.048–0.25″, aluminum 5052-H32 0.04–0.25″, and aluminum 6061-T6 0.125–1″. The quote picker shows the thicknesses in stock today. Brass, copper and galvanized steel are cut on the fiber laser only. See CNC plasma cutting for details.

Plasma suits base plates, gussets, brackets and other plate parts where the edge matters less; it leaves a wider kerf, a slight bevel and larger minimum holes than a laser, and holds looser tolerances. Thin sheet, fine detail and small holes usually favor the fiber laser. The plasma design guide covers hole sizes, webs and edges.

Upload a DXF, SVG or STEP file to the plasma quote. While plasma rates are being finalized, approving a quote with plasma parts sends an order request instead of taking payment: the shop confirms the price by email before cutting, then you pay online and pick up or get local delivery. Nothing is charged until you agree.

No. A plasma torch cuts all the way through, so pockets, dados and partial-depth holes can’t be made; the quote flags them. Keep holes at least as large as the plate is thick, and plan to drill or ream holes that need a precise fit.

Upload an STL, 3MF, OBJ or STEP file to the 3D printing quote and choose FDM or resin printing — the part’s size picks the FDM printer, up to large-format. The quote shows the part on the build plate with where the supports go: pick how it sits and the side that shows, then the layer height, strength and finish, each priced as you choose it. If a 3D printing quote is marked as an estimate, approving it asks the shop to confirm the price by email before anything is printed, then you pay online. Nothing is charged until you agree.

The quote shows each material as a card — what it’s best for, how it rates on strength, heat and sun, and what switching costs — with our top picks up front. In Las Vegas, skip PLA for anything that rides in a car or lives outside: it softens in the heat, where PETG and ASA hold up. We stock the common filament colors; pick the closest swatch and tell us in your order note if you need another.

An FDM part goes on the smallest of our printers that takes it — up to the large-format printer — without you choosing. A part bigger than all of them is printed in pieces with alignment keys that fit together, then joined. The 3D printing overview compares FDM, large-format and resin printing.

Standard · 5–7 business days; Fast · 3 business days (×1.35 on the order); Rush · Next business day (×1.75 on the order). Lead time counts business days from when payment clears; orders paid by 3 PM Pacific on a business day join that day’s schedule, and later orders — or ones paid on a weekend or shop holiday — join the next business day’s. Your quote shows the estimated ready date for each speed.

Local delivery covers the Las Vegas valley — Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City ZIPs; outlying towns like Mesquite, Laughlin and Pahrump are freight. Delivery is $45 flat. Free on orders of $500 or more. Pickup is free. You give the street address, a phone for the driver and any drop-off notes when you approve your proof. Heavy plate or full-size sheets that need a lift gate or more than two people are arranged with you before delivery. Confirm venue access requirements with the shop.

4545 W Reno Ave, Unit B9, Las Vegas, NV 89118. Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Pickup is by appointment — call (702) 755-4722 or reply to your order email to schedule a time. Bring your order number.

The proof shows parts, features and depths, materials, quantities, and sheet layouts. Check it before approving. Editing confirmed geometry requires confirmation again.

Your account shows each order’s status and estimated completion. We email you at each step — received, programming done, cutting, finished.

Orders have a $95 minimum; a 3D printing order’s minimum is shown in its quote. If your parts come in under it, the quote is priced at the minimum and tells you so — more parts fit in that room at no extra cost.

Approve your proof, then pay by card or US bank account (ACH) through Stripe’s secure checkout. Card payments clear right away; bank payments take a few business days, and your lead time starts once they clear. While laser and plasma rates are being finalized, a quote with laser or plasma parts sends an order request first: the shop confirms the price by email, then you pay online. Need an invoice or purchase order? Contact the shop with your quote number.

Quotes are valid for 30 days. After that, re-price the quote to check current material and rates.

Contact the shop with the order number and requested change. Availability of a change depends on the job’s status. Orders can be cancelled for a full refund until they reach the Cutting stage. If a part is wrong because of our error, report it within 7 days for a remake or refund. See the order terms.

The total shown is what you pay at checkout — no sales tax is added.

Send a custom fabrication inquiry for the Innovate 3D team to review.