FAQ

Ordering

Do I need an account?
No — anyone can upload a drawing and get a price. You need an account to place an order, so we know where to send it and you can find it again later.

What if I made an account after I’d already uploaded?
Your drawings come with you. Nothing is lost.

Can I order one part?
Yes. You’re charged for the material your part actually uses, not for a sheet. One bracket is a real order.

Why is one so much more expensive than twenty-five?
Setup. Threading the machine, folding the first piece and checking it takes the same time whether you want one or fifty. The quantity breaks on the quote page show exactly where that stops mattering.

Can I change an order after paying?
Email us straight away. Before it goes to the floor we can usually change or cancel it. Once it’s cut, it’s cut.

Files

What file do I upload?
A flat pattern — DXF or DWG — drawn 1:1 in millimetres.

Can I upload a STEP file?
Yes. STEP and IGES models are unfolded automatically — we measure the sheet thickness off the model itself and preselect it for you. It works for brake-bent parts of constant thickness, which is most sheet metal. If your model is rolled, pressed or has varying thickness the site will say so rather than guess.

Can I upload a SolidWorks or Inventor file?
Not the native ones — .sldprt, .ipt and .f3d are proprietary containers we cannot open. Export STEP from the same package and upload that instead; it takes a moment and every package can do it.

My model has several parts in it.
Upload one at a time. A file with several solids is refused rather than quoted, because the unfolder would otherwise pick one arbitrarily and quietly quote the wrong thing. Email us the assembly and we’ll quote it by hand.

How do I mark bend lines?
Put them on a layer named BEND_UP_90, BEND_DOWN_45 and so on. Dashed lines are fine — we join them up.

The preview looks wrong.
Don’t pay. Email us the file. Nine times out of ten it’s a drawing border being read as part of the outline, or a layer we didn’t recognise, and it takes us two minutes to sort out.

Who can see my drawings?
Nobody outside our workshop. Files go from your browser to our own server, not to a third party. You can delete them from your account at any time. Files attached to an order we’ve already made are kept as a record of the work, but stop being visible to anyone.

Making

How accurate is it?
Laser-cut profile tolerance is ±0.5 mm on our machines. Folded dimensions are ±1.0 mm over a single bend and stack up over multiple bends. If you need better than that, talk to us before ordering.

Which way does the grain run?
On brushed stainless we run parts with the grain unless you tell us otherwise. Say so in the order notes if it matters.

Do you deburr?
Parts come off the laser with a clean edge but a slight bottom burr on thicker material. Deburring is a finishing option where we’ve enabled it; otherwise ask.

Will it be flat?
Thin material over about 1 m can pick up a slight bow from cutting stress. If flatness is critical, say so.

Delivery

How long?
7 working days as standard from approval. Express and rush options are priced at checkout.

Can I collect?
Yes, free. Choose “Collect from us” at checkout and we’ll tell you when it’s ready.

Do you deliver outside South Africa?
Not through the website. Email us.

My part is 2.4 m long and the site says collection only.
That’s right — it won’t go on a parcel courier at a sensible price. Get in touch and we’ll arrange transport.

Money

Do prices include VAT?
Yes — every price on the site includes VAT at 15%, delivery included. The basket and checkout show it separately, like Total R426,24 (includes R55,60 VAT), so you have the figure for your own records. A quote we send you by hand is set out the other way round: amounts excluding VAT, with VAT added at the end.

How do I pay?
Card, through Yoco. Your card details never touch our servers.

Do you invoice on account?
For regular customers, yes — email us and we’ll set it up. The website is prepay.

Can I get a refund?
Custom-cut parts are made to your drawing, so they can’t be resold. See our returns policy — if we got it wrong, we fix it or refund it, no argument.