Pipe, profile and angle-iron cutting
Short answer
Craftarea cuts pipe and profile on a flatbed CNC fiber laser: holes, slots and ornament on one accessible face of round or square tube, angle iron and channel, up to 10mm wall on mild steel and 6mm on stainless, at ±0.1mm positional accuracy. We own no rotary tube laser, so full wraparound fish-mouth cuts are not done here.
Pipe, profile, angle iron and channel are the rolled stock that frames, railings, gates and support structures are built from. A pipe, round or square, is hollow section; angle iron is an L-shaped two-flange profile; channel is a U-shaped profile. We work all four on a flatbed CNC fiber laser, but not the way we work flat sheet. Profile has a three-dimensional cross-section, so the beam reaches only one freely accessible face per setup. Below is exactly what that includes, where the limit sits, and which jobs go to a partner workshop instead.
Key facts
- Max wall/flange thickness — mild steel
- up to 10mm
- Max thickness — stainless / aluminium / copper-brass
- 6mm / 5mm / 3mm
- Positional accuracy
- ±0.1mm
- Minimum hole diameter
- equal to wall thickness (⌀3mm in a 3mm wall)
- Faces cut per setup
- 1
- Minimum order
- 1 piece
- Accepted files
- DXF, DWG, AI, PDF
- Turnaround
- quote in 24 hours, production in 2-5 working days
What is the difference between pipe, profile, angle iron and channel?
A pipe is hollow stock with a round or square/rectangular cross-section. Profile is the umbrella term for any standard rolled shape: pipe, angle iron, channel, T-section, flat bar. Angle iron, уголок in Russian usage still common in Georgian workshops, is an L-shaped profile with two flanges at ninety degrees, used in frames and brackets. Channel, швеллер, is a U-shaped profile for floor and support structures. All four sit on one page because the cutting technology and its constraint are identical: a flatbed laser reaches one face per setup.
- Stainless steel = inox = nerzhaveika — one material, three names
- Mild steel = carbon steel = 'black metal' in local trade usage
- Angle iron = уголок (L-profile); channel = швеллер (U-profile)
What does pipe laser cutting cover here — which profiles do we cut?
A flatbed CNC fiber laser works the face that clamps flat to the cutting bed. Flat bar and angle iron lie down on one flange, and we cut holes, mounting slots and ornament into them at ±0.1mm positional accuracy. Channel is handled the same way on one flat face. Closed tube, round or square, is workable only when the cross-section clears the cutting head and the opposite wall can be protected from the beam, so every tube enquiry gets a feasibility check against your dimensions before we quote it.
- Flat bar and T-profile — full shapes, ornament, logos; no geometric restriction
- Angle iron (L) — mounting holes, notches and ornament on one flange
- Channel (U) — holes and slots on one flat face
- Round/square tube — holes and slots on one wall, after a feasibility check
What we do not do with pipe and profile
Our laser is a flatbed machine, not a rotary or chuck-fed tube laser. We therefore do not cut around a pipe: no fish-mouth miters for joining two round tubes at an angle, and no spiral patterns running the full circumference. We also do not cut both walls of a closed profile with differing geometry, because the beam only reaches the near wall. Press-brake bending and welding are not in-house services either; the metal-processing technologies page covers that in detail. Where a project needs any of these, we route it to a partner workshop and tell you before you order, not after.
What thickness of pipe, angle iron or channel do we cut?
The ceiling follows the base material. Mild carbon steel angle iron, channel and tube up to 10mm wall or flange thickness; stainless (inox) profile up to 6mm; aluminium up to 5mm; copper and brass up to 3mm. Positional accuracy is ±0.1mm throughout, and the smallest reliable hole diameter equals the wall thickness — ⌀3mm in a 3mm wall. The full per-alloy table lives on our metal thickness guide. If your profile exceeds these limits, heavy-wall industrial pipe for instance, send the dimensions and we will tell you whether we cut it in-house or route it to a partner.
Where cut pipe and profile is used
Cut profile mostly goes into metal frames, railings, gates and fences, furniture legs, mounting brackets and reinforcement gussets. A frequent job is a customer who already has a welded frame and needs precise holes or a logo in one specific place; we take that kind of point work down to a single part, because the minimum order is one piece. In decorative work, angle iron and channel form the structural frame around cut metal partitions and panels, while round tube frames ornamental gate and railing inserts.
Capability by profile type — and the physical reason for each limit
| Profile type | What we work on | Max thickness | What we cannot do — and why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat bar / T-profile | Full shapes, ornament, logos, holes — no restriction | 10mm (steel) / 5mm (aluminium) | — (flat stock, cuts fully) |
| Angle iron (L-profile) | Mounting holes, notches, cut-out ornament on one flange | 10mm (steel) / 6mm (stainless) | Both flanges at once — the second flange obstructs the cutting head |
| Channel (U-profile) | Holes, slots and mounting notches on one flat face | 10mm | Cutting the full cross-section in one pass — side walls are unreachable |
| Square/rectangular tube | Holes, slots, ornament on one wall, after a feasibility check | 10mm | Complex cuts through both walls — the beam damages the far wall |
| Round tube | Holes and slots on one wall, if the section clears the cutting head | 10mm (steel) / 6mm (stainless) | Wraparound fish-mouth cutting and mitering — needs a rotary laser |
How it works — step by step
- 1
Specify profile type and dimensions
Tell us what you have: round tube diameter, square tube side, angle iron or channel size (e.g. 40x40x3mm), wall thickness and material.
- 2
Send a sketch or DXF file
Supply hole, slot and ornament positions for one face as DXF, DWG, AI or PDF. No file yet? A dimensioned sketch is enough and we will prepare the rest.
- 3
Feasibility check
We check your dimensions against cutting-head clearance and face accessibility. If the job will not run on our laser, we say so immediately and point you to a partner workshop.
- 4
Quote within 24 hours
Price is calculated from material, thickness, profile type and cutting complexity; you get an exact figure within one working day.
- 5
Production in 2-5 working days
After cutting we clean the edges and verify dimensions. Standard lead time is 2-5 working days depending on batch size and complexity.
- 6
Pickup in Tbilisi or delivery
Collect the finished parts at our workshop in Tbilisi, or we ship by courier anywhere in Georgia. Questions: +995 557 771 979, info@craftbox.ge.
Frequently asked questions
Do you cut round pipe with a laser?
Yes, but only on one wall: holes, slots and ornament are cut on a flatbed CNC fiber laser after we check the section dimensions. A cut running around the full circumference, such as a fish-mouth miter, requires a rotary tube laser, which we do not have.
What thickness of angle iron or channel do you cut?
Mild steel profile up to 10mm wall or flange thickness, stainless up to 6mm, aluminium up to 5mm, copper and brass up to 3mm. Positional accuracy is ±0.1mm on every material.
Can you cut both walls of a tube at once?
No. A flatbed beam reaches only the near wall, and the opposite wall needs protecting. Both walls can be machined in separate setups; for complex geometry we recommend a partner workshop with rotary equipment.
How long does a cut pipe or profile part take?
You get a quote within 24 hours, and production normally takes 2-5 working days. The exact lead time depends on batch size and cutting complexity.
What is the minimum order?
One piece. A single unit is accepted; unit price drops on larger batches because the setup cost is spread across more parts.
Do you bend or weld the cut profile?
Press-brake bending and welding are not in-house services; when a job needs them we route the work to a partner workshop. Edge cleanup after cutting we handle ourselves.
What file do you need to cut a pattern into pipe?
DXF, DWG, AI or PDF covering one face, with closed contours and exact positions. Minimum hole diameter should equal the wall thickness — ⌀3mm in a 3mm wall.
Where does the price for pipe cutting in Tbilisi start?
We do not publish a fixed price list, because cost depends on material, thickness, profile type and total cut length. We send an exact figure within 24 hours of receiving your sketch or dimensions.