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What should I check in a DXF before plasma cutting or ordering metal parts?

Updated Nov 11, 2026

Short answer: One-to-one scale with units, closed contours, no duplicates or stray points, text as outlines, no splines, gaps between parts.

The checklist

1. One-to-one scale, units saved. A DXF without units opens 25.4 times off. DXF wrong size.
2. Every contour closed. CAM software and metal shops reject open contours. Open contours.
3. No duplicates or stray points. Doubles cut twice; points make the torch pierce. Stray points.
4. Text turned into outlines. Active text will not cut. Letters with middles need bridges. Text to outlines.
5. No splines; R12 if in doubt. Plasma CAM often mishandles splines. Splines and DXF versions.
6. Parts do not touch. Leave a gap between separate parts; shops reject shared or crossing lines.
7. Only cut geometry. Remove dimensions, notes and hatching.

Choose "Plasma or metal shop" in the checker above and drop your DXF: it runs every check and fixes most of them in one click.

Real example: before and after

What the checker found

• 5 open shapes
• Doubled lines: 1 shape is drawn twice
• 1 piece of text is still typed text: "OPEN"
• 1 stray dot
• Size: 300 mm (11.81 in) wide × 120 mm (4.74 in) tall
• 1 curve is saved as splines
• Left out: 1 hatch

What was fixed

• Removed 1 shape that was drawn twice.
• Joined 4 broken pieces into 1 whole shape.
• Closed 1 shape whose ends nearly met.
• Removed 1 stray dot.

Download: before (DXF) · after (DXF)