Laser cutting is how nearly every fabricated sheet part starts life, because the blank comes straight out of a file with no part specific tooling and no lead time beyond the queue. That makes it equally suited to a single prototype and to a production run, which is unusual and is why so many products never move to a stamping die at all.
What tolerance the process holds
Cut position is very repeatable and the practical accuracy is dominated by the kerf, the material thickness and any heat distortion on thin or small parts. Fabricators publish tolerance tables per thickness. What surprises buyers is that the hole diameter is affected by kerf compensation and by taper on thicker material, so a hole that must take a bearing is usually reamed afterwards.
Sending a file that cuts first time
Supply the folded three dimensional model and let the fabricator generate the flat, because their bend allowances are tested against their own tooling. If you must supply a flat, supply it as closed polylines with no duplicate or overlapping geometry and no construction lines, since stray geometry is the most common cause of a delayed job.
Features that need a second thought
Holes much smaller than the material thickness are hard to pierce cleanly. Narrow slivers between features burn away. Sharp internal corners carry a small radius from the kerf whether you drew one or not. Tabs thinner than the sheet distort. None of these stop the part being made; they simply mean it will not look like the drawing.
What happens next in the shop
Parts are deburred, then formed on a press brake, then whatever joining and hardware the assembly needs, then finishing. Each stage has its own constraints, and a part designed only for the cutting stage can be awkward at the brake. If the part is bent, get the fabricator to look at the whole route before cutting a hundred of them.
Questions people ask about sheet metal laser cutting
What tolerance can laser cut sheet hold?
Very repeatable positionally, with the practical limit set by kerf, thickness and heat distortion. Fabricators publish a table by thickness; ask for it rather than assuming a single figure.
Should I send a flat pattern or a folded model?
A folded model. The fabricator's bend allowances are tested against their own tooling and material, and a flat you generated elsewhere may not match.
What is the smallest hole a laser can cut?
As a working rule, not much smaller than the material thickness. Below that, piercing gets unreliable and the hole may be tapered or ragged.
Is laser cutting economical for one part?
Yes, which is its main advantage over punching or blanking. There is no tooling, so a single part costs the setup and the cutting time and nothing more.