Laser-Cut Aluminum Parts: 5052 and 6061

5052-H32 or 6061-T6: which grade goes on the print

Put 5052-H32 on the print when the part bends or lives outdoors or near saltwater; put 6061-T6 on it when the part stays flat, carries load, or needs tapped holes and machined features. 5052 is not heat treatable but can be hardened through cold working, and the same reference credits it with resistance to seawater and salt spray (source 1). 6061 is a precipitation-hardened alloy, and in the T6 temper its listed strength is higher than 5052-H32 (sources 1 and 2). A laser-cut 6061 plate headed to a mill for a pocket behaves like the 6061 bar and plate covered elsewhere on this site.

The trade runs the other way on forming. Gerald Davis, writing in The Fabricator in 2017, puts 6061-T6 at an inside bend radius of at least 6x the material thickness and says 5052-H32 bends in about the same way as mild steel (source 3), so a bracket with a 90° flange is a 5052 part unless the print says otherwise. 6061 welds readily, but typically the properties near the weld are those of 6061-T4, a loss of strength of around 40% (source 2). When a flat plate needs more than 6061 gives, the 6061 vs 7075 comparison covers where 7075 fits; when the part is better as steel, laser-cut steel parts covers 1008 and A36. Other alloys and plastics quoted on request. Name the grade on the print.

Thickness, kerf and tolerance on the print

Name the material and thickness on the print. Write the thickness as a decimal, with the grade and temper beside it. How thick a laser cuts cleanly depends on the laser: one Fabricator article says the maximum thickness rises and falls with laser power, and that taper shows in thicker material (source 4). Thicker plate is quotable; the edge and the route change, and the quote says which.

Draw the part at its finished nominal size; kerf, the air gap the cut leaves behind (source 3), is not something to draw in. The cut profile is quoted from your print, and where the print gives no tolerance, the quote states the tolerance used. A tolerance on the cut edge is not a hole-to-hole position across a bend, and it says nothing about flatness. The laser cut tolerances page explains what a profile tolerance does and does not cover. A feature that needs tighter, a reamed locating hole for instance, is called out on the print and quoted as a machined feature on the same order.

Edges and bends: what the print should say

Every laser-cut edge has a heat-affected zone, which the article calls a nonissue for almost all fabricators (source 4). Dross, melted metal that was not cleared from the cut, forms where the cut cannot clear it: at a sharp 90-degree corner, where the head has to slow down and can overburn, and in thin bend reliefs (source 4). So radius inside corners where the design allows. Mark cosmetic faces and handled edges; an edge break called out on the print is quoted with the part.

For bends, give the inside radius, bend angle and flange lengths. Davis gives an inside radius equal to the material thickness as the rule for steel, stainless and other ductile materials, says 5052-H32 bends in about the same way as mild steel, and puts 6061-T6 at an inside radius of at least 6x the material thickness (source 3). The same article says sheet can crack instead of stretching depending on several variables, including the direction of the micrograin (source 3), so note grain direction if the bend is tight. The inside radius is quoted as drawn, with a note if it won’t form. Laser-cut bent brackets covers radius, flange and hole-near-bend rules; brackets and mounts covers the parts that come out of them.

Finishes: anodize and powder coat, specified on the print

A finish called out on the print is quoted with the part. Anodizing is quoted with the cut aluminum parts ordered here; anodizing a laser-cut part you already have is not quoted. Anodize is called out by type: MIL-A-8625 names Type II for coatings of moderate thickness, and coatings thicker than 0.001 in are known as Type III, hardcoat (source 5). The porous Type II coating accepts dye (source 5). The Aluminum Anodizers Council’s rule of thumb is 2/3 into the surface and 1/3 out for Type II, and half in, half out for hardcoat (source 7), and in small threaded holes screws can bind (source 5), so say on the print whether tapped holes are masked or cut after finish. The anodizing page covers the callouts.

Aluminum also takes powder coat. The print names the finish, with a color code or type, and the part comes back finished and inspected. Finishing for laser-cut parts covers the options across materials; the surface finish guide covers the same finishes on machined parts.

Typical parts, and what the print should carry

The usual laser-cut aluminum parts are brackets, mounting plates, panels and faceplates, spacers and shims, enclosure blanks and gussets, with no minimum, from one piece to production runs of 10,000. Two typical examples: custom brackets in 5052 with two bends and a hole pattern, and flat 6061 mounting plates with tapped holes. ASTM B209/B209M is the standard specification for aluminum and aluminum-alloy sheet and plate (source 6), so “5052-H32 per ASTM B209” on the print names the alloy, the temper and the specification together.

A complete print carries: alloy and temper (5052-H32, not "aluminum"); thickness as a decimal; quantity; finish by type and color; which holes are tapped, countersunk or reamed, with size and depth; bend angle, inside radius and flange lengths; grain direction if a bend is tight; and which faces are cosmetic. A DXF or STEP plus the PDF is ideal, any file type is accepted, and the quote lists anything missing. The laser-cut parts hub covers the order as a whole; the quote form takes the files first.

Inspection before the parts ship

Every part inspected against your print before it ships. If a part doesn’t match the print, it’s remade or credited. What cannot be checked as drawn is flagged in the quote. No C of C or material certifications ship with parts by default. If your PO needs them, say so before the quote. Inspection reports on critical dimensions aren’t included by default. If you need one, ask when you place the order.

Sources

All accessed 4 October 2026. Where a figure here differs from your print, the print governs.

1. Wikipedia, “5052 aluminium alloy”: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5052_aluminium_alloy (not heat treatable but hardened through cold working; H32 ultimate tensile strength 228 MPa and yield strength 193 MPa; corrosion resistance against seawater and salt spray; arc welding rated very good).

2. Wikipedia, “6061 aluminium alloy”: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6061_aluminium_alloy (precipitation-hardened, magnesium and silicon; T6 ultimate tensile strength of at least 290 MPa and yield strength of at least 240 MPa; highly weldable; typically, after welding, the properties near the weld are those of 6061-T4, a loss of strength of around 40%).

3. Gerald Davis, “What to know about sheet metal bend radius and minimum flange”, The Fabricator, 5 August 2017, updated 1 February 2023: thefabricator.com (the 1x thickness rule for inside radius works for steel, stainless and other ductile materials; 6061-T6 requires an inside bend radius of at least 6x the material thickness; 5052-H32 bends in about the same way as mild steel; sheet can crack instead of stretch depending on several variables, including the direction of the micrograin; kerf is the air gap left behind by the cutting tool).

4. Kevin Fradette, “Considerations for designing parts for laser cutting”, The Fabricator, 1 February 2016: thefabricator.com (heat-affected zone a nonissue for almost all fabricators; taper shows in thicker material; dross on thin reliefs; sharp 90-degree corners can overburn; maximum thickness rises and falls with laser power).

5. Wikipedia, “Anodizing”: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing (Type II as named by MIL-A-8625 for coatings of 1.8 to 25 μm, 0.00007 to 0.001 in; thicker coatings are Type III, hard-coat; sulfuric acid anodizing produces a porous surface that accepts dyes; each surface grows by half the oxide thickness; screws may bind in small threaded holes).

6. ASTM International, B209/B209M-21a, “Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate”: store.astm.org/b0209_b0209m-21a.html (covers flat sheet, coiled sheet and plate in the alloys and tempers shown in its tables). Referenced, not reproduced.

7. Aluminum Anodizers Council, "A Conclusive FAQ Guide for Anodized Aluminum": anodizing.org/anodized-aluminum-faq/, no date shown (under nominal Type II conditions the rule of thumb is 2/3 in, 1/3 out; under hard coat, Type III, half in, half out).