The processing range for most CNC laser cutters is from 0.3mm up to 25mm for the higher-powered models. The laser cutter can cut various materials including mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and incuses different gasses to aid the cutting process, including steel, pre-galvanized steel, copper, brass, and more. CNC laser cutting uses various gasses to aid the cutting process, which can include compressed air, nitrogen and oxygen.

Information about a design may be interpreted from a 2D file format such as DXF or DWG files or from a 3D file such as a STEP file, SAT file, etc. This information is then used to create the flat shape, altering the cut size for any bend allowances or anything that may affect the final component. Software packages can also be used to establish the most efficient layout of components from a given sheet size. This could be a standard sheet size such as 2M x 1M, 2.5M x 1.25M and 1.5M x 3.0M. It can also be off-cuts of materials from prevous jobs. This process is known as CNC nesting. Software packages like Radan® can automate this process to achieve the maximum yield from a single sheet metal panel, or even a selection of sizes of sheets as well as nesting a variety of different parts within the sheets. Creating groups of parts on the same sheet can increase the material usage efficiency.