Cutting a lot of squares

Software
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Hope this is the right place for this topic.

I have a job to cut 500 one inch squares, with a 1/4" hole in each. I could obviously just cut each one individually, but that’s 1000 pierces if you don’t use tabs.

Can anyone think of a reason it’d be a bad idea to do it like a grid? Cut all the holes first, with spacing for kerf obviously. Then cut all the horizontal lines, clamp across those strips somehow, and then cut the vertical lines? Seems like I could cut it down to 500 pierces for the holes and something like 60 for doing the lines. Plus very efficient use of material.

Honestly don’t think plasma is the best choice for this, but I guess they couldn’t find someone to punch and shear 500 tabs for them.

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Since I’m not a big shop, I go with the approach of skepticism when running that quantity. I would do 10x10 as individually cut 1x1 squares and repeat. But it really depends on how close to 1" is needed. Do you need the whole to be exact? Are the holes being drilled to an accurate size or just large enough for pass through? These sound like weldable tube end plates for casters or feet.

If you did them as a grid, then you just need to CAD draw them with kerf factored in since those will be no offset cuts as you said.

Not knowing your cutter and consumable cost, I wouldn’t worry whether it’s 500 or 1000 pierces. I guess it’s a matter of your time and material use.

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