Beam Bench Docs

Tabs (bridges) for clean cuts

Keep cut parts attached to the surrounding material so they do not shift mid-job.

When you cut a part fully out of a sheet, gravity or airflow can shift it. A tab is a small intentional gap in a closed cut contour. The planner traverses that gap with the laser off, leaving a thin bridge of material that connects the part to the surrounding sheet.

You break the bridges by hand after the job. Clean parts, no shifting.

What you need

  • A single closed vector-compatible cut contour that will produce a free-floating part.
  • The Tabs tool.

Steps

1. Set up the cut

Lay out the parts and assign them to a Line layer using power, speed, and passes already verified for the exact material. Confirm the intended output in Preview.

2. Activate the Tabs tool

  • Hotkey: Ctrl+Tab.
  • Or from the Creation Toolbar.

3. Place tabs

Click on the cut path's edge where you want a tab. The tab marker appears.

Two to four evenly spaced tabs can be a starting layout, but the required number depends on the part, material, airflow, and workholding. Verify the result on scrap before relying on it.

4. Position considerations

  • Place tabs where you do not mind a small bump when you snap the part out. Bottom edges or hidden surfaces are good.
  • Avoid tabs at delicate spots like thin necks or pointed corners.
  • Symmetric placement looks more intentional than random.

5. Remove a tab

Click on an existing tab marker to remove it. Or just click again on the path to add another.

6. Understand tab width

The production planner uses the cut entry's stored tab_width_mm value to create a laser-off travel gap. The current desktop UI does not expose a supported tab-width editor.

The machine profile's Tab Pulse Width (ms) field is stored for compatibility, but it is not consumed by the current production planner or G-code generator. Changing it does not change bridge width or insert a pause. Inspect Preview and test on scrap; do not infer tab width from that profile field.

7. Cut

Frame, preview, cut. Parts stay attached by the bridges until you snap them out by hand.

When to skip tabs

  • The part is small enough that air assist will not move it.
  • You have a vacuum bed or magnets holding the material down.
  • You are doing many short / overlapping cuts where tab management is more work than risk.

When tabs are especially useful

  • Long, slim parts (the most likely to shift).
  • Parts cut at high speed (more wind from the head).
  • Big parts that span many other cuts.

Material-specific notes

  • Acrylic: tabs can leave a visible bump. Use a finishing method approved for the exact material.
  • Plywood / MDF: tabs can usually be trimmed and sanded, but test the finish first.
  • Cardboard / paper: light stock may still move under airflow; decide from a supervised scrap test and your workholding.

Verify it worked

  • After the job, parts are still attached to the surrounding material by the tabs.
  • Snapping a tab cleanly separates the part with minimal residue.
  • Preview shows laser-off gaps at the expected locations.

On this page

What you needSteps1. Set up the cut2. Activate the Tabs tool3. Place tabs4. Position considerations5. Remove a tab6. Understand tab width7. CutWhen to skip tabsWhen tabs are especially usefulMaterial-specific notesVerify it workedRelated