Why this exists
In 2019 we bought a second-hand 60 W laser and discovered that the hard part was not the machine — it was finding geometry that cut cleanly. Most free files were traced from photographs, drawn in inches, full of open paths, or licensed in a way that made selling a finished piece legally murky.
So we started drawing our own, testing them on the machines we actually own, and publishing the results with the settings we used. Six years later that habit has become a catalog used by hobbyists, market sellers, sign shops and school workshops in more than ninety countries.
How files are tested
Every design is cut at least once on a 60 W CO2 laser, a 20 W diode and — where the material calls for it — a 45 A plasma table or a 2.2 kW router. We measure a 50 mm test square, record the kerf, and photograph the finished part.
Files that fail do not get published. The most common reasons are bridges below 0.8 mm, islands the torch cannot pierce, and joints that only fit at one exact humidity. If a design needs a caveat, the caveat is written on the page rather than hidden in a README.
Who draws them
Two of us draw full time, and a rotating group of eleven contributors send in designs from their own workshops. Contributors keep their copyright and choose their licence; we handle the testing, the format conversion and the hosting.
Every file is generated from a single parametric master. That is why the DXF, SVG and STL of a design always describe exactly the same part — there is no manual re-drawing step where errors creep in.
How it is funded
Sponsorship from tooling and material suppliers, clearly labelled, plus a modest amount of display advertising on listing pages. No paywalls, no email gates, no 'premium' tier that quietly holds back the good geometry.
If DXF Design Point has saved you a sheet of plywood, the most useful thing you can do is send us a photo of the finished piece — we publish a reader gallery every quarter.