Most CNC aluminium routing jobs start long before metal hits the bed. A clean DXF for CNC routing (or the matching DWG) is what lets the shop set toolpaths, start and stop at your mitres, and keep every rail on the same pitch. When the file is vague, the job slows down - clarifications, redraws, or a CAD setup step you could have avoided.
This guide is for Queensland fabricators who supply their own aluminium cut to size and want files that machine the first time. It covers how to prepare DXF and DWG drawings for aluminium routing, what to put on the sheet, and how that package fits the Quote Request path. It is not a finished-product catalogue; it stays on the component path - rails, frames, box section, angle, channel and flat bar you assemble on site.
Why DXF and DWG matter for aluminium routing
Nelsons Routing machines customer-supplied aluminium for slots, holes and custom cut-outs used in privacy screens, batten fencing, sliding and pedestrian gates, handrails, balustrades and façades. CNC needs geometry that is unambiguous in millimetres: slot length, pitch, start and stop relative to ends or mitres, hole centres, and any lock-box or hardware clearances.
On Services & Pricing, ordering instructions are explicit: a CAD drawing is required for each slotting and routing job in .DXF or .DWG format, emailed to the slotting address listed there (or attached through Quote Request). If you do not have CAD software, CAD can be prepared for a published setup fee per job - confirm the live figure on Services before you budget (currently listed as $20.00 setup fee per job + GST where that line still applies).
For a broader definition of the service model, see What Is CNC Aluminium Routing? A Fabricator’s Guide. For the commercial choice between published slotting styles once the geometry is clear, see Straight Slotting vs Louvre Slotting.
DXF vs DWG - what to send
Both formats are accepted when they describe the same job clearly:
- DXF - widely used exchange format; good default when shops and CAD packages need a common file. Prefer a clean 2D DXF that holds the profile outline and the cut geometry.
- DWG - native AutoCAD-family format; fine when layers and blocks stay tidy and the geometry is not locked inside a proprietary mess.
Either is a valid DXF for CNC routing package when the content is right. Send one clear file per job (or a tightly named set if you have several distinct sections), not a zip of every revision you ever saved. If the drawing and the email disagree, the shop has to stop and ask - name the winning revision in the message.
What a good routing drawing includes
Build the sheet so a programmer who has never seen your fence or gate can machine it without guessing:
- Units in millimetres - state MM on the title block or in the email. Do not mix inches and millimetres on one sheet.
- Section type and size - box section, tube, angle, channel or flat bar; overall width, height and wall thickness as you will supply them.
- Cut length of each piece - finished length after mitres if mitres matter to slot start/stop.
- Slot or cut-out geometry - width, length, pitch or centre-to-centre spacing, and whether the style is straight, louvre / louvred, elliptical, round holes or custom.
- Start and stop references - distance from ends, from mitre points, or from a datum the installer will actually see. “Slot the whole rail” without ends defined is not enough when mitres must line up with blades or battens.
- Quantity and part marks - how many of each length; labels that match stickers on the aluminium if you drop off multiple packs.
- Material note - customer-supplied cut to size (most jobs) or supply-and-machine if that is the brief.
- Hardware cut-outs - lock boxes, mortice clearances, strikers, finger latches, wheel cut-outs called out as separate geometry, not buried in a note only.
Keep construction lines, dimensions that fight the geometry, and leftover sketch layers out of the cut layer. One clean outline of the aluminium face plus the true cut paths is better than a presentation drawing full of hatch and title-block noise.
Layers, scale and common file traps
Simple CAD habits prevent most redraws:
- Scale 1:1 in model space - draw real millimetres. Do not send a paper-space plot that only looks right when printed at a forgotten scale.
- One job, one clear layer set - e.g. PROFILE for the section outline, CUT for slots and holes. Explode or flatten fancy blocks if the shop would otherwise open empty references.
- Closed polylines where the toolpath needs a closed shape - open scribbles and overlapping doubles force cleanup.
- No duplicate geometry on top of itself - stacked lines look fine on screen and break toolpath selection.
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Readable file name - company, job or PO, section, and date or rev (for example
ACME-PO4521-bottom-rail-revB.dxf). - Match the email to the file - state job type (straight slot, louvre slot, custom), slat or batten size, gaps in mm, quantity, and whether CAD setup is needed if you only have a sketch.
If you only have a hand sketch or a photo of a sample rail, say so up front. Sketches can still start a job when gaps and overlap are clear, but the shop may need the CAD preparation step listed on Services. A full RFQ checklist for quote speed sits with the Quote Request workflow; use the form fields and file upload so nothing critical stays only in a phone call.
How files connect to quote and services
Use this order of operations when you are ready to send work:
- Confirm style and commercial path on Services & Pricing (straight vs louvred rates, minimums, short-length rules, custom RFQ, CAD setup fee).
- Prepare the .DXF or .DWG to the checklist above - or note that you need CAD prepared.
- Submit via Quote Request (job type, material supply, cut-to-size flags, file upload) and/or email the same package to the slotting address on Services.
- Label physical bars to match part marks on the drawing if you are dropping material on the Sunshine Coast.
Published slotting rates and the CAD setup fee can change. Always price from the live Services page, not from an old PDF or this article alone. Complex cut-outs and non-standard profiles stay on RFQ so you are not forcing custom geometry onto a simple per-metre line.
Quick pre-send checklist
- File is .DXF or .DWG, 1:1 mm, latest revision only
- Section size, wall, and piece lengths match what you will supply
- Slot style named (straight, louvre, holes, custom) and pitch or gaps in mm
- Start/stop tied to ends or mitres the installer will use
- Quantities and part marks match the pack
- Hardware cut-outs drawn, not only described
- Email or Quote form repeats job type, qty, supply path, and deadline or PO if you have one
Visual examples of finished aluminium routing sit in the Gallery. Logistics questions for drop-off or freight can go through Contact.
Bottom line
A solid DXF for CNC routing (or DWG twin) is millimetre-true geometry, clear start/stop, named slot style, and quantities that match the metal you send. That is what turns aluminium routing from a back-and-forth into a straight machine run. Prepare the file once, confirm live rates and the CAD setup option on Services & Pricing, then send the job through Quote Request with the drawing attached.