Bolton Sheetmetal Ltd 01204 460542 Upload drawing
Mild steel · 20mm Stainless · 12mm Aluminium · 10mm

Laser cutting,
made in Bolton.

CNC laser cutting for mild steel, stainless and aluminium — precision parts cut from your drawings, ready for fold, weld or finish.

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Amada FO 3015 MII NT
Bed 3000 × 1500 mm
5-day standard lead time
Amada FO 3015 MII NT cutting head with WACS water-assisted cutting active
Live · Amada FO 3015 MII NT
A family trade

Sheet metal is the family trade. We've been at it a long time.

Sheet metal has been the family trade since 1979 — Martin started on the shop floor at 14 in his father's business. Bolton Sheetmetal Ltd has carried the craft forward since 2011. From single prototypes to repeat production runs, we cut accurately, consistently, and to the lead times your production schedule actually needs.

Our CNC laser is an Amada FO 3015 MII NT — a 4kW CO₂ machine rated for the full range of fabrication materials, mild steel up to 20mm, stainless to 12mm and aluminium to 10mm. It runs Amada's water-assisted cutting (WACS), which keeps the cut zone cool on thicker mild steel — cleaner edges and tighter part nesting without the heat distortion you'd otherwise get. The bed runs 3000 × 1500mm, fed by an automated AS LUL FO-M II storage tower.

For work outside our in-house range — heavy plate, specialist materials, tube or box section — we can manage partner laser cutting through approved fabrication partners. BSM remains your single point of contact throughout: we review the drawing, confirm the route and deliver the parts as part of the same job.

Amada FO-MII cutting head with water-assisted cutting (WACS) spray active
The FO-MII head running WACS — the fine water spray that keeps the cut zone cool on thicker mild steel. Amada FO-MII series.
Outside our in-house range? We can still manage it. For work outside our in-house laser range — including heavy plate, specialist materials, tube or box section — we can manage partner laser cutting through approved fabrication partners. BSM remains your single point of contact: we review the drawing, confirm the route, manage the order, check returned work where required and deliver it as part of the same job.

Whether you're sending one DXF for a one-off bracket or a packaged kit of parts for an assembly, the workflow is the same: drawing check, nest, cut, deburr, ready for the next operation.

Capability

Laser cutting capabilities.

The numbers that matter on a quote. Send us a job that fits inside these — we'll cut it.

MachineAmada FO 3015 MII NT (CO₂, 4kW)
Maximum sheet size3000 × 1500 mm
Mild steelUp to 20 mm
Stainless steelUp to 12 mm
AluminiumUp to 10 mm
Typical tolerance±0.25 mm
Assist gasesO₂ (mild steel) · air (stainless & aluminium) · N₂ where the edge demands it
AutomationAS LUL FO-M II — sheet storage & loading
File formatsDXF & STEP preferred — DWG, IGES, SolidWorks, Inventor, NC1, PDF or sketch all fine
Standard lead time5 working days

A fibre laser upgrade is planned to expand capability on reflective materials and increase cutting speed on thinner gauges. Existing customers will be notified when commissioning is confirmed.

Materials

Materials we laser cut.

The everyday fabrication materials, cut to the thicknesses that matter on a real quote.

01 / Mild steel

Mild steel

The most common material through our laser. We cut mild steel up to 20mm using oxygen assist for clean edges and economical cycle times. Typical uses: brackets, base plates, machine guards, fabricated frames, general fabrication.

O₂ assistUp to 20mm
Mild steelO₂ cut · up to 20mm
02 / Stainless

Stainless steel

Both 304 and 316 grades, cut up to 12mm. Air-cut as standard for an economical clean edge; nitrogen where a job needs an oxide-free finish for food-grade, hygienic or architectural work. Typical uses: electrical enclosures for harsh environments, food and pharma equipment, balustrades, decorative panels.

304 & 316Air / N₂Up to 12mm
Stainless 304 / 316Air / N₂ · up to 12mm
03 / Aluminium

Aluminium

Grades 1050, 5251 and 6082 cut up to 10mm. Lightweight, corrosion-resistant, favoured for housings, heat sinks, lighting components and transport-related parts. Air-cut for a clean edge ready to anodise or powder coat; nitrogen on request where the edge demands it.

1050 · 5251 · 6082Air / N₂Up to 10mm
AluminiumAir cut · up to 10mm
04 / Pre-finished

Galvanised & Zintec

Where the part needs corrosion protection without a post-cut finishing step, we cut galvanised steel and Zintec. Useful for outdoor enclosures, HVAC components and roller shutter fittings.

GalvZintec
Galvanised & ZintecPre-finished sheet
Process

What's included in a laser cutting job.

Every job follows the same five steps, whether it's a single bracket or a packaged kit of parts.

01

Drawing check

Our CAD team checks every file for closed contours, correct units, and producibility. If something will cause grief at the machine, we'll tell you before we quote.

02

Nesting

Parts are nested across the sheet to minimise material waste and keep unit cost low — especially on repeat work.

03

Cut & deburr

Laser cuts the nest. Sharp edges are removed on request — standard on anything going on to welding or finishing.

04

In-house follow-on

Parts move directly to bending, welding, hardware insertion, tapping or drilling without leaving the shop.

CNC bending
05

Deliver

Parts packed, labelled and despatched via courier across the UK. Bolton, Manchester, Wigan and Preston customers can collect.

For your quote

What to send for a quote.

The faster and clearer the file, the faster the quote — and the more accurate the price.

  • A DXF of the flat (unfolded) part — closed contours, dimensions in millimetres.
  • Material and thickness stated explicitly.
  • Quantity — and whether this is a one-off or a repeat order.
  • Tolerance, if any feature needs to be held tighter than ±0.25 mm.
  • Finish, if the part needs powder coating, painting or plating downstream.

File formats accepted

DXF DWG STEP IGES PDF Sketch

No DXF? Send a PDF with dimensions, a STEP or IGES file, or a hand sketch. We'll work with what you have.

Why BSM

There are bigger laser cutting operations in the North West.
Here's what BSM brings.

One accountable contact

When you ring us, you get someone who knows your job. No call centres, no account managers shuffling files between sites.

Full follow-on, under one roof

Most laser-cut parts need bending, welding or hardware before they're useful. We do all of it here. One quote, one delivery, no parts lost between subcontractors.

The family trade since 1979

Sheet metal runs in the family — started in 1979, carried on by Bolton Sheetmetal Ltd since 2011. Family-run. Debt-free. Still here. And working towards ISO 9001 certification.

Honest lead times

Standard is 5 working days. If we can't hit it, we'll tell you before we quote — not after you've ordered.

FAQ

Laser cutting, asked & answered.

What's the largest sheet you can cut?
3000 × 1500 mm — the standard Amada FO 3015 bed size. Parts can be longer if they're profile-based and we can rotate the nest, but the maximum single-cut envelope is 3m × 1.5m.
Can you cut copper or brass?
Not on our in-house CO₂ laser. Reflective materials such as copper and brass are better suited to fibre laser cutting. If you have reflective-material work, send the drawing and we'll confirm whether it can be partner-managed or whether a specialist cutter is the better route.
Do you accept prototype or one-off orders?
Yes. No minimum order. A single bracket on its own sheet costs more per part than 100 nested together, but we'll quote either honestly.
How tight can you hold tolerance?
±0.25 mm is our standard cutting tolerance. Tighter is sometimes possible on smaller features — tell us what the drawing demands and we'll confirm at quote stage.
What file formats do you accept?
DXF and DWG are easiest. We also accept STEP, IGES, PDF (with dimensions) and hand sketches. If you have a 3D model, send the STEP — we can flatten it.
Do you cut tube or box section?
Our own laser is flat-sheet, but we do handle tube and box-section laser cutting through trusted specialist partners — managed by us, quoted by us, delivered by us. You deal with one contact and get one delivery, whether the job is flat parts, tube, or a mix of both. Send the drawing and we'll quote the whole thing.
Can you cut stainless without contaminating it?
Yes. Stainless is cut with a clean assist — air as standard, nitrogen where the edge demands it for an oxide-free finish. We don't run stainless and mild steel through the same handling without cleaning down, so cross-contamination isn't an issue for food-grade or hygienic work.
What's your typical lead time?
5 working days for laser-cut parts is standard. Assemblies that need bending, welding and finishing are longer — tell us what the job involves and we'll quote a realistic lead time alongside the price.
Also at BSM

Related services.

Laser-cut parts move directly to bending, welding or hardware insertion without leaving the shop. One quote, one delivery.

CNC punching

Louvres, dimples, countersinks, tapped threads and pre-painted material — the work the laser can't do, all in one turret cycle.

CNC punching

CNC bending

Flat blanks folded on two CNC press brakes — a 100-tonne Amada HFE and a servo-electric RSM. Programmed offline in Radan Radbend.

CNC bending

Welding & fabrication

MIG, TIG, spot and handheld laser welding. Cut, folded and welded parts brought together as complete assemblies under one roof.

Welding & fabrication

Fastener insertion

Clinch nuts, standoffs and studs pressed in on our RSM hydraulic insertion press — M3 to M8, to your drawing.

Fastener insertion
Ready when you are

Ready to cut something?

Send us your drawing and we'll come back with a price within the working day. DXF, STEP, PDF or a sketch — whatever you've got.

Upload drawing for quote Call 01204 460542
01204 460542
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