Tube Cutting

Tube cutting severs a tube or profile at defined positions along its length.

Tube Cutting cuts tube or pipe to the lengths required by the manufacturing plan. It is the first operation in the tube workflow, analogous to Sheet Cutting in the sheet metal workflow.

Tube Cutting is an automatic workstep — it runs automatically after the Tube node is created during import. WSi creates the Tube Cutting node as part of the import or creation workflow.

When to use this process

Tube Cutting is available automatically when:

• You import a tube, pipe, or extruded profile (STEP file)
• You create a tube part using File → Create → Create tube
• You need to cut a purchased tube to specific lengths before further processing

Editing Tube Parameters

To change tube parameters after the node is created, right-click the Tube Cutting node in the Graph View and select:

• Edit Nesting Mode — change how cut tubes are arranged on the stock
• Edit Tube Filter — set or adjust the tube profile/specification filter. This restricts which tube specifications are considered for this cutting step

To override the wall thickness, right-click and select Edit Thickness. Changing the thickness updates the mass and cost calculations for all downstream joining steps.

Result

After Tube Cutting runs:

• A Tube Cutting node appears in the Graph View, connected from the Tube node
• The Tree View shows the cut lengths and any warnings
• Cut geometry is available as output for joining or further processing

TIP

Tube Cutting nodes can also carry a nesting mode override. If you need a specific cutting arrangement that differs from the database default, you can set it per node in the Graph View.

Parameters

The parameters for this process are configured in the database — see the Tubes page.

Technical Background

Tube cutting separates lengths of tube, pipe, or extruded profile at specific dimensions required by the manufacturing plan. The method chosen depends on the material type, wall thickness, precision requirements, and production volume.

The most common methods in industrial environments are bandsaw, laser, and waterjet. A bandsaw uses a physical reciprocating or rotating blade that removes material as swarf. It is slow but inexpensive, handles very large diameters, and produces minimal heat input. Laser tube cutting uses the same principle as sheet laser cutting — a focused beam with assist gas — but the tube is rotated by a chuck system so the beam can cut through the circular cross-section. This method is fast and precise for thin-to-medium wall thickness. Waterjet tube cutting, similarly, uses the same high-pressure abrasive stream but with a rotating workpiece.

Rotary saw machines use a rotating circular blade to cut tubes at high speed, suitable for high-volume production of consistent cross-sections.

Modern CNC tube cutting machines can perform multiple operations in a single setup — cutting to length, cutting notches, cutting mitres, and drilling holes — before the tube moves to the next manufacturing step. WSi supports tube cutting as the first operation in the tube workflow, analogous to sheet cutting in the sheet metal workflow.