Commissioned work
Have your PDF converted to DXF
You have a drawing as a PDF and need a DXF file a laser, plasma or waterjet machine will actually cut. We redraw the contour in CAD — to scale, fully closed and checked against the dimensions given in your source file.
A PDF drawing becomes a DXF file by rebuilding the contour in CAD on the dimensions written on the drawing. An automatic converter transfers lines, but neither the scale nor closed contours — for cutting, the result is usually unusable. We do the redrawing as commissioned work at a fixed price.
Why an automatic converter is not enough for cutting
A PDF describes what a drawing looks like — not how big the part is. A converter turns that into lines, but it knows neither the scale nor the dimensions, and it cannot tell which lines form a cutting contour and which are merely construction lines, the border or the title block. The result opens, looks right at first glance, and still cannot be cut.
| Automatic conversion | Redrawn by hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Taken as stored in the PDF — often scaled, or in points instead of millimetres | Set to the stated dimensions and re-measured |
| Contours | Separate line runs with gaps and duplicate edges | Closed polylines, each contour exactly once |
| Scanned PDF | No result — those are pixels, not vectors | Measured as a source and rebuilt from scratch |
| Border, title block, dimensions | End up in the file as geometry | Left out; you receive the cutting contour only |
| Radii and holes | Approximated as polygons | Real circles and arcs |
| Layers | Everything on one layer, or scattered at random | Separated by cut, engraving and drilling |
If your PDF is a clean vector drawing at the correct scale, an automatic conversion may well be enough. It happens. Most of the time, though, the source is a scan, a catalogue extract or a printout that was scaled at some point — and then exactly the information that matters is missing.
What you receive
- A DXF file with closed contours, ready to cut on laser, plasma, waterjet and milling machines.
- Scale 1:1 in millimetres, checked against the dimensions on your source file.
- Holes as real circles, radii as arcs — no approximated polygons.
- Separate layers for cutting, engraving and drilling where your part needs them.
- On request also as DWG, or in an older DXF version if your machine requires one.
What we need from you
The more of this you can supply, the faster and cheaper the job. If something is missing we ask before quoting — not afterwards.
- The PDF itself, ideally at the highest resolution available.
- At least one known dimension if the drawing is not fully dimensioned.
- Material and sheet thickness, as far as you know them.
- The cutting process — laser, plasma, waterjet or milling.
- The DXF version your machine expects, if you know it.
How it works
Four steps from PDF to finished file. Nothing is charged until you accept the quote.
Upload the PDF
You create an account, upload the PDF and describe in two sentences what it should become.
Fixed-price quote
We look at the source, clear up any open dimensions by asking, and send a binding quote.
Approval and prepayment
You accept the quote and receive an invoice with VAT shown. Work starts once payment arrives.
Delivery of the DXF file
The finished file is ready to download in your customer area. If something is off, it gets corrected.
What does it cost?
The price follows the drafting time, not the page count of the PDF. A fully dimensioned single-part drawing is redrawn in under an hour; an assembly with a hundred holes is not. That is why the job starts with a binding fixed-price quote rather than a flat rate.
- Simple part
- €30–€50
- Medium-complexity part
- approx. €100
- Highly complex part
- approx. €200
The price depends on the design time required and is calculated individually for each order.
Request a free quoteFrequently asked questions
Can I not simply convert the PDF myself?
If your PDF is a vector drawing at 1:1, a converter often gets you far enough. As soon as the drawing is scanned, scaled or only partly dimensioned, every converter delivers lines without any dimensional reference — the file opens, but the part is the wrong size. That is where our work begins.
What is the difference between a vector PDF and a scanned PDF?
A vector PDF holds the lines as geometry: you can zoom in as far as you like and the edges stay sharp. A scanned PDF holds only an image of the drawing, that is, pixels. Nothing can be converted out of a scan — it can only be measured as a source and drawn again.
Will the DXF file really be dimensionally accurate?
Yes. The contour is built on the dimensions written on your drawing and then checked back against them. Where dimensions in the PDF contradict each other — more common on older drawings than you would think — we ask, rather than quietly settling on one reading.
Dimensions are missing from the PDF. Is that still possible?
Usually yes. A single known dimension is often enough to derive the rest from the drawing. If there is no reference at all, we need one figure from you — the hole spacing or an outer edge, measured on the real part.
Can I have DWG instead of DXF?
Yes, at no extra cost. Just tell us which format and version your machine or CAD program expects; older DXF versions such as R12 are no problem.
Related reading
A different kind of source, or the background reading: