WHY LEIKEPAJA WAS BUILT
Metal cutting, bending and welding are everyday work behind LeikePaja. That experience also made one thing very clear: ordering laser-cut parts is far more complicated than it needs to be, especially if you are not a large industrial customer but an individual or a small company that needs a handful of parts.
METAL IS FAMILIAR GROUND
LeikePaja parts are cut by NitroCut Oy in Lappajärvi, Finland. The owner does laser cutting, flame cutting, press brake bending and welding himself, and designs parts in Inventor and DraftSight. How steel behaves when it is cut, what welding demands at different thicknesses and how bending affects a structure are not theory but hands-on experience. Knowing how metal works means knowing what a customer actually needs.
Among metal fabrication methods, laser cutting is one of the most precise and versatile. It suits sheet metal parts that need accuracy, clean edges and repeatability. On thin and medium plate, a fibre laser is typically faster and leaves a cleaner edge than plasma or flame cutting.
NitroCut runs a 12 kW fibre laser. It cuts steel up to 25 mm as well as wear-resistant steel, stainless steel and aluminium. Thicker steel, 30 and 40 mm, is flame cut.
A PROBLEM THAT WAS EASY TO SEE
A DIY maker often needs a simple laser-cut part: a mounting plate, a protective cover, a piece of a frame, or a spare part you can no longer buy. The idea is clear and the dimensions are known. Then the obstacles begin, one by one.
First you have to find a suitable workshop. Some of the search results are industrial subcontractors who have little interest in an order of a few pieces. The rest want a phone call or an email. Waiting for a quote can take days. The drawing has to be sent separately in the right format, and the final price can be a surprise in either direction.
This is not the workshops' fault. They serve industrial customers with established processes, larger batches and in-house engineers. But for a hobbyist, an engineer building a prototype or a small company that needs five of something, the process was built for the wrong people.
AN IDEA THAT WOULDN'T GO AWAY
Fabrication experience combined with what web services make possible led to one question: why can't ordering laser-cut parts be as easy as ordering anything else online?
There is nothing technically impossible about it. What was needed was a service that understands both metal and the needs of the DIY maker.
The idea was simple: drawing, pricing and ordering in one place, right in the browser, without phone calls or quote requests. The price is visible while you draw. The workshop checks the drawing before cutting, and you only pay once the order has been approved. The parts are delivered to you, or you can collect them in Lappajärvi.
WHAT THAT MEANS IN PRACTICE
LeikePaja is not just an ordering channel but a service built with fabrication know-how. It shows in small details that actually matter.
- Your drawing is checked straight away. When you press Add part, the program checks for open contours, holes that are too small and the maximum size. The workshop also reviews the drawing before cutting.
- Clear tolerances: laser cutting ±2 mm, flame cutting ±5 mm.
- Sensible hole limits: for laser cutting the smallest hole diameter is at least the plate thickness, for flame cutting at least 1.25 × the thickness.
- Pricing based on real factors: material, thickness, cutting path and pierces. The price appears as you draw, not as an estimated hourly rate.
- Costs are visible before you send the order. The start fee and shipping are added at checkout and shown in the order breakdown. Collection from Lappajärvi has no shipping cost. Prices include 25.5% VAT.
The materials the service actually cuts
| Material | Thicknesses (mm) |
|---|---|
| Steel S355 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 2530 and 40 mm flame cut |
| Wear-resistant steel Hardox 400 | 6, 8, 10, 15, 20 |
| Stainless steel 1.4307 (304L) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 |
| Aluminium 5754 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 |
More on materials: Materials and thicknesses.
The starting point has been the same from day one: the service should work the way a metalworker would want it to work.
HOW THE SERVICE HAS GROWN
A lot has happened since the first version. In September 2026 the website and the drawing program got a new look, along with a few bigger updates.
- 2D assembly with colours. The part bar has 10 colours, and each colour is its own part. Colours may overlap, so tabs, slots, dovetails and stiffener holes can be fitted together in one drawing. Add part splits the assembly into separate parts, and each one is checked and priced on its own. Leave some clearance in the joints, as the program does not check the fit.
- New cart. Parts are listed with preview images, and thickness and quantity are chosen right in the cart. You can also open a part again to edit it.
- Business portal. Companies get their own login, prices excluding VAT, invoice payment and dozens of DXF files at once. Read more in the business portal article (in Finnish).
WHO IS LEIKEPAJA FOR?
LeikePaja was born from the needs of DIY makers, but it works just as well for small businesses and engineers building prototypes. They all share the same need: a quality laser-cut part without industrial processes.
No minimum order quantities and no quote requests. Draw a part or import a DXF, see the price and send the order. The workshop usually checks the drawing within 1–2 working days, and you only pay once the order has been approved. Cutting typically takes 1–5 working days depending on order size and workload, and the estimate is given in the confirmation.
TRY IT YOURSELF
Draw a part in your browser, import a DXF or pick one from the library. The price is shown instantly, and you order only when it suits you.