Convert AI to DXF that cuts at the right size.
Trace it below to see where auto-trace breaks — then let a human deliver a DXF built from clean Illustrator geometry, with strokes resolved, masks released, type outlined and the scale set to your units.
The short answer
Illustrator exports DXF directly, so try that first: File > Export > Export As, then AutoCAD Interchange File (DXF). What goes wrong is usually in the artwork, not the export: strokes never expanded, open paths, clipping masks hiding artwork that still comes through, live type and a scale or unit mismatch. When fixing that takes longer than it should, upload the AI file and a designer rebuilds it as closed, single, kerf-aware paths, layered per operation, at 1:1, in 24 hours.
Illustrator exports DXF in seconds. The artwork decides whether it cuts.
An AI file is built to look right; a DXF only describes geometry. Much of what Illustrator draws for you doesn't survive the trip: a stroke exports as its centerline and loses its width, artwork hidden by a clipping mask can come through in full, live effects and brushes expand into fragments, and live type exports as text that most cutting software won't cut. Open paths and overlapping shapes look fine on screen and cut wrong. And a DXF often carries no unit, so the software on the other end guesses at the scale.
We prepare the geometry before it's exported: strokes expanded or kept as single centerlines, whichever the operation needs, clipping masks released and the hidden art deleted, appearances expanded, overlaps merged with Pathfinder, type outlined, and every path closed and joined. Then we set a kerf offset for your tool, put cut, score and engrave on separate layers, and export at 1:1 in your units, in the DXF version your software reads. You get native DXF plus SVG.
Upload the AI file
The native .ai, plus any linked images. It goes straight into the order.
We clean the geometry
A designer expands, releases, merges and closes paths, then sets kerf and layers.
Cut-ready DXF in 24h
Native DXF plus SVG at 1:1, with a 100% remake guarantee.
Same AI. Two very different DXFs.
| For your laser or router | Human redraw · VectorWiz | Instant auto-trace |
|---|---|---|
| Path closure | Closed contours | Open outlines |
| Line doubling | Single lines | Doubled edges |
| Kerf / tool offset | Offset to your machine | None |
| Node count | Minimal, editable | Hundreds of stray points |
Before you hit Export.
Can I convert AI to DXF myself?
Yes, Illustrator does it: File > Export > Export As, choose AutoCAD Interchange File (DXF), then pick the AutoCAD version and set the scale in the options. Before exporting, select everything and run Object > Expand Appearance, Type > Create Outlines and Object > Clipping Mask > Release, then delete what the masks were hiding. For clean, simple art that's often all it takes. A rebuild is worth ordering when the file has many open or overlapping paths, or was drawn for print rather than cutting.
Should strokes be expanded before export?
It depends on the operation. For a through-cut, a stroke that stands for a shape's edge should become a filled, closed path. For engraving or a single-line score, the stroke's centerline is often exactly what you want, and expanding it would give you two parallel cuts instead of one. Tell us how each part is cut and we set the strokes up per operation.
Why does the DXF import at the wrong size?
A DXF often carries no unit, so the receiving software assumes one, and artwork drawn in inches but read as millimeters comes in 25.4 times too small. In Illustrator's DXF export options, set the scale so one unit matches your machine's millimeter or inch, then check a known dimension after import. Our DXF arrives at 1:1 in the units you give us, with the dimensions checked.
What happens to images and gradients in the AI file?
A cut path can't come from a photo or a gradient: neither has an edge to follow, and a laser or router ignores embedded images in a DXF. If that part of the design has to be cut or scored, we redraw it as vector shapes. For photo engraving, the image is better sent to your laser software on its own.
How fast is an AI to DXF rebuild?
24 hours standard, 12-hour rush, or 3-business-day flex, with a 100% remake guarantee.
Where this converter links.
Up · pillar & hub
Lateral · other converters
Get a DXF from your AI file that cuts at size.
Send the .ai file and tell us the machine. A designer cleans and scales the geometry and has cut-ready DXF back in 24 hours, guaranteed.