The short answer
On metal additive RFQs, **removing the part from the build plate** is a planned cut—not a silent cleanup step after the laser stops. Shops typically separate Ti-6Al-4V (and similar) builds by wire EDM, by sawing through extra stock, or by cutting a sacrificial printed base. What you leave unsaid about **cut method**, **extra stock on the datum that sat against the plate**, and **whether a witness or skim is allowed** is what widens many [quote-new.php](https://3dwk.com/quote-new.php) **rates.v1.1** / powder estimate bands—not powder kilograms alone.
This guide is for buyers packaging SLM aerospace fittings where the drawing treats the plate-facing face as finished datum A with no stock. Illustrations use an **Example part** only—not customer flight hardware or a claimed process qualification. Sibling notes live in [SLM support removal and skim notes](https://3dwk.com/resources/slm-support-removal-and-skim-notes), [SLM build orientation notes for buyers](https://3dwk.com/resources/slm-build-orientation-notes-for-buyers) and [support strategy notes on SLM thin walls](https://3dwk.com/resources/support-strategy-notes-slm-thin-walls); here we focus on the **plate interface itself** so estimators do not guess a wire-EDM cutoff or invent skim stock.
What plate removal means for quoting
The part is printed attached to a metal build plate. After the build, powder is recovered and the plate goes to a cutoff process. Wire EDM is common when the interface must stay planar and the alloy work-hardens or smears under a saw; a bandsaw plus leftover stock can be enough when you already planned a CNC skim. A sacrificial printed base (a thicker pad under datum A) is a design choice that makes either cutoff safer. Process pages for titanium additive ([SLM Ti-6Al-4V aerospace](https://3dwk.com/en/slm/ti-6al-4v/aerospace.html), [SLM Ti-6Al-4V](https://3dwk.com/en/slm/ti-6al-4v.html), and the hybrid skim path on [CNC 3-axis Ti-6Al-4V aerospace](https://3dwk.com/en/cnc-3axis/ti-6al-4v/aerospace.html)) assume those notes when lots mix as-built skins with a machined plate face.
Do not write “remove from plate” in a notes cloud. Put **WIRE-EDM CUTOFF FROM BUILD PLATE; +1.5 mm STOCK ON DATUM A; SKIM A AFTER CUTOFF; WITNESS OK OUTSIDE PAD** on the PDF and mirror it in RFQ text. Background: [SLM vs CNC hybrid part strategies](https://3dwk.com/resources/slm-vs-cnc-hybrid-part-strategies), [wire EDM for precision parts](https://3dwk.com/resources/wire-edm-for-precision-parts), [what files to send for a CNC quote](https://3dwk.com/resources/what-files-to-send-for-cnc-quote).
Stock-on-datum, orientation and recoater direction
If datum A is the plate-facing face and you need it flat and perpendicular to a bore after cutoff, leave sacrificial stock and say the skim. Treating the raw EDM or sawed face as a finished GD&T datum without stock is how lots bounce to **needs_manual**. Orientation still belongs on the RFQ: the recoater sweeps across the plate, and a tall, poorly supported interface can raise crash risk before cutoff even starts—see build-orientation notes above and [minimum wall CNC vs SLM](https://3dwk.com/resources/minimum-wall-cnc-vs-slm-for-buyers). Internal channels that open toward the plate need a powder-escape story at the interface, not only after support removal.
Titanium powder and plate planning under **rates.v1.1** / powder tables is not a published invoice; the cutoff and skim minutes often move the band as much as a small change in part mass.
When a sacrificial base belongs
Add a printed pad or thicker base when the functional solid would otherwise be nicked by the wire, when you need clamping stock for a later CNC skim, or when several small parts share a plate and you want a common cutoff plane. Skip the extra base when the plate-facing face is already a non-functional pad you can accept as-cut (and you say “as-cut witness allowed”). Do not assume the shop will invent a 2 mm pad under every datum.
Tolerance and inspection traps
Calling datum A on the plate face with no stock, requiring a cosmetic as-built skin on the same face that must be wire-cut, omitting whether heat tint or recast from EDM is allowed before skim, or asking for 100% CMM of the raw cutoff before any skim, all force **needs_manual**. Related: [lattice infill notes on SLM structural parts](https://3dwk.com/resources/lattice-infill-notes-slm-structural-parts) if infill meets the plate, and [powder reuse notes for SLM buyers](https://3dwk.com/resources/powder-reuse-notes-slm-buyers) if you also constrain powder pedigree—keep those notes separate from the cutoff method.
Illustration 1 shows an **Example part** SLM fitting with a labeled cutoff plane, sacrificial stock on datum A, and keep-outs that the wire must not nick.
Example part walkthrough
**Example part:** Ti-6Al-4V SLM fitting envelope ~70×35×28 mm, datum A on the plate-facing pad, one through bore normal to A. With build notes + **WIRE-EDM CUTOFF; +1.5 mm STOCK ON A; CNC SKIM A AFTER CUTOFF; NO WIRE WITNESS INSIDE BORE KEEP-OUT**, expect a clearer planning band on [quote-new.php](https://3dwk.com/quote-new.php). Same geometry with silent CAD that shows finished datum A sitting on the plate, and a note “remove from plate,” often lands DFM notes or **needs_manual**—without inventing any customer PO or flight certificate.
Illustration 2 contrasts a vague RFQ (“remove from plate”) versus a labeled plate-removal pack and the clearer estimate path.
What widens bands fastest
Finished datums drawn on the raw plate interface, no cutoff method, no leftover stock for skim, and keep-outs that the wire cannot physically miss. Quantity and nest density change powder and plate amortization but do not erase cutoff ambiguity—see [how quantity breaks change CNC unit cost](https://3dwk.com/resources/how-quantity-breaks-change-cnc-unit-cost) for the machining-side habit, [ti6al4v CNC vs SLM cost and lead time](https://3dwk.com/resources/ti6al4v-cnc-vs-slm-cost-lead-time), and [what needs_manual means](https://3dwk.com/resources/what-needs-manual-means-preliminary-quote).
What to do next
Name the **cutoff method**, leave **stock on the plate-facing datum** if that face is functional, mark wire keep-outs, then upload on [quote-new.php](https://3dwk.com/quote-new.php). Service pages: [CNC machining](https://3dwk.com/cnc-machining-service.php) (for hybrid skim), [materials](https://3dwk.com/materials.php). Treat **rates.v1.1** / powder min/mid/max as estimates, not invoices. If the UI shows **needs_manual**, answer the plate-removal questions rather than forcing a fake firm price.
Common questions
Is wire EDM always required to come off the plate?
No. It is common on titanium and on planar datums that will be skimmed, but a saw plus extra stock can be enough if you say so. The failure mode is leaving the method blank.
Can the raw cutoff face be datum A?
Only if you accept as-cut texture and possible recast, or if you immediately skim it and move the datum to the skimmed face. Drawing a tight flatness on the raw cut without stock usually widens the band.
How is this different from support removal?
Support removal addresses downskin and lattice landings after the part is free of the plate. This note is about the plate interface, the wire/saw path and leftover stock. See [SLM support removal and skim notes](https://3dwk.com/resources/slm-support-removal-and-skim-notes).
Do I need to mention powder cake at the interface?
If channels or lattices open toward the plate, yes—say how powder escapes after cutoff. Otherwise a general powder-recovery note is enough; do not turn it into a silent internal-cavity surprise.