Getting Illustrator files into LDS without the paths going weird

Recipe I use for every file I sell, so it's had a lot of testing:

1. Outline all text before export (Type → Create Outlines). Never rely on fonts surviving the trip.
2. Expand strokes — Object → Expand. A 1pt stroke means nothing to a laser; it needs to be a closed shape or a centreline you deliberately want.
3. Merge overlapping shapes with Pathfinder. Doubled paths usually means two identical outlines stacked, and the laser will cut both, which chars the edge.
4. Delete hidden and empty layers. Invisible objects still import.
5. Export as SVG 1.1, decimal places 3, styling "Presentation attributes", responsive off.
6. Set your artboard in mm and the same size as the intended piece, so scale comes in right.

If you're using colour layers to drive different power settings, name the layers and keep to a small set of pure RGB colours — pure red, green, blue, black. Muddy colours get mapped unpredictably.