Need Help with CNC Design

[coulterdTFFCR]

Hi All,

Let me lead with my Father in Law (FIL ) and myself are extreme novices to Autodesk / CNC / etc.  He bought the toys and I'm trying to help figure them out, lol.

We're currently using Shapr3d to create the sketch and importing that sketch into Fusion 360 to create the machining process and .CNC file to use on the plasma table.

However, we've run into an issue.  The lettering at the top of the image, especially the curves, is made up of entirely too many points and it's making the CNC table chew up the letters.  I'm thinking this MAY have something to do with the translation between Shapr3d (which we have for his 3d printer, orginally) and Fusion 360.

I attempted to use the "text on path" feature in Fusion - which technically went OK, but the letters are not touching the rest of the original sketch and will not be connected to the rest of the metal piece when we cut it out. 

Ideally, I'd like to just be able to drag the letters down a bit until they touch the outer edge of the rest arc and use the trim tool to clean it up, and be done with it.  But we can't even figure out how to do that.

Any guidance / tips / etc on how to get the letters going around the curve AND have them touch the outer arc edge (so they'll stay when the plasma torch cuts out the outlines) would be greatly appreciated.

I've attached a few reference images.  Happy Father's Day gents!

[jhackney1972]

You could explode the text and add a little bit to each model to intersect the circle.  Please attach your model and let the Forum users take a look. 

If you do not know how to attach your Fusion 360 model follow these easy steps. Open the model in Fusion 360, select the File menu, then Export and save as a F3D or F3Z file to your hard drive. Then use the Attachments section, of a forum post, to attach it.

[coulterdTFFCR]

Thanks, just attached the model to the message.  I did the text explosion which let me actually manipulate and drag the letters, so I just dragged them all down a tiny bit to where they intersected the outside arc.  Feels a little "hacky" but hopefully gets the job done.

Currently trying to figure out how to trim the unnecessary lines and/or a better way to do it.

[davebYYPCU · Accepted solution]

Quicker to draw the whole thing in Fusion. Not checked the file.

The easy fix, is to offset the plate outline, inside by the amount you want to make the letters join.

Instead of using the current path, make a dummy outline, to bring all the letters down by the same amount. (Not hacky method)

In fusion you don’t need to trim anything, just window select all the sections required.

Might help?..

[jhackney1972]

You really should be using Capture Design History for any work in Fusion.  After you Exploded the text, edit the sketch and break the Fix Sketch Constraint.  Then remove the bottom lines of the letters and use the Sketch Extend command to create your required profiles.  The "D" you will use a 3 Point Arc to close it in.  Then Extrude as needed or other operation.  Model attached.

[jhackney1972]

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[coulterdTFFCR]

Recreating the entire thing in Fusion only did make a lot of progress. The only thing I'm missing now is how to get rid of all the spline points in the letter "D". When the CNC table goes to cut that out it chews the mess out of the edge of the letter. Recreating in Fusion, and with some encouragement from you guys, exploding the letters, etc got us pointed in the right direction.

I've made the letters slightly larger (1.25" in total height) and swapped fonts to Arial, Bold. Seems like I'm all set now, but that letter D gets annihilated when getting cut out. The other letters are perfectly fine.

[jhackney1972]

If you want to remove all the points in the "D" this Blog Article and Video will show you how.

[davebYYPCU]

I have checked the file now, 

I can't see the spline points, you complain of - the D lettering has 4 splines and 3 lines to make the outlines.

Only thing to comment on is the splines are Control Point type, and how they get transferred to CAM system is an unknown at my end.  I would normally draw the curve with one 3 point Fit Point spline for each outline, and that may be all the difference in the CAM system. 

Might help....