relief cuts

[kellyWT9NF]

Is there a way to connect two or more blue line segments together to act as one segment? Essentially what Im trying to do is create a sculpting effect while plasma cutting on a piece of work where Im not really cutting a portion out but more like rather just making relief cuts to add detail to the piece. Ive made multiple test cuts using just strait lines for setting up my cutting speeds and amp settings. Ive made some straight relief cuts to give a point for bending sheet metal.. and this has all worked well. What Im after now is basically having two or more curved lines that intersect at a point so when I go into manufacture and set up the tool path it wants to look at the two lines segments as separate pieces. So I would be creating two or more peirces to cut the same line. Maybe this would still work.. but hoping I could just be tought to connect the lines.

Its been a bit since Ive asked for help on here so cant remember off hand how to attach my file. Hopefully me question is straight forward enough. Just want to make two or more line segments become one.

Thanks a million!

[rushabhthakkar_910 · Accepted solution]

Have a look at this for joining 2 Different sketches..!!

(https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/blog/how-to-combine-sketches-in-fusion-360/#:~:text=The....)

[kellyWT9NF]

Thanks for the comment however Im not seeing how it relates to what my issue is. My two line segments are on the same sketch. Ends of each segment are connected forming a point. However, when I try to select this it acts as two separate line. Where I actually have the problem is when I go to manufacture and set up the tool patch it sees what I view as one line as actually two separate lines requiring two separate pierces when it could just be one. Hope that makes better sense..

[laughingcreek · Accepted solution]

can you post a screenshot of what your talking about?  possibly a sample model with a tool path defined.

There is no command in fusion to join lines into a single entity.  It has been discussed ad nauseam in these forums, frequently with different users having different ideas of what it means to have lines joined together, along with the purposes for why you would want to do so.

for defining tool paths, selecting multiple sketch segments that are properly constrained together (as you've indicated you've done) should result in a single tool path.  for CNC milling that would mean the tool head doesn't pick up between sketch entities.  Is your problem that the plasma head starts and stops between sketch entities?

[rushabhthakkar_910]

I don't think you mentioned both the segments were in a single sketch.

No issues, Could you share your model, or some sort of screenshots of what you are doing..?

Would help in understanding your queries better.

[kellyWT9NF]

So the blue is the edge of the project which would be cut out. The green lines are essentially relief cuts. The green lines are made up of several splines whereas I would start the spline to get the curve where I wanted it and would then double-click to end the spline. But I would then want the next spline to start at the exact point that the previous spline ended. So even though in my eyes I see one line.. Fusion is seeing multiple segments. So for me to attempt to cut this out my tool path will have a pierce at each segment despite it all being one line.

[kellyWT9NF]

Yes thanks for that other video as well!

[kellyWT9NF]

Just tried attaching the file here. Hope you can view this. So basically the plan is to just burn it out of a piece of sheet metal. So only the letters, eyes, mouth, nose, and a couple other small areas will be cut through. The other lines are basically the relief cuts I'm speaking of. Most are already only one segment.. but there are a good number of them that it seemed I could only do using multiple segments.

Thanks again for any help! My wild child son will be grateful as well when he gets this for a Christmas present this year!! 🙂

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

In order to have two splines connected as one, you will need to recreate them as one, preferably in a new sketch.  One method that may work is:

1. Extrude the profile.

2. Convert it to a mesh.

3. Create a mesh section sketch.

4. Edit the sketch.

5. Use the Fit curves to mesh section command to create the new profile.

Hopefully your laser will recognize it as continuous.

[laughingcreek · Accepted solution]

 I'm a little rusty on plasma cutting tool paths, I farm all my cutting projects out.  guess I'm not getting the nuance of your question.  when you say pierce, do you mean the cutter is turning off and back on again?

attached is your file, I put a tool path on one of the relief cuts you indicated above.  run the simulation, is that what you want?

can you attach a file with a tool path defined on one of the relief cuts that isn't correct (pierces at each line segment)?

[kellyWT9NF]

Thanks all for the responses. I was digging into each a bit and what Im seeing at the moment is despite the many line segments that makeup a line in several occasions on my projects it appears I can still set up a tool path that just may work providing I switch the direction of the cut (red arrow) so each segment has the cut continuing in the same direction. This is probably what was ultimately stumping me as I couldnt keep the red arrows pointed in a continuous direction. I had never tried saving that tool path and attempting to test run it as I figgured it would be nothing but errors. But it appears as I kept all the arrows in the right direction that a test run of the tool path has in deed worked. And as LaughingCreek said.. it ran through the test without picking up the head at end of each segment within the same line. So Im optimistic this will work! I will try laying out a piece of sheet metal tomorrow night and see if this burns it out well or not and post my feedback.

[kellyWT9NF]

I was attempting this a bit earlier but was having difficulty with the meshing technique. This sounds like technique or tool I'd like to figure out its use. Although I think I got a work around for my project as is.. do you know of an existing video out there now that demonstrates how this works? Or is it possible to screen shot a simple demonstration video of how this works? Just something super basic to understand the concept?

[kellyWT9NF]

Just another quick question. I'm gonna try and burn this out tomorrow as my 8 year old son wanted to be here to watch the cutting process on the plasma table (yes with torching goggles) but I wanted to be sure to hit the "accept solution" tag for all your guys help. I'm seeing the "accept solution" button on all of my comments but not on yours. I got into trouble with another guy here last year who helped me but called me out for hitting the "accept solution" button on my own comment. Lol! I didn't know how this worked and figured they just put that button everywhere for convenience or something. Clearly that was wrong and he was very upset. So I don't want to make that mistake again. Is there a reason that button isn't coming up on your comments? I'm obviously logged in. I'm using my phone for much of this.. guess I can try my laptop tomorrow. Thanks again very much for all your help!

[rushabhthakkar_910]

Firstly, Who is your..?

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@kellyWT9NF wrote:
Is there a reason that button isn't coming up on your comments? 

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And have a look at this for Accepted Solutions..!! 

(https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/forum-user-guides/accepted-solutions-what-they-are-how-to-find-them-a....)

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

Here you go:

[kellyWT9NF]

Was just able to burn this out now and it actually cut flawlessly!.. as in it kicked off the program and not one hiccup!! I was concerned about all the spline segments but as long as I had the cut direction arrows pointed consistently everything went great. There wasn't even any issues with the G code publishing either. So thanks much for each and everyone's help!