Text engraving order

[difalkner]

Why does the engraving tool jump around on text? Or any engraving, for that matter? If I choose the two scrolls at top and bottom in the same geometry profile it will jump from one to the other multiple times rather than do one and then the other.

On text, as the first part of the screencast shows, it engraves the 'C' and then moves all the way across to engrave an 'o', then goes back to engrave the line in order. That's wasted motion and time.

If I choose two or more lines of text in the same profile, as in the second part of the screencast, it jumps from line to line rather than do one line and then the other.

I am not running a production shop but wasted motion is additional wear and tear on my machine and is still wasted motion. While I know I can orient my plaques 90° to this layout during design and the engraving will follow the lines I don't understand why engraving won't follow the lines if the orientation is like this where it's easier to read and layout on the machine.

My workaround is to create a profile for each line but that's also wasted time and effort. It just seems like Fusion 360, so smart and powerful in so many areas, is 'text dumb' and text seems to bring Fusion 360 to its knees.

Thanks for any suggestions!

David

[Matthew-R]

Hi @difalkner Thanks for posting to the forum.  On the Linking tab of your engrave operation, do you have the "Keep Tool Down" check box selected?  You should be able to help control how much the tool moves around by selected that and adjusting the Maximum Stay-Down parameter.  If you can upload your file, we'd be happy to take a closer look in Fusion to see what you could do to optimize the toolpath.  Thanks!

[difalkner]

It doesn't seem to make any difference, Matthew.  The plaque is flat so as I understand the 'Keep tool down' function it won't make any difference.  I changed it from 0.25" all the way to 5" in 0.5" steps and no difference in the toolpath.  I get this back and forth motion on every piece in which I use text.  If it had the 'Preserve order' that's available on other operations that would be nice.

I have attached the file but have yet to select all the text.  I just combined two for this little 'test', otherwise I'll just do one line at a time and then combine all for one G-code file.

David

[Matthew-R]

@difalkner After opening your file I can better see what you're going through.  There are so many rapid moves, kind of crazy the amount of time wasted between cuts.  Another thing that you could do, which would be rather labor intensive, would be to create separate operations by using Duplicate for each letter engraved and order them as you wish.  That would be a lot of code though.  My suggestion would be to add this to the CAM Idea Station, a "Preserve Order" selection, or some kind of way to minimize rapid movements.  I did a search of the Idea Station and surprisingly didn't see an existing request.    Let me know if you post and I'll be sure to vote for the idea.     

[difalkner]

Submitted - thanks, Matthew!

David

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/hsm-ideas/preserve-order-for-engraving/idi-p/7340143

[daniel_lyall]

@difalkner and @Matthew-R the Engrave in fusion is optimised for the X axis, if it's along the Y it jumps all over the show, If it's along the X not so much.

The why The tool is jumping all over the show on some of the small letters is the tool is too big, if you do september 2, 1977 with a 3mm tool it goes letter by letter.

[kjaersn]

Hi @difalkner,

Thank you for your feedback. This is a known issue and you can use CAM-4968 for reference.

Kind regards

Niels

[difalkner]

Thanks for the explanation, Daniel.  I just think that a program as powerful as Fusion 360 should give you a choice as to which orientation you're using rather than fixate on and lock you into one direction only.

That's interesting about the larger bit; why would the size of the bit make a difference (just trying to understand...)?  i don't have a smaller bit so it's a moot point for me right now but I may load one into the tool library to test that out.

Thanks!

David

[difalkner]

Thanks, Niels.  Where would I use that for reference?  I plugged it into the search field and it only pulls up your comment in this thread.

David

[kjaersn]

When fixed it'll show up in the changelog or other annoucements. And If you have any futher questions it will help us if you refere to the number.

/Niels

[daniel_lyall]

Strangely enough that's how most programs with a V carve toolpath work,

The Vcarve/engrave looks like it's something simple it's not there is a tonne of over ya head math involved in doing it, I know someone who has there own cam program they wont add Vcarve to it, he says to use Vcarve pro there is text engraving but no Vcarve in his program.

The toolpath jumping all over the show on your letters along the X is the tool going into the closest same size letter with the big tool, as you letters get smaller the jumping gets worse with a big tool.

If you use a smaller tool and the jumping is still there you use a even smaller tool and it will reduces the jumping.

It's all down to how the cutter interacts with the width of the letter the tool can only go as deep as it can to it hits the width of the letter if the width increases the tool goes deeper if it decreases it lifts up.

They have not finished with the engrave function yet when they get more into it, it will start refusing to cut small letters with a big tool and spit that error out that the tool is to big, and they will add a flat depth to it you can BS it now quite well now to make it hit a flat depth.

[difalkner]

That's interesting on the smaller tool choice and sort of makes sense.  The only puzzling aspect to that is I'm only going 1/16" deep so from that aspect it shouldn't matter how much of the tool is above the surface.  A 90° bit that is 1/4" diameter and a 90° bit that is 5/8" diameter are identical from the tip to the 1/4" diameter level.  But ok...

On the math part, I'm fairly decent at math but my point is that if they can make all that over my head math follow one axis why can't they add a selection that says, 'Follow the other axis', whichever that may be? 

David

[daniel_lyall]

They can have a selection for y or x that's up to the dev guys.

It's not just going 1 depth that's where the name engrave gets most people, (they have been asked to rename the toolpath to Vcarve as that's what it is) and some users think you are bats **** crazey trying to explain how the toolpath works and the argument gets to a point that you have to pass it on to a staff member, and it's the name that causes the argument.

If it was a straight out engrave almost anything goes as it's 1 depth. it's the variation in the letter width that controls the depth in fusions engrave.

[difalkner]

Understood - thanks, Daniel!

David