How to setup Fusion 360 for using with X-carve CNC machine?

[Anonymous]

I am new to Fusion 360. I have a simple X-carve CNC machine by Inventables. Previously I have operated the machine using their software Easel. But after getting Fusion 360, I'm willing to do that using this software instead. I have seen that, couple of forum members have already tried out this. So I'm asking for any kind of help you can provide about setting up Fusion 360. Thanks 🙂 

[LibertyMachine]

While there are many X-Carve owners who have adopted Fusion 360 as their software of choice, there aren't many (to my knowledge) who are forum "regulars". I do know that @matthew.nichols (Autodesk Employee) has an X-Carve, perhaps he would be so gracious as to chime in and share a few words on his experiences?

[matthew.nichols · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous

I do use Fusion to run my X-Carve and it works really well...once i made a couple post tweaks.  the post that you can download through Easel will cause crashes right off the bat.  attached is the post that i modified to eliminated the crashes on initial movements and homing.

You can still go through Easel and all you do is load up the gcode that is posted from fusion using the post attached and it will work everytime.

Let me know if you have any questions or need more help with getting started.

@LibertyMachine thank you for the shout out!

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot for the post processing file. I'll test it soon and let you know if it worked. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Hello Matthew,

I was wondering if you could clarify how your post processor differs from the one downloaded from Easel currently.

I am about to try out a Fusion file, and was wondering if your post processor solves any issues that there sounded to be with the Easel version a little while back.

Do you know if the Easel one still cause issues?

I contacted Inventables to try find out when their post processor was last updated and if it solved any issues. I sent them a link to the thread with your processor file to compare.

Below is their response.

thanks

Steve

JUL 17, 2017  |  11:46AM CDT

Griffin Dennis replied:

Hi Stephen, It seems the only thing that's changed between february and now with our official post-processor is the following:

29c29

< clampOffset: 1.0

---

> clampOffset: 0.0

between the February official post-p and the one in the thread we have the following differences:

29c29

< clampOffset: 1.0

---

> clampOffset: 0.0

276a277,278

> // var clearHeight = hasParameter("operation:clearanceHeight_value") ? getParameter("peration:clearanceHeight_value"): " ";

> // writeBlock(gMotionModal.format(0), zOutput.format(clearHeight));

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> writeBlock(gMotionModal.format(0), zOutput.format(initialPosition.z));

293c296

< writeBlock(gMotionModal.format(0), zOutput.format(initialPosition.z));

---

>

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> writeBlock(gMotionModal.format(0), zOutput.format(initialPosition.z));

303a308

> writeBlock(gMotionModal.format(0), zOutput.format(initialPosition.z));

442c447

< // noop

---

> writeBlock(gFormat.format(0), "X0Y0");

It looks as though he added some final movement commands to it, but I can't say for certain what it would necessarily help with without doing some deeper digging. I believe the clamp offset setting probably helps with the plunging issue that was described by the author. This is fixed in both the newest official post-p and the modified one from the thread. In any case out official post-processor should work quite well for most work in Easel. Please let us know if you have any more questions on this. Best, -Griffin.

Griffin Dennis

Junior Technical Support Specialist

Inventables, Inc.

[matthew.nichols]

@Anonymous

I haven't honestly looked at the newest version.  mine was modified from last year, but the only real changes i made were the zeroing of Z at the end of the program.  

i will download the latest Easel post for xcarve and see what they have going now.

[Anonymous]

Any updates on the post processor file investigation?

E

[kiko_lobo]

I am using this post processor without an issue. My only mission problem is that the spindle does not stop when  the job finishes. But everything else works much better than anything else.

Thank you very much for this!

[Anonymous]

I have been using the stock post processor from Easel. I have not had any real issues, other than a few random starts that I can't be certain if it is my Fusion CAM skills or a weird post processor / easel thing.

But I did have some out of control movements which aren't shown on the simulation in Fusion. I have to quickly shut it down.

Then when I run it another session, it works. Again, it might be my CAM work, as I find this a brain teaser. I need a brain RAM upgrade, that's what I need. One of those digital native ones 😉

I will test this out by running files multiple times next time to be sure.

Do you trust 100% the simulation in Fusions CAM?

Steve

[Anonymous]

thanks, not much of support for DIY CNC machine.. 

[kiko_lobo]

I’m my experience the simulation is accurate. Make sure the tools are setup properly and that you are using this post which is better than others I have tried.

[joeltbennettuk]

Here's a link to my X-Carve tool library - there's instructions to load it into your own local library too: https://discuss.inventables.com/t/fusion360-tool-library-for-all-inventables-bit-sets/50579/8

This includes pretty much all the router bits from the starter packs they sell - they're listed in there too so you can make sure you've got everything you need.

With this and the post-processing file, you'll be ready to go. All you'll need to operate your X-Carve is Fusion360 and a gcode sender - Universal gCode Sender is what I (and most others) use, very easy to work with. You can download UGS here: https://github.com/winder/Universal-G-Code-Sender

[kiko_lobo]

Awesome resources! Thank you!

I use CNCJS with a Raspberry Pi.. I Love it! 🙂

[Anonymous]

I'm curious about the gcode sender.  I was trying it yesterday and I was getting an error.  I had used a post processor that was supposed to be for the xcarve.  It kept saying that the machine was busy.  Kept telling me it was in an error state and couldn't do anything.  I had run a piece of code through easel from Fusion just to see what would happen and the xcarve was working.

.

[joeltbennettuk]

The screenshot you posted has tiny resolution so I can't read the error message, but whenever you initially connect to the machine, you'll be starting out in "Alarm State" - just press the $X button in the machine control tab, then hit the $H button to home the machine.

I'm not sure about this error state business though.

[kiko_lobo]

I think you need a better GCode sender and/or make sure your code is not commanding the machine to an ilegal position thus triggering an alarm.

Also know that the machine boots in locked mode. So you have to unlock it first.

My best setup comes from using CNC.js in a raspberry pi. It works great with XCarve.

[Anonymous]

Ok, that makes sense.  Is there documentation for gcode sender somewhere to tell you what all of the buttons do?  Also, what post processor do you use with gcode sender?  

---

Also, how do you get your fusion gcode to the rasberry pi?  Do you just use a usb stick?

[joeltbennettuk]

The X-Carve runs on an Arduino board with a GRBL controller system. The gCode is the raw information, and the GRBL controls (like $X, $H, etc) are the actual system commands you can type directly into the console.

You'll be a lot more in-tune with your machine and how it functions (and how CNC operation works in general) if you read a bit about GRBL system commands and realtime commands.

Of course, you don't actually have to ever have to manually type them since Fusion is exporting the raw gCode toolpaths and the basic system commands and manual movement controls are right there in button form. All you have to do is connect, unlock from alarm state ($X) and home the device (just a good practice to check the machine is working, belts are tensioned, and your home coordinates are defined).

From there, you'll want to manually move your machine/bit to the area on the stock you defined as the coordinate base in Fusion (whilst doing the stock setup) and use the axis reset buttons (X, Y, Z).

After that, you send the raw gCode and everything should function as expected.

If your X-Carve is moving the opposite direction than you expect it to with the manual controls, it means that your motor wirings are backwards - that's fine though, because you can correct it with Easel. When you connect to Easel (you should have gone through this process before anyway, so this may not be necessary info), they will run a few tests to setup your controller.

[joeltbennettuk]

I wrote a more in-depth article on connecting Fusion 360 with the X-Carve here:

https://www.electricherald.com/x-carve-fusion-360-post-processing/

It includes all the setup files as well. Hopefully that will help answer most of the questions - it's meant to be a 1-stop resource.

[kiko_lobo]

When you use CNCJS the interface is a web browser so you run the server in the Raspberry pi, and connect it to the X-Carve vía USB and to the network via WiFi or Ethernet. And once setup you control the xcarve using a web browser. Works incredibly well.