Using Fusion 360 with Accurite MILLPWR G2 console

[a.sooriasegaram]

Hello 

For context I'm based at an art & design college and we are using a Colchester Clausing 4VSQ MillPWR G2 with the accurite CNC console. I have experience using Fusion with a hobbyist CNC from Carbide - Shapeoko but this is a different kettle of fish! Aside from machining press tooling for our metal workshop for the most part students will be machining  2D contour profile cuts from sheet metal using imported DXFs from Illustrator via Fusion 360 as well as engraving.

I would be grateful for any insights or guidelines in to the following queries:

• When we export DXFs from Fusion 360 it seems to be scaling wrong when uploaded to the Accurite console,  e.g. a 150 mm toolpath shows up as 15mm so we are having to scale up the drawing by 10 to compensate despite setting the design units in preferences to mm. There is a recommendation on the forum to use the 'save as DXF' by right clicking the sketch from the browser tree as oppose to using file - export. Is this the correct solution as it's still a niggling issue for us? Are there any other parameters with in Fusion I should change to ensure that units  are preserved when exporting DXFs?

• Additionally when importing DXFs the Accurite CAM console does not know to offset the cutter by the radius of the tool to avoid cutting into geometry. I'm assuming that this information is not included with the DXFs we are uploading and it's assigning the default values such as tool offset and feed rate. The tool is always set at centre to cut directly on the toolpath so we are having to then apply the offset values in the SET TOOL option in the console although this could be tiresome to do for each group of tool paths if the geometry is complex. Incidentally importing DXFs from Rhino and Coral draw is a nightmare as it generates hundreds of lines of GCODE vs Fusion. For the time being we are having to get students to offset their geometry by the tool's radius in either their native software (usually Illustrator) or we do so in Fusion when we check over the file.

Another option would be to avoid exporting DXFs altogether and to create a 2D machining set up in Fusion as we can post NC files directly to the Accurite console. This would mean perhaps creating parameters as we have set thicknesses of sheet metal we stock. Would you advise that this is the best method to follow? 

It would be very reassuring to touch base with anyone with experience or expertise using the same milling machine and/or Accurite console with Fusion 360?

Hope to hear back from you, 

Thank you!

Ahilan

[HughesTooling]

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@a.sooriasegaram wrote:

• When we export DXFs from Fusion 360 it seems to be scaling wrong when uploaded to the Accurite console,  e.g. a 150 mm toolpath shows up as 15mm so we are having to scale up the drawing by 10 to compensate despite setting the design units in preferences to mm. There is a recommendation on the forum to use the 'save as DXF' by right clicking the sketch from the browser tree as oppose to using file - export. Is this the correct solution as it's still a niggling issue for us? Are there any other parameters with in Fusion I should change to ensure that units  are preserved when exporting DXFs?

Ahilan

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When Fusion exports from the cloud it defaults to CM, the units are set in the DXF if the opening programs reads the setting. The online translators are not linked to your preferences. Save As DXF will export in the current document units.

Mark

[HughesTooling]

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@a.sooriasegaram wrote:

Another option would be to avoid exporting DXFs altogether and to create a 2D machining set up in Fusion as we can post NC files directly to the Accurite console. This would mean perhaps creating parameters as we have set thicknesses of sheet metal we stock. Would you advise that this is the best method to follow? 

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I'd go with creating NC files directly. I have a couple of controls that can take DXF files but never used that option as posting to G Code is a lot easier for me.

Mark

[a.sooriasegaram]

Thanks Mark

[seth.madore]

I would try this post processor:

https://cam.autodesk.com/hsmposts?p=acurite_millpwr_g2