Sheet Good with finished faces

[chrisCFHNJ]

How are others handling sheet goods that have a veneer, laminate, or melamine applied to one or more of the faces? 

For something like this, I would think we would select MDF as the material. But we need to be sure that these parts are not mixed up with other parts that are raw MDF with no melamine face, especially given that some of the thicknesses may be exactly the same. 

Also, with materials with a face on one side only, which side this face is oriented is important. 

Is there any way of handling this in Fusion? Any thought of developing something? 

[jhackney1972]

Most important is to apply the Material to the component so you can make sure the mass properties are assigned.  Then use the Appearance command to assign the material to Faces to assign specific surface materials.  The appearances do not contribute to the mass properties but normally they are not a substantial contributor to these properties.

[chrisCFHNJ]

Right, I know how to apply appearances to the face, and that does make the parts look correct. However, we are nesting the parts on sheets. I need the system to divide the parts up based on not only the core material but also the face material. 

[jhackney1972]

In that case you will need to create custom materials and include the surface appearance.  Fusion 360 will not sort components based on appearance only materials.

[chrisCFHNJ]

Is there a way to create a material that has a core appearance and face appearance that are different? That would be great, but I don't know how to do it. 

[jhackney1972]

I have tried but unfortunately I have not found a way yet.  It is an interesting possibility and I will keep looking, but do not hold your breath.

[chrisCFHNJ]

ok, thank you for your help.