Work Flow Fusion 360

[caudleew (Everett W. Caudle)]

I’ve been away from Fusion 360 for a while and have a pretty complex project finished up with tool paths generated, etc. I am ready to save down my nc files for processing via CM. Would some of you 360 pros chime in with a good workflow for this? I know I have to save each tool path as a separate file (no bit-setter), but seems there were some “tricks” to making this flow better.

[LiamN (Liam Newcombe)]

I’m not a pro, but to get things started, I don’t save every toolpath separately, based on advice I got here, I make a folder for each tool used in the sequence and then export that folder;

Also based on advice here;

I name the exported files as;

• Folder for the project
• Folder for the part
• Common name start for the Setup
• Number for the machining step (folder) in the setup
• Tool name or description
• Where the zero is, left / right, part top / part bottom / spoilboard etc.

I’m sure there’s better methods but those are the bits of advice that stuck (pun intended). Naming for the workpiece zero is a really good reminder for when you chop around from first op stock bottom left front, flip the part and do the second op part top right front.

I have never worked out what the program comment is useful for, at least in CM anyway.

[LiamN (Liam Newcombe)]

And, lest I forget.

You might want to check out progress on Fenrus’ Fantastically Fast re-rapider for Fusion files to Free you from the slow-feed degredation of the personal entitlement.

GCode optimization for retracts and rapids

In the last few weeks, there’s been a bunch of discussion on this forum about how Carbide Create and some of the more advanced tools do not, or no longer, create optimal gcode for retracts and rapids movement, and there has been a request to build a post-processor tool to optimize the gcode files coming out of the CAM tooling. I’ve started building such a tool, and this will be some sort of running thread of the progress in case folks want to help beta test this. As always, if you have ideas o…

[caudleew (Everett W. Caudle)]

Thanks. Great suggestions. I had thought about bunching my same-bit files together to save time, so the folders make a lot of sense for organizational purposes…

This will be my first big project on 360 post new release, so I will be interested in seeing how much the lack of rapids slows things down. I got one part of the project where I am hogging out a bunch of material with adaptive clear, and I’m already a little worried about the run time as the program is telling me it’s about a 21/2 hour operation. Kinda worried about my little Carbide router holding up for that long of a job without a rest.