Apologies if this has been covered already but I did not find any reference to Deepnest on this forum yet…
If you are cutting multiple parts at one time, and want to minimize waste material, then layout of all the parts becomes yet another interesting design challenge. This is not something that can be easily automated using just the ArcDroing and Simple Trace, but if you are designing DXF files on a computer, then this is for you…
If you have the paid version of Fusion360, there is a ‘Layout’ feature in the Manufacturing interface. Use that. But Layout is a paid feature, not available to users of the free ‘Hobby User’ of Fusion360, like me.
Enter Deepnest. It is a free, open source Layout tool. It does brute force try of every combination of every part at four angles and measures which layout has the least waste material.
The Workflow:
- Design and Export DXF’s
- Import DXF’s into Deepnest. (Pay carefull attention to the unit import size. Match units in you rDXF to the Unit’s settings in Deepnest)
- Set the Cut Area of your ArcDroid
- Run an Optimization
- Export the best option as a new DXF.
(Optional Steps if you want to generate your own G Code)
5.1 Import that new DXF back into Fustion360 as a new sketch.
5.2 In Manufacture space, create a setup and set your cut plan
5.3 Post the G-Code for the cut
6 Put that DXF or G Code on your USB.
7 Plug into the ArcDroid and make your cut.
