Learn Fusion 360: Slicing Organic Forms for Laser Cutting

Unlock the potential of Fusion 360 for creating intricate 3D designs from flat panels with our step-by-step tutorial. Whether you're a hobbyist or a professional, this guide will elevate your design process using the power of laser cutting for laminated 3D forms.
whatmakeart.com/3d-modeling/f...
🔹 What You'll Learn:
- How to handle organic forms in Fusion 360.
- Detailed walkthrough on slicing a sphere into laser-cuttable panels.
- Using the trim function effectively when the split body function won't work.
- Transitioning from the solid to the surface workspace.
- Creating and manipulating patches for laser cutting.
- Tips for ensuring the precise spacing of cuts for different material thicknesses.
🔹 Tutorial Overview:
This tutorial covers the end-to-end process of taking an organic shape, such as a sphere, and slicing it into panels that can be laser cut. Starting with creating a form, it moves on to drawing sketches for surfaces, constructing planes, creating patterns, and finally thickening the panels for cutting. Our expert guidance ensures you understand when and how to use the trim function over the split body feature, especially for shapes without flat faces.
🔹 Key Takeaways:
- Use the trim tool in complex scenarios.
- Learn to create crisp edges for lamination.
- Gain insight into proper panel spacing for various material types.
🔹 Materials Used:
- Fusion 360 Software
- 3mm Plywood for example lamination
🔹 Follow Along:
- Create a sphere and project onto a plane.
- Draw and manipulate sketches for cutting.
- Adjust panel spacing for the laser cutter.
- Trim and thicken designs symmetrically for real-world application.
🔹 Who This Video Is For:
Ideal for makers, educators, students, and professionals in design and engineering fields looking to enhance their digital fabrication skills.
🔹 Next Steps:
After watching this tutorial, you'll be ready to apply these techniques to more complex forms, enhancing your ability to design and produce real-world objects with precision and creativity.
🔹 Join the Community:
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more tutorials on Fusion 360 and other design tools. Share your project photos or questions in the comments to join a growing community of innovative designers.
#fusion360 #fusion360tutorial #lasercutting

[@WhatMakeArt]

post any Fusion 360 laser cutting questions in the comments

[@thanhnhanhuynhnguyen3652]

how to add bolt holes fast

[@planejanemodeling]

That was cool. Thanks!

[@WhatMakeArt]

👍

[@thanhnhanhuynhnguyen3652]

Thanks a lot!

[@WhatMakeArt]

Welcome a lot 👍

[@k.lwilliams7744]

This video is really informative, thankyou. Although, I am still having trouble slicing my .stl terrain file. I start by closing all the holes/fixing the mesh, then I convert my terrain to a solid, after that I follow the instructions in your video. When it comes to splitting the body, I dont have the option to select my terrain as the body to be split, this is also the same when I try to trim. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[@WhatMakeArt]

Does it have the body icon in the outline? Or is it still a mesh or surfaces that need to be stitched together?

[@FreemanFurnishings]

Super helpful video, thanks so much! Do you have a video that shows how to go from this point through creating tool paths?

[@WhatMakeArt]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHupeYCMbKZsirc this shows how to export a dxf file from Fusion 360 for laser cutting

[@pentagramrecords3834]

I couldn't do this with an STL or OBJ. Trim tool only lets me select one of the many faces of the model. Any ideas?

[@WhatMakeArt]

In the mesh workspace convert the mesh into a solid, you can do this under the modify tab in the mesh workspace of Fusion 360. Sometimes you need to click the Band-Aid or repair icon to fix the mesh and close any holes first

[@pentagramrecords3834]

@@WhatMakeArt thank you! I'll give it a try!

[@phamson9613]

i'm super new to this and i have a question i havent figure out yet. after last step in your tutorial, how can i arrange or organize each surface into a vector file and process it in Adobe AI for laser cutting ? thanks in advance !

[@WhatMakeArt]

Yes can lay all the parts flat and then export a DXF tool path with kerf adjustment for laser cutting directly from fusion 360 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHupeYCMbKZsirc

[@jonmichaelroberts]

This was one of my comments. He talks about cutting on a laser as the goal but then creates thick widths. No use for that, only need the flat vector art. It’s a bit confusing. And then why the seperation? Are these going to levitate?

[@rob28459]

Shouldn't this be done by kind of slicer?

[@WhatMakeArt]

There are probably dedicated slicers that can do this, but this is a way to do it. Parametrically in Fusion 360. Always many different ways to solve a problem