Posted by SainSmart on
Note: Wrap Toolpaths are not available in the free edition of Fusion, only in the subscription.
Note: This guide assumes your 4th axis’ chuck is on the left.
Tutorial: Carving Wrapped Text on a Cylinder
I want to carve some text that wraps around a wooden cylinder of 14mm of diameter and 10 cm in length.
1. Start by creating your stock material in the Design view:
To carve text:
- Create an offset plane: Construct > Offset plane
- In my case I am creating an offset plane of the Top plane by 7mm so that it sits on top of the cylinder.
- Write text on this offset plane.
- Finish the sketch.
- Create > Emboss. Select your text, your cylinder. Effect: Cut.
2. Move to the “Manufacture” tab
- Click Setup > New Setup
- Click Machine > Select…
- Click Import > the
.mchfile that you can download here (XXX).
- You can then select your newly created machine.
- Still in your Setup settings: Word Coordinate System (WCS), choose Stock Point and pick the center of the cylinder to the left (where your chuck is in reality). Note that X is along the cylinder axis, Z is up and Y is front.
- In the Stock tab, select Mode > Fixed size cylinder.
- Click Select Axis and pick your cylinder.
- In Stock Diameter and Length enter the size of your stock.
- Go back in the Setup tab to set the WCS Stock Point to the top of the cylinder.
3. Then carve your design using Fusion 4th axis wrap toolpaths:
- Create a 2D Pocket.
- In the Multi-Axis tab, choose Machining type > Wrap.
- Wrap Cylinder: pick your cylinder.
- Don’t modify the other options.
- In the Geometry tab, click on Pockets and then pick your pockets.
- In the Heights tab, keep your clearances to a minimum: you can quickly reach the top Z limit! I used the following values:
- Clearance Height: Retract Height: 3mm
- Retract Height: Stock top: 2mm
- Feed Height: Top Height: 1.5mm
- And in Linking: Ramp clearance height: 1mm.
4. Simulation and Post-Processing
You can now see the tool path:
- In the Simulation, in the Display tab, make sure that Viewpoint is set to Tool. When running the simulation, you can see that your cylinder is being rotated on the 4th axis.
- In the Post-process window, pick the post-processor Grbl for wrap toolpath:
- Click Post > Select post from the library.
- Click Import.
- Pick the
grbl_wrap_toolpaths.cpsthat you can download here (XXX).
- Check “Enable wrap toolpath” and select your rotary axis.
- Set “Workpiece diameter” to the diameter of your cylinder.
5. Setting up on your CNC
Once you have your G-code ready, follow these steps on your machine:
- Set X0 to the left of your cylinder (Chuck side).
- Set Y0 to the center of your cylinder.
- Set Z0 to the top of your cylinder.
- Run your program.
