Generating G-code using Fusion-360

• Post by: mehul
• April 2, 2022
• No Comment

I recently tried to use the Carvey machine to carve a geometry for the project on the Caustic phenomenon. But, the problem started when I realized that only vector format files or G-code could be imported to carry on the operation in that machine. Since the 3D geometry file can’t be converted into a vector file, so eventually, the option is to generate G-code and feed it directly to the machine. And for that task, Fusion 360 suits to be a good option.

This blog post will summarize the significant workflow for generating the G-code using Fusion-360 software.

The very first step will be to import the geometry file into the software. There are two approaches either to open the file directly from the Open File option or to import the file. Generally, it is preferred to import the file as described below.

• First, go to Design workspace, then select the Mesh option.
• The following interface you will see when selecting the Mesh. In the Insert tab, you will see the Insert Mesh option.

After importing, go to the Manufacture workspace, here you will say various machining operations milling, turning, drilling, etc.

• Like every machining process start with the [Stock] , here also you will first have to setup the stock.
• From the Setup tab, select New Setup option.

• In New Setup, select the Operation type (Milling) and select the Mesh.
• Then, select the dimension of the stock. I am selecting the Relative Size and also providing some additional offset for clampings.

Now comes the section, where we will select the machining process and machining parameters. For milling options, you will see two tabs 2D and 3D. The machining processes in 2D are mostly used for simple 2D geometries like regular contours, whereas the 3D machining process provides options for complex 3-dimensional geometries.

In this case, we have used Parallel 3D for both roughing and finishing operations.

• First, we can specify the tool and machining feed and speed.
• Then, we can specify the machining boundaries (domain up to which tool can go) and other parameters.
• Then, we can specify the depth of cut (stepdown), the direction of cut and tolerances, etc.

To cut off the final object from the stock, you can give a final Contouring pass. For that, you first need to draw the contour in the Design workspace.

• Design workspace >> Solid tab >> Sketch .

Then, you can select 2D Contouring for milling the selected contour.

After each operation, you have to generate the path (Ctrl+G). The corresponding G-code of each operation can now be generated by right-clicking the operation and selecting Post process. In Post Process, you can also specify the CAM software linked with your machine, and based on that the G-code will be generated.

P.S. – One of the great features of this software is that you can simulate the machining process and see the path generated and the machined stock, which you can see below. It becomes very functional to check for any possible error before the actual run.