Is the laser functions in Fusion 360 restricted to profile cuts only or am I missing something? I’d like to use it for vector logo and text etching but all I can get it to do is outline profile “cuts”. I know the CAM section is called Cutting so I’m guessing that is all it can do. Maybe there is a way to fill with a series of properly spaced lines to trick it…
I was making some test in this direction a few weeks ago… but no good results… Fusion 360 is good for lines as you say, but not to fill in. I think image2gcode is the way to go… slow, but great results.
I was afraid of that. I’m trying to avoid running any windows programs. That’s one reason I switched to Fusion. Anyone else have a Mac raster program suggestion?
Fusion is excelent. I’m also in mac… virtualbox helps me with the windows programs that I still need.
Same, now with Fusion I’m only going into bootcamp for Image2Gcode.
You just need to convert your desired medium to vector format so Fusion can ‘cut’ it.
It should be (depends on complexity) enough to use Inkscape for mac to convert or build your vectors, save as SVG then import into Fusion and apply the toolpaths. There are plenty of tutorials for Inkscape, a quick Youtube search for ‘inkscape vectorize image’ gives plenty of examples.
There is a Inkscape laser plugin for J tech laser you can download here :
It seems to have all the stuff you need for laser operations
There are users on this forum that uses this brand laser with the MPCNC, so it should be pretty straighforward 
I have my workflow up and running by importing DXF out of Illustrator just fine. That’s not the problem. The problem is with this workflow the only operations I can seem to use with the laser in Fusion is “profile cut” the outline of vector letters and vector logos. This is not the look I want. I want to fill the vector outlines like you would do with a raster operation. A “pocket cut” so to speak in CNC terms. All I can get Fusion to do is profile cuts. I figured this type of “fill in the letters” operation would already be used by someone and I was overlooking a checkbox or some other hidden option in Fusion.
I’m going to investigate LaserWeb. I hear it is sort of compatible with Marlin.
Or maybe I can trick Fusion to turn on my laser using a typical mill tool pocketing operation. Maybe with the “coolant” option.
You should ask on the Fusion 360 Forum. They are very good and often it’s an Autodesk person that replies with a video how to do it…
That’s a good idea P3DCNC. I’ll go see what they say over there and report back.
any news about this?
Chris, did you make any headway on this? It is hard to believe you’re the first guy who wants to laser etch fat fonts.
I had some success by creating an endmill of diameter .012" (very roughly my laser spot size), and using Fusion’s normal 2D pocket… but was thwarted by some very minor issues (like the laser not turning off during rapids).
That issue should be very easily solved by making a quick edit to the post processor. When I get my setup together I’ll see about forking the post and adding this functionality as a user parameter. Unfortunately I think your hack is really the only fusion supported way to do it.
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Yes, as you suggest I did the “quick edit” (does 6 hours count as “quick”?) to my PostProcessor, and it works. In Fusion I use 2D Pocket, a .15mm endmill, and a .15mm stepover - this is, of course, a milling operation (not a laser operation), and the PP dutiful treats it as milling.
Essentially the PP changes are: insert writeln(properties.laserOff) before any G0, and .laserOn for G1,G2,G3.
If I’d fooled the PP into thinking it is a laser operation instead of a milling operation, it might have been easier… but I couldn’t figger out how Fusion tells the PP if it is a milling or lasering 