Laser Cutting/Slicer for Fusion360

Laser-Cut Stacked Slice Model using Slicer for Fusion 360

Introduction

This is a guide for using Slicer for Fusion 360 to create a laser-cut stacked slice model from plywood or strawboard. Slicer lets you easily create linework for laser cutting based on a 3D model by slicing it into 2D segments (contouring) and laying out those contours to the size of your material. Slicer for Fusion 360 (“Slicer”) is a standalone, free piece of software. You do not need to use Fusion 360 to use it. It is no longer being developed or maintained, so support is limited.

Download and install

Download Slicer for Fusion360 here,

Using Slicer for Fusion 360

Import model

1. Save or export your work from your 3D design software as a .stl file.

2. Click Import… to import your model. Select your work using the file navigator.

3. Set the up-axis. Usually, you will set this to Z. If you import your work and it’s not upright, change the up axis until it appears the right way up on your screen.

4. Click Open and confirm that your file looks correct on screen.

Create and select your material

1. The first time that you use a material with Slicer, you need to create its manufacturing settings. Click the pencil icon under Manufacturing Settings to add or edit a material.

2. Click the plus icon at the bottom of the Manufacturing Settings window to add a new material.

3. Double-click the newly added material to rename it.

4. Set the units to mm.

5. Set the size and thickness to match the material you’re using. The supplied material sizes in the Makerspace are:

Plywood: 3mm or 6mm thick: 1200 x 600mm, 900 x 600mm, 300 x 600mm

Strawboard: 1.2mm or 2mm thick: 900 x 680mm

6. Set the horizontal and vertical margins to 5mm.

7. Set the slot offset and tool diameter to 0.

8. Press Done to add your material.

9. Select your chosen material from the drop-down list in Manufacturing Settings.

Object size settings

1. In the Object Size panel, set your units to mm.

2. Set your height, width, and length, or select Original Size to work at the size you exported your model at.

Construction technique

1. To create a stacked slice model, select Stacked Slices from the Construction Technique drop-down.

2. Check that the slice direction looks correct, and if not, modify it using the Slice Direction tool. The easiest way to do so precisely is to select the axis of rotation, then enter the angle by which to rotate it (e.g. 90°).

3. (Optional) You can use the Modify Form settings to make minor alterations to your model relevant to the construction technique, e.g. to hollow or thicken it.

4. (Optional) Dowels aren’t usually necessary, but can be used, especially for larger objects, to align your work. If you want to use dowels, you will need to source them yourself. Then, input their diameter and shape into the Dowels section if desired. You can also use the cross or slot options and Slicer will generate the dowel(s) for you in your cut layout.

5. A Cut Layout preview should be visible on the right-hand side of the screen. If the number of sheets is 0, follow the troubleshooting steps under “0 Sheets” below.

Preparing files for laser cutting

Refining your slice

You can ignore this section if you are using dowels

Before exporting your sliced stack, Slicer will, unfortunately, by default, create tiny alignment markings on your layers. This impacts the cut-time on the laser significantly. The only workaround to this is as follows:

1. Enable dowels.

2. Set the Diameter to something ridiculous like 1000. This should remove any holes on your slice preview.

3. Export your plans as PDF using Get Plans. At the bottom of the screen, set the file type to PDF and click Export to My Computer.

Fix Colours (In Illustrator)

1. Open the PDF in Illustrator and in the PDF Import Options select All, and uncheck "Import PDF pages as links for optimal performance" then click OK.

Sometimes the linework will look incomplete. Don't worry this is just a visual bug and can be ignored.

2. Using the Direct Selection Tool, select all the red lines generated by Slicer and set them to RGB green (0, 255, 0). These marks will be etch lines, and should include slice numbers and alignment marks. To do so in Illustrator, select one red line, then click Select > Same > Stroke Color, then change the stroke colour to RGB green.

3. Do the same with the blue lines but and set them to RGB red (255, 0, 0). These marks will be cut lines.

4. Export as a PDF.

Troubleshooting

0 Sheets

“Number of sheets generated is 0. Please change your manufacturing settings to fit model slices in stock dimensions.” This is a known bug. It can usually be resolved by changing your slicing direction by 180°. This won’t affect the slices (it just flips them back-to-front), but will usually allow Slicer to slice your work.

More help

You can find more detail in Slicer by hovering over the question mark icon in the top-right corner of the screen and clicking Help. This will open the manual which includes detail on manufacturing settings and further troubleshooting.

Dowels

An alternative way of removing the alignment marks and dowels holes is by dragging the blue dots off your work.