HOW TO DEAL WITH SILKSCREEN

So all you need is DXF outline of some text

This is what I would do:

Extrude big square about size of your silk screen

Start sketch on top face of extrusion and use sketch text from sketch entities

Pick proper size and type of font for your text

Extrude or cut this

Create drawing of this model showing top view , set scale 1:1 and save this as DXF

This work great for all 2D machines like laser cutters

Txedes,

There is a solution to your issue that we've resolved in our latest

In 2008, we've built in the capability to copy sketch geometry to the windows clip board and then, if you have Adobe Illustrator on your system, you can paste it into Illustrator directly using the Windows Clipboard command. Our outlined text comes into Illustrator as vector artwork but is filled. From there, you can do pretty much anything you want to get it to silkscreen artwork.

This would entail that you have SW2008 but also a copy of Adobe Illustrator on your's or the one in your art department receiving your work.

Illustrator and PhotoShop are practically the industry standard when it comes to artwork and I would be surprised if your art department doesn't have it. If you don't, it would surely be worth it to you to purchase a license or network license of it from Adobe.

Hope this helps

Mark

Hi Mark What's wrong with Coreldraw? It's industry standard for graphics also. That's what I use for silkscreen artworks.

Hi Txedes As for creating silkscreen artworks in Solidworks. Forget it. Best to import the panel into coreldraw (or Adobe) and go from there. There is a way though but very clunky. (as you know)

The way I do it is to create a line drawing outline (wireframe) in a SLDDRW, create a dxf from it then import into Corel. Edit/add the text/graphics/logos etc. for the silkscreen then block out (in corel) the panel outline.

I know this doesn't solve the redundancy, I also wish there was a way. but.....oh well Cheers Frank

snipped-for-privacy@solidworks.com wrote:

First of all, thank you all for your input!

Mr T. Your solution is good if I was dealing just with a little amount of text but with a lot of text takes forever to create a boss and the end result on the drawing is not a bold text it is just a contour. I know that I could hatch it, but I have to go LETTER BY LETTER!!!...too much!!!..

Mark, We currently work with SW 2007. We are actually waiting since January to get installed 2008 but I don't know why it is taking so long to get it installed. It seems that our SW providers are hesitating.... In any case as soon as we get it installed I would like to try what you suggested, but our silkscreen dept. uses just Coreldraw.

Frank, We somehow follow the same steps you do. But, wouldn't it be nice to be able to go straight from SW? My concern is duplicate or even triplicate documentation... this yield into errors. I know that you will agree. I feel your pain!!

I hope SW will come out with some better text tool in sketches in following versions!

PDFs and illustrator would be my second choice

If your budget is limited lookup ACD System products

First of all, thank you all for your input!

Mr T. Your solution is good if I was dealing just with a little amount of text but with a lot of text takes forever to create a boss and the end result on the drawing is not a bold text it is just a contour. I know that I could hatch it, but I have to go LETTER BY LETTER!!!...too much!!!..

Mark, We currently work with SW 2007. We are actually waiting since January to get installed 2008 but I don't know why it is taking so long to get it installed. It seems that our SW providers are hesitating.... In any case as soon as we get it installed I would like to try what you suggested, but our silkscreen dept. uses just Coreldraw.

Frank, We somehow follow the same steps you do. But, wouldn't it be nice to be able to go straight from SW? My concern is duplicate or even triplicate documentation... this yield into errors. I know that you will agree. I feel your pain!!

I hope SW will come out with some better text tool in sketches in following versions!

One more thing...

This may actually work

If you need text outline with hatch why not extrude text and then make section thru it and DXF it

First of all, thank you all for your input!

Mr T. Your solution is good if I was dealing just with a little amount of text but with a lot of text takes forever to create a boss and the end result on the drawing is not a bold text it is just a contour. I know that I could hatch it, but I have to go LETTER BY LETTER!!!...too much!!!..

Mark, We currently work with SW 2007. We are actually waiting since January to get installed 2008 but I don't know why it is taking so long to get it installed. It seems that our SW providers are hesitating.... In any case as soon as we get it installed I would like to try what you suggested, but our silkscreen dept. uses just Coreldraw.

Frank, We somehow follow the same steps you do. But, wouldn't it be nice to be able to go straight from SW? My concern is duplicate or even triplicate documentation... this yield into errors. I know that you will agree. I feel your pain!!

I hope SW will come out with some better text tool in sketches in following versions!

tion thru it and DXF it

Hello Mr. T

This is what I've tried: I extruded the text and then on the drawing I used the "Broken-out Section" feature. The result is that the whole text gets hatch which is a step further for me!.. Now I just need to test with the Sillkscreen dept.

The only thing is that the text takes a little bit too long to get extruded and also when I try to open the files it takes about 2 minutes to open. Is that normal?

Thanks!

Yes a lot of text will take while but it is your PC working not you (that is what I prefer)

You may want to experiment with different fonts less curves faster it will update

Also make sure you work in 1:1 scale and find right hatch type / scale

And I would use section not broken-out ( I just trust some features more than others longer it is in a software more stable it is )

Happy silk-screening

Let us know how it worked out

thru it and DXF it

Hello Mr. T

This is what I've tried: I extruded the text and then on the drawing I used the "Broken-out Section" feature. The result is that the whole text gets hatch which is a step further for me!.. Now I just need to test with the Sillkscreen dept.

The only thing is that the text takes a little bit too long to get extruded and also when I try to open the files it takes about 2 minutes to open. Is that normal?

Thanks!

first do not expect your CAD program to do everything that you need done, although it would be nice. you can force it to do the job and kind of make it work but you will spend more time doing this and it will cause you nothing but problems. if you need to provide something to support a manufacturing process then give them exactally what they want, do it in their program. if the item needs to be in coreldraw do the item in coreldraw. you can then make a rough representation in your CAD program and do the real item in Coreldraw. yes this will create a file management item that you will need to support but the end result is that you are in control of the design, and in this case it is the screenprinted artwork. this way you will know what you will be recieving because you are driving the result.

Doing engineering work does not mean you do everything in your CAD program. Doing engineering work means that you are in control of the design, use the right software to insure the output is to your design intent. Use the right tool for the job. iQ

Couldn't you just do your text in coreldraw then import it into solidworks as a picture? Thats what I do with decals or whatnot..