Macro required

What I do is put the flat pattern on a separate sheet without title block and at 1:1 scale. No dimensions there either. I export to dxf from that sheet. What version of SW are you using?

Cliff,

I think what he needs is output for a laser, waterjet, or CNC turret punch.

Today, most of these machines come with their own propriatery 2D CAM systems. By and large, these programs read DXF or DWG files. This has to be

1:1 because DXF doesn't contain scaling data. DWG "can" contain this information, but these single purpose systems can't read it.

Regards

Mark

Hi Mark that is completely correct that is why we would like to put the flat pattern on different layers the CNC. punch programs can turn lays off.

Cliff,

Actual size is a variable determined by the current scale of the 2D layout at the time the DXF is generated. If I have a drawing of a 1" square block, and the drawing is set at 1/2 scale when I generate the DXF, the "actual" size of the geometry represented in the DXF will be 1/2" square. DXF doesn't carry any scaling info.,so as far as the CAM system on machine tool is concerned It's a 1/2" square Solidworks and Autocad both do this. In this sense, it's more of an output issue from the originating system.

Most CAM systems, even the limted ones that come on these machines, can scale geometry. This, however, only helps if you know the scale, and it adds a possible error into the process. It's much easier, and safer, to just send

1:1 geometry.

What Adrian wants is a quick way to add this layout to the rest of the documentation.

Mark

Cliff.

The sheet size is irrelevant with regards to 2D DXF export in Solidworks. You just don't use a sheet format template, and it exports just the geometry.

The way we do it, for our laser and waterjet, is we have a seperate drawing sheet (usually the last one) that contains the unfolded, nested parts at

1:1. The geometry on this sheet is exported to the machines at 1:1.

What would be really nice is an add in program that can auto-nest the 2D shapes.

I don't think I ever said they couldn't. They can usually read either DXF, DWG, or both. Our laser can also read Postscript. These are single purpose CAM programs that are shipped with the machine. Most of them are resident in the control

What I did say was that they were (for the most part) limited in their ability to manipulate geometry. The machine manufaturers don't expect you to draw the shapes at the control. In some cases you can (like our Omax), but its clumsy, and the data isn't associated with anything.

When our parts change, this sheet is updated and sent to the machine for the next rev. On waterjets and lasers this is simple. It's just a 2D profile so you just tell it how thick, and what the material is. A turret punch is a bit more involved.

Mark

I don't think you can put drawing views themselves on different layers. If you search this newsgroup for CutPattern.swp, you will find a macro I wrote that automatically creates a flat pattern view on a separate sheet though.

--Mark