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Hidden edges in Onshape are shown in laser cutting software
Triton_Engineering
Member Posts: 14 PRO
Hi there,
Looking for some advice/workflow ideas for exporting dxfs for laser/waterjet cut. Currently we create a blank drawing sheet so we are able to hide any edges we dont want waterjet cut (dowel holes, blind holes, etc.) and then export that sheet as a dxf. The other day we received parts from our supplier which had dowel holes cut when they werent supposed to be. In our 2d viewer the dxf that we exported from onshape didnt show the hidden edges as expected, but apparently whatever the software our supplier uses on their waterjet cutter (believe it is Flow...) imports the dxfs with the hidden lines shown (which explains why the dowel holes were cut). Wondering if anyone has run into this situation or if there is a better way to be handling dxfs which need edits made before importing to cutting software. (I like the idea of keeping the source of the dxf as an onshape drawing sheet so it is always linked with the model but maybe there is a better work flow out there). Appreciate any tips!
Thanks!
Scott
Looking for some advice/workflow ideas for exporting dxfs for laser/waterjet cut. Currently we create a blank drawing sheet so we are able to hide any edges we dont want waterjet cut (dowel holes, blind holes, etc.) and then export that sheet as a dxf. The other day we received parts from our supplier which had dowel holes cut when they werent supposed to be. In our 2d viewer the dxf that we exported from onshape didnt show the hidden edges as expected, but apparently whatever the software our supplier uses on their waterjet cutter (believe it is Flow...) imports the dxfs with the hidden lines shown (which explains why the dowel holes were cut). Wondering if anyone has run into this situation or if there is a better way to be handling dxfs which need edits made before importing to cutting software. (I like the idea of keeping the source of the dxf as an onshape drawing sheet so it is always linked with the model but maybe there is a better work flow out there). Appreciate any tips!
Thanks!
Scott
0
Answers
That said if you are already manually hiding them in the drawing, it shouldn't be harder to just add a "delete face" feature with a configuration checkbox (unless your DXF is of an assembly in which case you would have to propagate configuration through), it might even be faster as you would be able to use the "select pattern" option in the "create selection" tool. The downside is that it is not "parametric" so if you go back and add new dowel holes they won't automatically be removed but that would already have been the case if you were just hiding edges in the drawing.
If you wanted to take a more strict approach to the method, you could make the "blank" part (i.e. without any blind holes), and then "derive in" to another part studio to add any features that are added after you get the blank back. Not sure how that would fit within your workflows (if you design the part with lots of relations with others in a part studio it might be more trouble than it's worth, but it would be easier to manage updates (i.e. the blank would always blank with no "manual step" to remove any unwanted holes) and facilitate release management.
I would not have expected "hidden" lines to be exported as "hidden objects" so maybe that is something that Onshape needs to look at... Maybe they just get moved to a different layer in which case it might be a fairly simple step to blow away the layer by editing the DXF.