TABS - Breaks in cut paths?

[Pete Cyr]

Post by Dave Kearley » Thu May 18, 2017 1:12 pm

I have a job possibility but cant figure out how to prep the file so it works.

The file is in Illustrator format which imports perfectly into RDW, I need to cut it into thin card but the small parts must remain attached to the main sheet - this needs tiny 'tabs' or gaps left in the cuts.

Tests show that 0.5mm breaks work well, i did this using the 'dot' cut style, setting the dot length to 20mm and the gap to 0.5mm so every 20mm the laser turns off for 0.5mm.

The trouble is, if the path is short then no tab gets put in so the part falls out.

Is there a way to add a tab layer or something?

Adding the breaks in illustrator is practically impossible - while its easy to break a path, its really difficult to break it for 0.5mm in hundreds of places.

Looking for ideas here :)
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Post by Gene Uselman » Thu May 18, 2017 2:44 pm

Dave- I doubt that you need hundreds of tabs, and it will depend upon what style bed you have and how much support is given to the pieces.
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Post by Dave Kearley » Thu May 18, 2017 2:55 pm

No, its a delicate design and they need to be sold as a sheet, not loose parts or a sheet with parts missing. The customer breaks out the parts needed as and when.
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Post by Dave Kearley » Thu May 18, 2017 3:27 pm

This is what i need, easy in photoshop but no good for cutting then :)

Cog.png

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Post by Geoff Shannon » Thu May 18, 2017 6:32 pm

Import your drawing into RDWorks.
Select component. Click Handle. Click Bridge.
Change Bridge width to .5mm.
Select By interval or number. Click Application button.
For your gear drawing you will need to select Add bridge manually and set bridge points in preview window.
Click OK and you're done.
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Post by fred ungewitter » Thu May 18, 2017 7:07 pm

Okay! That's the greatest feature yet! I immediately opened RDWorks and loaded a test file, followed the simple steps and was appropriately rewarded. Perhaps it will remain in my alleged mind long enough to be of use the next time I need it. Perhaps there's an inkscape extension equivalent out there? What would one call it for a general search?