How To- TABS or Breaks in cut paths to retain parts in sheet.
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019
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
It's 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.
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
It's 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.