I would like to model some text to laser cut. Basically I want to draw a name in a small boarder to be laser cut as a key chain.
I have trie the 'TEXT' command using script however the scripted letters overlap each other and its very time consuming to clean up.
Has anyone ever done this in SolidWorks. I have done it in the past with CadKey using 'True Text' and it worked well but would like to try this in SolidWorks.
Thanks, Chris
I've done it often. You just need to find the right font.
Dan,
Do you use a font from SolidWorks? I did some searching and could not find one?
Chris
Here you go Chris
Are you using the laser to cut completely through the key-fob, or just to etch the surface?
Doug,
I am completely cutting, just left with the text.
Which font you will want to use is dependent on what letters you're cutting and how you want it to look when done.
Here is a couple threads on the subject:
https://forum.solidworks.com/message/48004#48004
https://forum.solidworks.com/message/231556#231556
You may not like the way most fonts result in "drop-outs".
OK, I don't think its very clear on what I'm trying to do.
Picture this, If you were to write your name in cursive (so all the letters are attached to one another) using a big thick marker, maybe .25 thick.
Then cut out the entire name with scisors, you would be left with just your name .25 wide all connected together, add a small hole and you have a personalized keychain.
The get a little more complex than that but basically thats it, so 'single' line text is no good, needs to have some width as well as be connected, like a script text.
I have also used block text with a boarder to hold the text to something. I could take a picture of some I have made for my kids in the past using CadKey? I dont have CadKey any longer and would like to make them in SolidWorks.
Kunstler Script Regular works, but capital letters are disconnected. You may be able to re-connect the letters with a fancy underline or frame that the letters overlap.
French Script MT regular, Lucida Handwriting Italic, Magneto Bold, Rage Italic, Script MT Bold, SWScrpc Regular, and SWScrpS Regular. All seem to work with some exceptions like Capitals being disconnected..........
Also try the spacing setting between characters. There is a program called Font Creator you can get, make your own fonts and you will be able to guaranty the letters stay connected.
Well, if you can find a font that works for you then modeling it in Solidworks is a breeze. Almost all fonts do have width, but finding a good cursive/script/handwritting font that connects all the letter properly may be tough. What font did you use in Cadkey?
Chris,
The way fonts work, you will always have to clean up the intersections between each character. I assume you are using TrueType or OpenType fonts, and then right clicking and chosing "dissolve sketch text"? Then you can use the sketch trim>Power Trim tool to just buzz through all the intersections.
Is this still not fast enough for you? How many of these do you have to do?
Don't all laser cutter require the font lines to be of only straights and arcs? For signage, I trace all SW lettering with lines and arcs on a separate sketch, making sure everything is tangent and consistent. It takes a long time to make them nice...is there a better way to do this?
I have done a fair amount of test for plasma and laser cut pcs and I always just used the Standard Test that was available in SW, a few times I would add tabs so the centers of the 0's or other numbers or letters don't fall out..
There are generic letters available as well, or you can save the file as a dxf or dwg and use the free www.draftsight.com to edit and/or add the lettering..
Specifically talking about signage lettering, which is a range of fonts; sometimes modified. As far as I know, there is no way to simply import fonts that you can scale and only consist of lines and arcs....as well, no software that will -convert- a given font to lines and arcs. The software I know of only converts the splines/curves into hundreds of straight lines, which causes too much strain on the laser machine to cut it...
I have spent days on lettering for a single project. Anyone who has a better or smarter way, please enlighten me!!
Some software is capable of "simplifying" geometry. They will attempt to alter geometry into lines and arcs everywhere they can, using a tolerance that can be changed. For instance, if it can run a arc through a series of splines and the arc will be within .001" of the original data (when the simplify commands has been assigned a tolerance of .001"), it will create the arc and delete the splines. Some CAD as well as CAM packages can do it. I have done it in MasterCAM and also in Rhinoceros. In MasterCAM it is a command/tool that you run. In Rhinoceros, it is an option available when writing out a file as a dxf.
Screen-shot of the option in Rhino...
It's been a long while since I used MasterCAM, but I thought it had some fonts within it that were line/arc fonts.
That's pretty helpful and interesting...Thanks Doug
Depending on what laser software you are using you can clean up a dxf as you load it to approximate the text into something the laser can read. Ours tends to disagree with any spline shorter than .008". The smaller you go with your text the harder it is to cleanly approximate it though and gaps will appear that need to be re-connected. Typically these gaps are so small that you would never even notice that there is an .008" long straight in a curve after it is laser cut. We do this very often here. Every tool or fixture we use in-house has an ID tag with characters cut through. We tried etching but they tend to become unreadable after awhile in the shop. 
Brooks, Do you know what the B-splines get converted to in your system?
Everything converts to lines and arcs. 
We always leave it up to the laser operator to use whatever works for them. The drawing indicates approx location and size.
Just jump on to a site such as www.dafont.com any font where that would not leave a dangling body will do the trick straight off the bat. If you use a font that does leave you with dangling bodies, you can always extrude connections back in. Laserian Font | dafont.com
Hello,
I think that's what you want
Hello,
The type of writing that I put you will need the meters in the fonts of windows and solidworks will recover them and the you will have a writing for laser cutting ....
There is a Camworks font that is a single line font, and works great for lasering, etc. Search for it on the forums, look in the side bar on the right at some of the "More like this" threads for a link to the font.