Intro
A friend recently purchased a new laser cutter and asked me how to use Fusion 360 to export SVG files. I suggested simply exporting DXF files instead but it turns out the brand of laser he bought only accepts SVG files. This was the same problem I had with a desktop CNC mill I had bought in the past. Fusion 360 can easily export DXF files but to export SVG there’s a little bit of a trick which I’ll share with you in this post. While we’re at it we’ll go ahead and laser cut this handy (and adorable) earbud wrapper.
View the step by step guide below or scroll all the way down to watch the video.
Step 1
Open Fusion 360 App Store
The ability to export SVG files does not come natively installed into Fusion 360 but is available as a plugin. Click on the Add-Ins menu and select Fusion 360 App Store.
Step 2
Download Shaper Origin Plugin
Type “Origin” on the search bar and hit enter. Click on the Shaper Origin icon that shows up. Select either MacOS or Win64 version and click on Download. After the download is complete, open the application and install it.
Step 3
Restart Fusion 360
For the icon to appear on the toolbar you’ll have to restart Fusion 360. After relaunching Fusion 360 you should see a new icon on the toolbar labeled Shaper.
Step 4
Export Your Face
Click on the Shaper menu icon and then select the face of the body you want to export. Click Ok and select the file location to save your SVG file. You can now import your new SVG file into whatever software you use in order to prepare it for laser cutting, CNC milling, or waterjet cutting.
My big aha! moment with Fusion 360 happened when I finally understood how to use Constraints. Get my free Fusion 360 Constraint Cheat Sheet and see what I mean.
Here is a video of the entire process. Enjoy!
