CAM DressupDragKnife
Path DressupTag |
Menu location |
---|
Path → Path Dressup → Dragknife Dress-up |
Workbenches |
Path |
Default shortcut |
None |
Introduced in version |
- |
See also |
Path DressupTag, Path DressupRampEntry, Path DressupDogbone |
Description
A drag knife uses a cutting edge on a pivot to cut sheet material like vinyl, cardboard, and leather. The cutting point is not aligned with the center of the spindle but rather follows it as the spindle moves. Because the cutting point is offset, the path must be modified to extend past the endpoint of each segment. Also, the dragknife is incapable of making extremely tight turns. To compensate, a pivot 'corner action' is inserted which momentarily lifts the blade slightly and then pivots into the new postion.
This tool dresses up an existing path to add corner actions and edge estensions for drag knife cutting.
Usage
- Select a contour or profile path Path objects
- click the Dragknife Dress-up menu item
Options
- Filter Angle - Determines how acute an angle must be before a corner action is inserted.
- Offset - Input how much the blade point is offset from the spindle center.
- Pivot Height - Determines how high to lift the cutting blade during a corner action. This is material dependent and should be higher for thicker materials. Ideally, the point should remain in the material slightly.