A lot of the tracing and line editing I do takes place in Inkscape. Occasionally, I find that a gcode cut file will trace/path along the same line more than once. This uses a lot more resources than normal - time & abrasive. Additionally, if a line/path is already cut away, cutting it again can cause the high pressure water stream to reach the bottom of the tank quickly and easily.
After doing some thorough troubleshooting, the double cutting is due to some finishing touches I need to double check before exporting the file from Inkscape.
- Lines on top of lines. Sometimes a line is drawn right on top of the original. If a node is not connected properly, it can begin directly on top of everything. This creates an almost undetectable line because it appears as if it is the original.
Additionally, lines can be duplicated during the export process. Be careful when exporting to highlight/select all lines that you would like to export during the process.
These issues can be difficult to troubleshoot unless you are actively searching for them. I believe the easiest way to discover these issues is to visualize a gcode cut file and make sure the pathing is not traced twice during the preview. (Visualization post found here!)
- Capturing both edges of a line. By default, the SVG export process will likely find both edges of a line and export both. This causes double cutting in a way that is not on top of each other but directly next to each other. Below is an example of the edges of each line during my boat project.
To resolve this issue, there are a few options:
- Manually delete the inside or outside edge. Switch to (outline) view in Inkscape by pressing ctrl + 5. You will see the view mode in the file name up at the top left of the Inkscape screen. Once in outline mode you can see the edges of a line. Using the “edit paths by node” tool, click on the line you would like to delete, press ctrl + a to highlight all nodes along that line, and then delete.
- Object to path tool. In order to turn any objects drawn into vectors or lines with nodes, this tool can be used. Highlight everything or just the objects you would like to cut > Select path > object to path.
Sometimes object to path does not work for me, in which case stroke to path is necessary. However, when using stroke to path it creates the double sided lines shown above and need to be manually removed.
Have you seen double cutting along your part before? Also, which software do you prefer to draw in? I would love to hear what the community relies on when designing their parts!