Overview#
A Setup is the foundation of every CAM job in Fusion. It answers four questions that every toolpath depends on:
- What kind of process is this? (milling, turning or mill/turn, cutting, additive; and which machine, if any.)
- Where is zero? (the work coordinate system, covered in detail on the next page.)
- What is being machined? (the model, and any fixture geometry to avoid.)
- What is the raw material? (the stock, which sets what the tool will cut or avoid and which is used by Simulate and stock-aware strategies.)
Mistakes here propagate into every operation. A stock that is too small causes air-cutting to be missed or, worse, unexpected collisions; a stock that is too large wastes time cutting air; a wrong WCS gives you correct-looking toolpaths in the wrong place on the machine.
You normally create one Setup per physical clamping of the part. A part machined on the top, then flipped and machined on the bottom, gets two Setups. A part machined from five sides in a 3+2 arrangement may get one Setup per orientation,. Fusion also offers Multiple WCS Offsets on the Post Process tab to repeat a setup at several work offsets (see below).
Where to find it#
- Manufacture workspace > Milling > Setup > New Setup (Turning, Additive and Fabrication tabs have their own Setup panel).
- To edit an existing one, double-click it in the Browser or right-click > Edit.
- Shortcut: use the toolbar search (S) and type "Setup".
The Setup dialog has three tabs: Setup, Stock, and Post Process. The remaining settings on the Setup tab change with the operation type.
Step by step#
- In Manufacture, click New Setup.
- If you did not pick a machine, choose an Operation Type: Milling, Turning or Mill/Turn, or Cutting. (Additive setups are created from the Additive tab.)
- Optionally click Machine > Select to attach a machine from the Machine Library (selecting a machine defines the Operation Type), or Edit to open its Machine Definition. A machine is optional for 3-axis jobs and recommended for multi-axis work.
- Leave Work Coordinate System on its default for now and review it on the next page.
- Under Model, select the bodies or components that are the part. By default all bodies on the canvas are selected; if several bodies are different parts, select the ones you want explicitly.
- Under Fixture (if you modeled a vise or clamps), select those bodies. Collisions with fixtures are highlighted during stock simulation.
- Switch to the Stock tab. Choose a Mode (see below) and set offsets.
- Switch to the Post Process tab and set the Program Name/Number, Program Comment, and WCS Offset (for example, 1 for G54 on a typical Fanuc-style post).
- Click OK.
- (Milling) next to Accessibility Analysis click Preview to see which areas the tool can reach in the chosen orientation.
- Turn on stock visibility in the Browser to confirm the stock encloses the part as you expect.
The Setup tab#
Operation type#
Milling, Turning (or Mill/Turn) and Cutting are the choices on this dialog; Additive setups come from the Additive tab. Selecting a machine defines the operation type. The remaining Setup tab settings change with the type. Turning uses a different WCS convention (see the WCS page).
Machine#
Machine selection pulls from the Machine Library. If the machine has an associated post processor that carries operation properties, Fusion shows a dialog summarising which properties are added to which operations, and those properties then appear on the operations' Post Process tab. The machine's kinematics matter for multi-axis toolpaths and collision checks. For a 3-axis router you may skip the machine and choose the operation type yourself.
Model and fixture selection#
Model defines what is being machined; by default all models on the canvas are selected. Fixture is any model that holds or supports the workpiece (a vise, clamp or chuck). Collisions with fixtures are highlighted during stock simulation, and some strategies take stock and fixtures into account when calculating toolpaths. Whether a given strategy avoids the fixture depends on its own collision options, so check each operation.
Tip: Model your vise and soft jaws as a separate component in Design. Include the component as Fixture in each Setup, and the vise automatically appears in Simulate. It is the best protection against crashing a holder into a clamp.
Work coordinate system#
Covered in depth in the WCS page. The WCS is the coordinate system in which the post processed toolpath is output, and defaults to the model orientation.
The Stock tab#
Stock defines the starting material. The toolpath is calculated from the stock around the model, and stock and fixtures are used by simulation and by some strategies. The Mode list offers:
| Mode | Description | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed size box | A rectangular stock of explicit width (X), depth (Y) and height (Z) | Known bar or plate dimensions |
| Relative size box | A rectangular stock estimated around the part with offset options | Default for most plate jobs |
| Fixed size cylinder | Explicit stock diameter and length | Round bar of known size |
| Relative size cylinder | Cylinder estimated around the part; radial, frontside and backside offsets | Round bar for turned or milled parts |
| Fixed size tube | Explicit outer diameter, inner diameter and length | Tube or pipe of known size |
| Relative size tube | Tube estimated around the part; radial, frontside and backside offsets (applied to ID and OD) | Tube with allowance |
| From solid | Uses a solid body you select as stock | Forgings, castings, custom blanks |
| From bounding solid | Uses a bounding solid you select as stock | Blank defined as a bounding solid |
| From preceding setup | Uses stock from the previous setup (rest machining) | Second-op work |
Offsets and positioning#
Relative size box has a Stock offset mode: No additional stock; Add stock to sides and top-bottom (one symmetrical side value plus separate top and bottom values); or Add stock to all sides (a unique value for every side). Relative cylinder and tube modes have Radial, Frontside and Backside stock offsets and a round-up increment.
Fixed size box sizes are always positive. Untick Ground stock at model origin to use the Model position lists per axis (X: offset from left (-X), center, offset from right (+X), offset from model origin; Y: back (+Y), center, front (-Y), model origin; Z: top (+Z), center, bottom (-Z), model origin) with positive or negative offsets; with it ticked, an Offset shifts the stock relative to the Model Origin. Round up to nearest sets a rounding increment for the final stock size. Fixed cylinder and tube modes position the model by Offset from front, Center or Offset from back. The Model Design Origin can differ from the Setup WCS origin (show the Origin under Models in the Browser).
Typical example: you plan to machine a 60 x 40 x 15 mm part from a 65 x 45 x 20 mm blank. A fixed size box of 65 x 45 x 20 mm positioned with the model against the top gives that stock, as does relative mode with 2.5 mm side offset, 5 mm top offset and 0 bottom offset.
Stock from preceding setup#
In a two-setup job, this is the key to realistic second-op simulation. In Setup 2, set the stock mode to From preceding setup. Fusion uses the stock from the previous setup, which enables rest machining operations. For turning setups there is also a Continue rest machining checkbox (Turning operation type only). Because the stock comes from the previous setup, setup order in the Browser matters.
Stock as a solid#
If you model the blank as a body, such as a casting or a forging, choose From solid and select the body. Use From bounding solid if the blank is a bounding solid.
The Post Process tab#
The final tab holds output-related fields. These values are passed to the post processor:
- Program Name/Number: for example 1001 or "BRACKET".
- Program Comment: text made available to the post, usually written to the header.
- WCS Offset: the number of the work coordinate system that drives the operations in this setup. The post maps it to a zero-table index: 1 is normally the first available index (for example G54 on a Fanuc post). The WCS and work offset are generally set up to match one-to-one.
- Multiple WCS Offsets: tick to duplicate the workpiece. Number of Instances sets how many copies and WCS Offset Increment the step (4 instances starting at 1 on a Fanuc post give G54, G55, G56, G57). Using several offsets in one program may need extra attention in the post for retracts.
- Operation Order: Preserve order, Order by operation or Order by tool. Order by tool groups all operations using the same tool together.
Using distinct WCS Offset numbers for different setups is a common practice so the operator can touch off several fixtures once. If the physical instances are evenly spaced, an ordinary pattern can be used instead, which allows full simulation but needs toolpaths to align the stock for each instance.
Options reference#
| Option | What it does | Notes/default |
|---|---|---|
| Operation Type | Milling, Turning or Mill/Turn, Cutting (additive from the Additive tab) | Defined by the machine if one is selected |
| Machine | Attaches kinematics, post and limits | Optional for 3-axis |
| Model | Geometry to be machined | All bodies on the canvas by default |
| Fixture | Geometry to avoid | Used for collision checks |
| Stock Mode | How stock is defined | Nine modes listed above |
| Stock offset mode | None, sides plus top-bottom, or all sides (relative box) | Offsets are typed per side |
| Model position | Where the model sits in a fixed size stock | Fixed size modes only |
| Round up to nearest | Rounding increment for stock size | Box modes |
| WCS Offset | Work offset used in posted code | 1 maps to the first zero index (G54 on a Fanuc post) |
| Multiple WCS Offsets | Repeats the setup at incremented offsets | Instances and increment |
| Operation Order | Preserve order, by operation, by tool | Post Process tab |
| Program Name/Number | Identifier passed to the post | Post-dependent format |
| Program Comment | Header comment | Optional |
Tips and pitfalls#
Tip: Always leave facing stock on the top of the part (a Top Offset of 1 to 2 mm) when your first operation is a Face. If the stock top offset is zero, Face has nothing to cut and does nothing visible.
Tip: Duplicate a Setup (right-click it in the Browser) when you machine several identical parts or both sides with similar workholding. Then edit only the WCS and stock.
Warning: Because all canvas bodies are selected by default, a fixture or reference body added later may be treated as part geometry. Select the model explicitly.
Warning: Stock that extends below the part by a large amount in a first-op setup can cause tools to cut into the vise in Simulate. Ensure your stock fits the real holding method: if your part is held by 5 mm of material in the vise, model that.
Warning: "From preceding setup" depends on the preceding setup, so generate its toolpaths first and then check the second setup.
Warning: If you remove or hide the model's component after creating the Setup, re-open the Setup and check the Model selection.
Practice exercise#
Design a 70 x 40 x 18 mm bracket with features on both the top and the bottom. In Manufacture:
- Create Setup 1 (top): relative size box, side offset 2 mm, top offset 2 mm, bottom offset 0. Name it "Op1 Top". WCS Offset 1.
- Add a Face operation and a 2D Contour. Generate.
- Create Setup 2 (bottom). Choose stock mode From preceding setup. Set the WCS so the bottom face is up (covered in the next page). Name it "Op2 Bottom" and give it WCS Offset 2.
- Add one pocket on the bottom side and generate it.
Expected result: Simulate on Setup 2 shows the stock already faced and profiled from Setup 1, and the Setup 2 pocket cuts without air passes over previously removed material.
Related#
- The Manufacture workspace: tour of the interface
- WCS and orientation: aligning the machine zero
- Toolpath simulation: checking stock and collisions
- Post processing: how Setup fields appear in G-code