Overview#
"2D fabrication" means making parts by cutting a flat sheet along a path: the machine moves in X and Y (and sometimes a fixed Z depth), and the part's thickness is whatever the stock is. Laser cutters, waterjets, plasma cutters, vinyl cutters, drag knives and CNC routers running 2D contours all belong to this family. The design workflow is very similar for all of them: model in 3D or sketch in 2D, reduce the design to clean closed outlines on a plane, add the allowances the process needs (kerf, tabs, bridges), then send either a vector file (DXF, SVG) to the machine's own software or generate toolpaths and G-code in Fusion's Manufacture workspace.
This section walks through that whole chain. This first page gives you the mental model: what each process physically does, what it is good and bad at, and where Fusion fits in. Later pages go deep on materials, kerf, joints, living hinges, exports, sheet metal flat patterns, toolpaths, nesting and router/vinyl workflows.
A note on scope and licensing. Sketching, solid modeling and DXF export are core Design features (tier availability is not confirmed here). 2D cutting toolpaths (laser, waterjet, plasma) and nesting live in the Manufacture workspace. Autodesk's help marks nesting (nest studies, comparison, export) as part of the Fusion Manufacturing Extension; the 2D Profile help pages carry no extension label. Whether your plan or the Personal-use license includes either is not confirmed in the pages consulted, so check Autodesk's current licensing page.
Where to find it#
You will touch four areas of Fusion over the course of a 2D fabrication project:
- Design workspace, Sketch and Solid tabs for the geometry itself.
- Design workspace, Sheet Metal tab (if the part is bent sheet metal) for the flat pattern. See the existing sheet metal section for details.
- Right-click on a sketch in the browser, Export DXF for a direct vector export. Autodesk's help documents SVG import (Insert SVG) but no SVG export; see the export page.
- Manufacture workspace, Fabrication tab, Cutting panel for the 2D Profile toolpath used with laser, waterjet and plasma tools, and the Nest command for packing parts onto sheets. The path is Manufacture > Fabrication > Cutting > 2D Profile and Fabrication > Nest.
Step by step#
This is the end-to-end flow you will repeat for almost every project.
- Choose the process before you model. The process dictates minimum feature size, edge quality, material range and cost. A 1 mm slot is easy for a laser, awkward for a router bit (the bit radius leaves rounded inside corners) and unreliable for a waterjet in thick stock.
- Define parameters. Create user parameters such as
thickness,kerf,tab_width, andclearance. Real stock is rarely its nominal thickness, so you want to change one number rather than edit twenty sketches. - Model the part. For flat-only parts, a single sketch of closed profiles is enough. For laser-cut boxes and enclosures you typically model the 3D assembly first, then derive flat faces.
- Prepare the outlines. Remove construction geometry from the exported sketch, make sure every profile is closed, check for duplicate overlapping lines and stray points. Decide inside vs outside contours.
- Add process allowances. Kerf compensation, tabs or micro-joints for router/waterjet, relief for inside corners with router bits, bridges for stencil letters.
- Export or program. Either export DXF/SVG to a laser or vinyl software package, or create a Manufacture setup and a 2D Profile operation, simulate, then post-process to G-code for your machine.
- Test cut. Always cut a small test (a 20 mm square with a 10 mm hole, or a pair of finger joints) in the actual material and measure it before committing a full sheet.
- Feed back the measurements. Update kerf and thickness parameters. This is the loop that gives tight-fitting parts.
The processes compared#
Laser cutting (CO2 and fiber). A focused beam melts, burns or vaporizes material. CO2 lasers (typical hobby and makerspace machines, 40 to 150 W, bed sizes from 300 x 200 mm to 1300 x 900 mm) cut wood, plywood, acrylic, paper, cardboard, leather, fabric and thin plastics and engrave many of these. Fiber lasers cut thin metals (steel, stainless, aluminum, brass) and are common in industrial sheet metal shops. Lasers have the narrowest kerf (typically 0.1 to 0.3 mm for CO2 on thin stock), the best detail, and the cleanest edges. Limits are thickness (a 60 W CO2 laser struggles above about 6 mm acrylic or plywood), burn marks on wood, flammability, and reflective metals on CO2 machines. PVC and vinyl-containing plastics must never be laser cut because they release chlorine gas.
Waterjet. A very high pressure stream of water, usually with garnet abrasive, erodes the material. It cuts almost anything: steel to 100 mm and beyond, stone, glass, ceramic, composites, rubber, foam. No heat-affected zone, so no hardening or warping. Kerf is typically 0.7 to 1.2 mm. Downsides are speed, running cost, a slightly tapered cut wall (compensated on better machines), and the need for piercing strategy in brittle materials such as glass and stone, which can crack when pierced. Small features and thin webs can be washed out.
Plasma. An electric arc and a high-speed gas jet melt and blow through conductive metal. Fast and inexpensive for steel, stainless and aluminum from about 1 to 50 mm and thicker with large systems. Kerf is wide (about 1.5 to 3 mm) and the edge has a bevel, dross and a heat-affected zone. Detail is limited: holes smaller than the material thickness are usually poor, and tight small features distort. Ideal for brackets, signs, structural plates and art.
Vinyl cutter and drag knife plotters. A small blade dragged through thin film or paper along the path, with the knife offset behind the pivot. No kerf to speak of but corner behavior matters: sharp corners are rounded unless the software compensates by overcutting. Used for stickers, stencils, heat-transfer vinyl, masks for sandblasting and etching, paper craft and flexible circuit prototypes. Typical cutters accept SVG, DXF or proprietary formats via desktop software.
CNC router (2D and 2.5D). A spinning end mill removes material. For 2D work you profile outsides and insides, pocket areas to a depth, drill holes, and cut grooves (V-carve is a separate topic). Kerf is the tool diameter, typically 3 to 6 mm, and every inside corner takes the tool's radius unless you add relief cuts ("dogbones"). Strong for wood, plywood, MDF, plastics, foam, and aluminum on rigid machines. Parts need to be held down, which leads to tabs, vacuum tables, screws or double-sided tape.
| Process | Typical kerf | Materials | Edge quality | Smallest inside radius | Heat effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO2 laser | 0.1 to 0.3 mm | Wood, acrylic, paper, leather, fabric | Good, slight charring on wood | Almost sharp | Yes, small |
| Fiber laser | 0.1 to 0.2 mm | Thin metals | Very good | Almost sharp | Small HAZ |
| Waterjet | 0.7 to 1.2 mm | Nearly anything | Good, matte, slight taper | About 0.5 mm | None |
| Plasma | 1.5 to 3 mm | Conductive metals | Rough, dross | Several mm | Significant |
| Vinyl / knife | About 0 | Film, paper | Clean | Depends on blade offset | None |
| CNC router | Tool diameter | Wood, plastics, soft metals | Good, depends on tool | Tool radius | Little |
Values are typical ranges for orientation. Your machine's manual and a test cut are authoritative.
Options reference#
The decisions you must make before designing, with defaults to start from:
| Decision | What it affects | Starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Output route | Vector export vs Fusion toolpaths | Laser/vinyl: export DXF or SVG. Router/waterjet/plasma: Fusion toolpath and post |
| Units | Scale errors when importing | Match the machine software; millimeters are the safest |
| Stock thickness | Joint depth, slot width | Measure with calipers, store as a parameter |
| Kerf | Fit of press-fit parts | Measure with a test cut, see the kerf page |
| Minimum feature | Whether the machine can cut it | At least one material thickness for plasma and waterjet, about half for laser |
| Holding method | Tabs, vacuum, honeycomb bed | Process-specific |
| Part orientation | Grain, anisotropy, burn side | Wood grain along load direction; protect the show face |
Tips and pitfalls#
Tip: Model one reference "test coupon" file in Fusion (a square with a circle, a slot pair and a finger joint pair). Cut it in each new material and record the measurements in a project note.
Tip: Keep a single master sketch for outlines and project it into your export sketch. Exporting only the projected geometry keeps the DXF clean and the timeline editable.
Warning: Never cut PVC, vinyl-backed materials, or unknown plastics on a laser. Never cut materials that contain chlorine, or fiberglass and carbon fiber on a hobby laser, without proper extraction and manufacturer guidance.
Warning: Hole and slot sizes are post-process dependent. A 3 mm hole in 3 mm plasma-cut steel will not be round. Design for the process, not for the CAD model.
Warning: Check unit settings on export. DXF files do not always carry units reliably, and some laser software assumes inches or interprets the file as unitless. Verify with a known dimension before cutting.
Practice exercise#
Design a 60 x 40 mm name tag with a 4 mm hanging hole and your initials as a cutout (use a stencil-friendly font or bridge the islands of letters such as O, A and B). Add parameters thickness = 3 and kerf = 0.2. Create the outline in a sketch on the XY plane, make sure the profile is closed, and save the sketch as DXF. Open the DXF in a viewer or your machine's software and confirm that the width reads 60 mm. Expected result: a clean file with one outer contour, one hole contour and the letter contours, and no construction lines. Compare what changes if the target is a vinyl cutter (bridges not needed for solid sticker lettering) versus a router with a 3 mm bit (the inside corners and thin letter strokes will not survive).
Related#
- Materials and settings for 2D cutting
- Kerf and tolerances
- Exporting DXF and SVG
- Sheet metal flat pattern and DXF export (section 08)
- Exporting PDF, DWG and DXF from drawings (section 10)