Prepare SVG for Plasma Cutting
Prepare any SVG for plasma cutting by cleaning paths, closing open contours, and exporting to DXF. Plasma table CAM software like SheetCam and Fusion 360 require clean, closed vector paths — open paths cause skip cuts and toolpath errors.
About Prepare SVG for plasma cutting
Plasma cutting CAM software requires clean vector files before it can generate toolpaths. SVG files that work correctly in Inkscape may still cause errors in SheetCam, Fusion 360, or Mach3 if they contain open paths, embedded rasters, or compound path structures the CAM application cannot parse.
SVG for plasma cutting preparation checklist: 1. Convert all objects to paths: Object to Path in Inkscape — rectangles, ellipses, text, and groups must be converted. 2. Close all open paths: open endpoints cause the plasma torch to lift at wrong points. 3. Remove duplicate paths: overlapping contours cause double-cuts and kerf errors. 4. Remove fill colours: plasma CAM reads path outlines only. 5. Flatten compound paths where necessary: some CAM applications process simple paths better. 6. Run Path > Simplify to reduce anchor count. 7. Export to DXF (AutoCAD R14 format) for maximum CAM compatibility.
DXF export from Inkscape for plasma: — Use File > Save As > Desktop Cutting Plotter (AutoCAD DXF R14). — Set document units to mm or inches to match your plasma table's coordinate system. — Verify DXF scale in SheetCam after import — a 100 mm circle should display as 100 mm.
The SVG Cleanup tool above removes metadata, empty groups, and redundant content before DXF export.