SVG for SheetCam
SheetCam is CAM software for plasma cutters, laser cutters, and waterjet machines. It imports DXF and SVG files for toolpath generation. SVG files must have the correct path structure and document settings to import cleanly.
About SVG for SheetCam
SheetCam is widely used with plasma cutting tables (Hypertherm, Lincoln Electric, ESAB) and some laser and waterjet setups. It accepts SVG as an input format alongside DXF. Here is what SheetCam needs from an SVG file.
SVG structure for SheetCam: SheetCam reads SVG path elements. It does not process SVG rectangles, circles, ellipses, or text as toolpath geometry — these must be converted to paths before importing. In Inkscape, select all elements and use Path > Object to Path to ensure everything is a path element.
Line vs fill: SheetCam interprets stroked paths as cut lines and filled regions as lead-in/lead-out areas. For plasma cutting, use stroke-only paths (no fill). Set stroke colour to black and remove all fills before exporting.
Document units: set Inkscape document units to millimetres via File > Document Properties. SheetCam scales imported SVG based on the document unit declaration. Incorrect units cause scaling errors in the generated toolpath.
Lead-in and lead-out: SheetCam adds its own lead-in and lead-out at path start points. You do not need to add these in the SVG — just ensure paths start at the correct entry point for the material.
Converting an image to SVG for SheetCam: upload the PNG or JPG to the vectorizer, download the SVG, open in Inkscape to convert objects to paths, set stroke and remove fill, verify units, export Plain SVG, and import into SheetCam for toolpath generation.