"Laser" cutting font on sheet metal 3

[toohotforme]

I am trying to extrude font to form a cut-out in a flat part. Typically a laser cutter will cut out the font - I did it once and can't get the same result now - don't want big holes where missing text pieces "fall out" because there is no rib holding them to the parent part.

I have the lettering which I used to generate the attached jpg font - it was Tahoma using an extrude cut - but there was a trick to it - an option to engrave or cut or something which produces the lettering in the jpg.

If one flattens regular text extruded on a sheet metal e.g. the "O" is a contiguous hollow - the centre correctly falls away.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Link to example .jpg if it does not follow this post:

http://files.engineering.com/getfil...-409d-a583-c8b752bf32be&file=PUNCHED_FONT.jpg

 

[EngAddict]

If you don't want the centre of the 'O' to fall out then cut our your text on the flat pattern, not on the folded part.

 

[pakl]

Search for Stencil fonts on net. Most of them are free. My favourite one is DIN Schablonierschrift. Plain and readable.

 

[toohotforme]

Thanks,
EngAddict triggered the word "stencil" which I couldn't think of at the time so I have done what pakl suggested.

 

[EngAddict]

Ahh, so you were only after the font? There is a font called stencil in Inventor, is it not suitable?

 

[toohotforme]

I thought I had done it a different way but the word stencil made sense. I went throught every font in the list on my PC and none of them were "stencil" fonts - so no, my PC / Inventor don't have a font called stencil - unless there is some way to load one/it?

Thanks

 

[EngAddict]

It may have come from word but still works, are you on 2007? I have attached mine, hope it helps.

 

[toohotforme]

That is REALLY helpful EngAddict! Tx!

Been through all the fonts on my laptop and don't have that one! My CAD machine is a x64 bit XP so am not sure where I got the one that I used - did recently (a few weeks ago) re-format my drive and re-load all the software (it's a microsoft thing!) so perhaps I was clever last time around and simply forgot!

Anyway, this font is exactly what I'm looking for! (It has a microsoft tag so it's obviously a standard one with some application)
Its going on both machines now.

Cheers

 

[EngAddict]

You're welcome.