Fusion: CAD for precise parts and how to send a model from it

What Fusion is good for

Fusion is parametric CAD: you enter dimensions as values and when you change one, the model is recalculated. That is a big plus for spare parts, covers or jigs that need fine-tuning by a tenth of a millimetre. It works in the cloud and has tools for assemblies and drawings as well.

The program is made by Autodesk. The licence for personal non-commercial use is limited and the terms change, so check them directly with Autodesk.

How to export from Fusion

Right-click the body in the browser, choose Save as Mesh and select 3MF or STL. Set the units to millimetres. If you are still editing the model, save a STEP too, so you can always work from it.

A mesh is created from a STEP file on upload, so we accept it as well, but 3MF is safer for coloured models.

Designing for FDM printing

A precise model in CAD does not yet mean a good print. Make sure walls are at least 1.2 mm, chamfer the edges at the bed to avoid elephant foot and remember the tolerances. For parts that fit together we recommend a gap of about 0.2 mm, and the exact value should be tested on a sample. Design overhanging parts so they can be printed without supports, or count on us generating them automatically and including them in the price.

Fusion and your order

Fusion is most often used for spare parts, electronics enclosures, jigs and prototypes. A big advantage is the edit history: if you find a part does not fit by 0.3 mm, you change the value in the parameters and export again. With prototypes you can quickly try several versions one after another.

You upload the exported file to the calculator, the model is genuinely prepared for printing on our server and you immediately get the price per piece and the lead time. With a larger quantity you can see how many fit on one bed.