Slicing a SolidWorks Part into Per-Layer DXFs for Additive and Layer-by-Layer Machines
Layer-by-layer manufacturing covers more territory than most engineers realize. Laminated object manufacturing (LOM), sliced tooling blocks for composite layup, sectioned mold plates for waterjet stacking, large-format CNC where layers are cut and stacked — all of these need DXFs at specific Z heights. SolidWorks doesn’t have a “slice and export” button. But there are three workable approaches, and one of them scales with an API. The problem in concrete terms A customer operates a layer-by-layer cutting machine: it takes DXF profiles at fixed Z-height increments (say, 3mm steps), cuts each layer from sheet stock, and stacks them to build up a 3D form. Your job is to deliver fifty DXF files, each representing the cross-section of the part at a different height. ...