SolidWorks DXF Has Disconnected Curves — Spline Constraints and Chord Tolerance Explained

You export a flat pattern from SolidWorks, send the DXF to the laser cutter, and get a phone call: “There are open loops in your file. The machine can’t run it.” You open the DXF back in SolidWorks, zoom in, and the outline looks fine. Zoom in further. There’s a 0.003 mm gap between two arc endpoints at a spline junction. This problem has two distinct root causes that require different fixes. Conflating them wastes time. Here is what is actually happening in each case. ...

9 June 2026 · 8 min · CadShift