The Autodesk Fusion Manufacturing Extension can be accessed using different payment methods to suit your business needs, including daily, monthly and yearly options. Learn more about purchasing Autodesk Fusion extensions.

Yes. With the Autodesk Fusion Manufacturing Extension, you can design sheet metal parts and document flat patterns using 2D drawings and DXFs. You can also streamline the manufacture of your designs using CNC routers, waterjet, laser- and plasma-cutting machines. The Fusion Manufacturing Extension can help fabricators to:

• Optimise material yield
• Simplify the generation of machining setups
• Automatically update nests if the 3D design changes
• Create efficient cutting toolpaths
• Export NC code for a large variety of machine types
• Produce customisable reports and setup sheets
• Generate labels to help with assembly and packing

Yes. The Autodesk Fusion Manufacturing Extension builds on the core capabilities of Autodesk Fusion to support many 3D printing/additive manufacturing applications and hardware types. Autodesk Fusion supports Fused-filament fabrication (FFF), Multi-jet Fusion (MJF), powder-bed and multi-axis deposition (such as directed energy deposition) in a wide range of metals, polymers and organics, and includes:

• Automatic part orientation
• Associative support structures
• Volumetric latticing
• Part packing optimisation
• Print simulation

Yes. 3D printing and additive manufacturing are synonyms for the same process. Both terms reference the process of building parts by joining material, layer by layer from a CAD file.

Additive manufacturing is a process that adds successive layers of material to create an object, often referred to as 3D printing. Subtractive manufacturing, as the name suggests, is the opposite. Rather than adding layers, subtractive manufacturing involves removing sections of a material by machining or cutting it away. It can be carried out manually or, more commonly, by a process known as Computer Numerically Control (CNC) machining and takes many forms, such as milling, turning, turn-mill machining, wire-EDM and others.

Autodesk Fusion and the Manufacturing Extension have been built to create NC code that can be used by the vast majority of CNC machines. This includes 3- to 5-axis milling machines, lathes and turn-mill machines, as well as routers, laser-, plasma- and waterjet cutting machines that are typically used in sheet-based fabrication.

Unlike traditional CAD/CAM companies, Autodesk Fusion includes a free library of accurate 3D models of machines, 3D printing settings and post-processor files needed to export machine-specific G-code files. These have been developed in partnership with the machine tool manufacturers to provide increased accuracy and reliability.

No. The Fusion Manufacturing Extension is an additional cost option that requires an active subscription to Autodesk Fusion. Learn more about purchasing options for Autodesk Fusion and the range of Autodesk Fusion extensions.