Serial Auto Post

Serial Autopost: Complete Workflow Guide

Welcome to Serial Autopost — a specialized automation utility built natively for the Fusion 360 Manufacture workspace toolbar.

If you're running high-volume production components that require unique serialized tracking with physical engraving, you know how painful the programming bottleneck can be. Manually updating a text parameter, waiting for CAM recalculations, exporting individual G-code programs, and verifying program numbers one file at a time is highly inefficient and prone to human error.

Serial Autopost completely eliminates this overhead. In a single click, it executes a background loop that increments your parameter, forces targeted toolpath regeneration, validates your O-numbers, applies custom file extensions, and batch-posts clean code ready for your machine control.

1. Parametric Setup in the Design Workspace

Before you can use Serial Autopost, you need to prepare your design with a serial parameter. Here's how:

  • Create a User Parameter — This is an absolutely necessary step, as this is the user parameter value Serial Autopost will modify during the batch processing loop. Name it something clear like "SERIAL".
  • Create Your Engrave Body — Create a body in your design with text that includes your serial number. Add some base text that will stay the same (wrapped in single quotes), then concatenate it with your parameter using a plus symbol.
  • Formatting Convention — The base text must be wrapped tightly in single quotes, and the parameter is written completely on its own. This keeps your sketch text dynamically linked to your design data.
    Example: "Part_" + SERIAL
    This creates text like: Part_000001, Part_000002, etc.

2. Manufacturing Setup & Selection Best Practices

With your model geometry locked in, move to the Manufacture tab to create your CAM setup. Serial Autopost functions seamlessly with any toolpath or profiling strategy you prefer — we'll use an engrave operation for this example.

⚠️ Critical Best Practice: Base your toolpath on the underlying sketch feature directly from the timeline or browser tree. If you base it on raw geometry or faces instead, Fusion will likely lose its reference to that feature when Serial Autopost pushes new alphanumeric strings into the model, resulting in broken regeneration faults.
  • Create Your Operation — Set up your toolpath (engrave, profile, etc.) based on the sketch feature, not raw geometry.
  • Name Your Operation — Give it a clear, memorable name like "Serial1" — you'll need to select this in Serial Autopost later.
  • Configure Tool Settings — Set your feeds, speeds, tool selections, and other parameters as needed.

3. UI Control Panel Walkthrough

Launch the Serial Autopost control panel. The interface is optimized top to bottom to minimize setup times. Here's what you'll find:

Naming Configuration (Top Section)

  • Serial Parameter: Dropdown showing all available user parameters in your document. Select the one you created (e.g., "SERIAL").
  • Target Operation: Dropdown showing all CAM operations. Select the operation you want Serial Autopost to regenerate (e.g., "Engrave1").

The add-in automatically scrapes your active document to prevent syntax and case-sensitivity errors.

Serial Number Configuration

  • Starting Serial Number: Enter the starting value (e.g., 1 or 251116).
  • Number of Copies: Enter how many programs you want to generate.
  • Serial Range Display: A live, read-only field instantly computes and displays your exact serialization range for verification.

Path Locations

  • Post-Processor Path: Browse and select your target .cps post-processor file.
  • Output Folder: Choose where your G-code files will be saved.
  • CPS Properties: Once a post-processor is selected, the add-in dynamically parses the file and exposes its native internal properties so you can adjust macro variables and machine properties directly from this interface.

Output Filename Format

  • Filename Prefix: Add text before the serial number (e.g., "JOB_").
  • Filename Suffix: Add text after the serial number (e.g., "_A").
  • Real-Time Preview: See exactly what your filenames will look like (e.g., "JOB_000001_A.nc").

Advanced Settings

  • Serial Padding: Control zero-padded length (e.g., 6 digits = 000001).
  • O-Number Digits: Specify how many digits from your serial become the CNC program number.
  • Post-Only Operation: Toggle whether to post the single target operation or the entire parent setup.
  • Open Folder on Completion: Automatically open your output folder when done.
  • Generation Timeout: Set maximum wait time for toolpath calculations.

Preset Management

  • Save Your Configuration: Save your entire form configuration including the .cps file and CPS settings as a preset.
  • Reuse Instantly: If you regularly switch between different parts, machines, or job runs, you can save and swap presets instantly without re-keying your data.
  • Multiple Presets: Create separate presets for each job type or machine configuration.

4. Execution, NC Validation & Post Log Tracking

Once you've configured everything and clicked OK, the background processing begins. Here's what happens:

Live Processing

  • Monitor Progress: Watch the live status progress display as it automatically updates parameters, regenerates the model, and exports your G-code programs.
  • Background Processing: Serial Autopost handles everything behind the scenes — you can track progress in real-time.
  • Auto Output Folder: Upon completion, your selected destination folder opens automatically for easy access to your files.

File Verification

✓ Recommended: Check a few of your exported files in a program like NCPlot to verify your underlying Fusion setup is correct and that your program O-numbers have been sliced safely from the end of your serial string.

Post Log Tracking

A permanent log file is generated in your output directory. The post_log.csv displays vital tracking parameters:

  • Processing copy number
  • Exact serial string applied
  • Generated filename
  • Precise timestamp
  • Validation status for every program

This log provides complete traceability for quality control and production tracking.

Quick Reference Checklist

  1. ✓ Create user parameter in Design workspace
  2. ✓ Create parametric text linking to your serial parameter
  3. ✓ Create CAM operation based on sketch feature (not raw geometry)
  4. ✓ Launch Serial Autopost
  5. ✓ Select serial parameter and target operation from dropdowns
  6. ✓ Configure serial number range and number of copies
  7. ✓ Select post-processor file and output folder
  8. ✓ Configure CPS properties as needed
  9. ✓ Set filename prefix/suffix and serial padding
  10. ✓ (Optional) Save configuration as a preset
  11. ✓ Click Execute and monitor progress
  12. ✓ Review generated files and post_log.csv

Ready to Reclaim Your Programming Hours?

Download Serial Autopost today to bring commercial-grade automation to your CNC cell.

Have questions? Need help setting up? We're here for you.

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