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Pro tip: I see a lot of folks not using the right line weights for hidden lines

Kept getting prints back from the shop with questions because my hidden lines looked like center lines. My boss in Toledo said to make them thinner, like a 0.18mm. What's your go-to weight for hidden features?
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3 Comments
hannahcraig
hannahcraig4d agoMost Upvoted
Our old shop foreman in Dayton drilled this into us. I run hidden lines at 0.15mm, solid outlines at 0.5mm. That visual jump stops the confusion cold. If your center lines are 0.25mm, a 0.18mm hidden line is still too close. You need more separation on the page.
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adams.vera
Hannah, you said you run solid outlines at 0.5mm. That seems pretty heavy for a basic part print. Does your shop actually prefer that, or is it for super large format sheets? I've always stuck with 0.35mm for my object lines. If I went to 0.5, I feel like the drawing would just look too dark and clumsy.
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samrodriguez
Drilled this into us" sounds about right for shop guys. Your foreman had the right idea with that 0.15mm, because a tiny difference on screen becomes a huge blur on a greasy print. I just make my hidden lines the thinnest the plotter can handle and call it a day.
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