Fusion 360 September 2026 update: sheet metal, PMI, and extensions

Picture a Friday handoff: a supplier is waiting on a flat pattern, the coffee beside the keyboard is going cold, and the folded model looks convincing. The real question is whether the file knows where the bends are. A shaded solid that only resembles folded sheet is a very expensive costume.

Autodesk published Fusion's September major update as v2705.1.11 on September 3, 2026. The same update page lists minor updates v2705.1.15 on September 9 and v2705.1.25 on September 22. This is a read of Autodesk's release notes and Help pages, not a hands-on test. That distinction matters because the feature list mixes useful changes with extension requirements and performance claims that depend on the dataset.

The sheet metal changes are practical, with real limits#

Join by Bend connects two separate sheet metal bodies by creating a bend between them. Autodesk says it uses the active sheet metal rule for bend parameters and can take a radius override. The Join by Bend help page also labels it as part of Fusion Design Extension and describes the geometry it expects: two planar, non-parallel plates in the same component, with matching thickness and material, selected along linear base edges. That is a useful tool for the right model, not a general-purpose way to glue any two lumps of metal together.

The dedicated Sheet Metal Fillet and Chamfer commands are also Design Extension features. They work on edges that represent sheet thickness, which helps avoid selecting long formed edges that a normal edge treatment would happily let you misunderstand. Autodesk's Fillet and Chamfer help page spells out that selection limit.

Corner Closure now offers an overlap condition as well as a symmetric gap. The slider controls how far one flange overlaps the other, and Flip Overlap changes which flange drives that condition. Those are small controls with a real fabrication consequence: they let the model describe how adjacent flanges meet instead of leaving every corner as a cleanup job. Autodesk lists this change in the September update notes.

If you are comparing this with prompt-generated geometry, our AI CAD sheet metal article covers the separate problem of solids that look folded but lack sheet metal features and a flat pattern.

PMI is the more interesting handoff change#

The September update adds Hole/Thread Note and Leader Note commands in Fusion's Design workspace. Autodesk says this PMI authoring requires Design Extension or Manufacturing Extension. Hole/Thread Notes can carry diameter, depth, tolerances, threads, and counterbore or countersink dimensions, with support for ASME or ISO annotation standards. The notes can then be used downstream in Manufacturing, including hole machining and inspection workflows.

That link matters more than another button in a toolbar. The update also makes asymmetric probing tolerances generally available. Probe WCS and Probe Geometry can use separate upper and lower size tolerances, and probing operations can inherit relevant tolerances from PMI Hole/Thread Notes. For machine cycles that accept only one symmetric tolerance, Autodesk says Fusion adjusts the nominal size and tolerance sent to the controller. The values in the NC program can therefore differ from what Fusion displays, so check the posted output against the actual controller and inspection plan before relying on it.

PMI does not automatically retire the drawing package. It gives the model more manufacturing information; your team still has to decide which dimensions and tolerances matter and what the supplier or inspector needs to receive. Our engineering drawing explainer covers the separate question of what a drawing communicates beyond the 3D shape.

Two smaller changes have narrow scopes#

Fusion's Loft command now uses deterministic section mapping for supported closed profiles with the same number of clearly defined corners. Autodesk says this reduces unexpected twisting and misalignment when the profiles qualify. If the profile corners do not match, the old behavior remains. That is a useful reduction in one particular kind of timeline irritation, not a universal loft fix.

Manufacturing users can also create a milling tool holder from imported solid geometry, including a supplier's STEP model. Fusion converts that solid into a spun 2D holder profile and lets you define gauge length from the geometry. It should cut down on tracing a holder by hand. It does not remove the need to check that the supplier model and gauge length match the tool you actually have in the machine.

Treat the speed numbers as vendor claims#

Autodesk reports up to 30% faster first-time opening and closing for large design files, and up to 80% faster assembly updates for designs with configurations. Its notes say these measurements used customer-provided datasets and that results vary by dataset. I have not independently benchmarked those figures. A large assembly that opens faster in Autodesk's test set is encouraging; it is not a promise that your Friday file will follow suit.

The practical verdict#

If sheet metal, CAM, or inspection is part of your week, this update is worth a look. Check extension access before planning around Join by Bend, the dedicated edge tools, or PMI authoring. Then test a representative part through the flat pattern, posted NC output, and inspection handoff you already use.

For everyone else, this is a set of targeted workflow changes, not a reason to rebuild a stable process. The useful part of a CAD update is not how many bullets Autodesk can fit under a heading. It is whether the file that leaves your desk tells the next person what to make and how to check it.