Plunging into air I can probably manage by telling meshCAM my stock is wider than it is, but that’ll add a lot of extra time. A helical/ramp plunge sounds great but I haven’t seen an option for that in meshCAM. Is there a CAM tool you recommend to help with this?
It depends on your part. If it’s all pockets holes and 2.5d profiles then MeshCam is overkill. If you have 3d contours then MeshCam is great.
I tend to use CamBam for as much of my milling as I can and only use MeshCam for the 3d profile parts. CamBam gives you a lot more control over plunging, ramping, etc.