Does PLUNGE_RATE_MOVE work in the current meshcam? It’s still not in the docs, but it shows up to some extent in a few meshcam forum posts… It’s supposed to allow for a rapid to a safe height, then plunge rate to the material.
I haven’t seen any updates to meshcam for quite some time, anyone know if there is one coming?
@mikep, PLUNGE_RATE_MOVE is only used for the first move downwards from the Retract Height (safe height) after the tool has been retracted to that level. After that, all moves happen at the defined feed rate.
As to when the next MeshCAM release, I don’t know.
Randy
So if I set it (it doesn’t show up as a string in meshcam…) as such:
PLUNGE_RATE_MOVE = “G1[Z] [FP]”
Will I get a rapid plunge to a height just above the material remaining, and then a feed rate plunge from there, then the same fast then feed rate plunge for each retract and plunge? It seems that it ought to be able to rapid to just above the remaining material, then use the plunge rate from there, instead of the plunge rate from the retract height for every plunge as it moves across the material? Maybe my real problem here is that I’m not resetting the retract height from the default, so it retracts quite a way from the material, then has the very slow plunge all the way back down.
@mikep, you are close. Here is my PLUNGE_RATE_MOVE section from my Tormach postprocessor (the full post is at http://grzforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15562&p=24857#p24857 )
;
;rapid down to safe Z, plunge to final Z
PLUNGE_RATE_MOVE = “G0[SZ]”
PLUNGE_RATE_MOVE = “G1[Z] [FP]”
;
I added the line to rapid down from wherever the spindle was, to the Retract Height (SZ = safety Z I think) just before the plunge rate move.
I also keep the Retract Height pretty low over the stock–on the Nomad just high enough to clear hold-down screws etc.
Randy
Ok, thanks, will give this a shot.