Any way to force this behavior?

[machinemoney (Chris Hayes)]

If I’m cutting a 5mm pocket into a 10x10 aluminum sheet with a design in the middle for some reason the code generates in a strange way (at least from my observation).

It should go layer by layer no? If I’m doing 0.01 DOC it should go across the entire workpiece at that depth before moving down. Instead I’m getting behavior where it sometimes cuts channels… so it will cut the entire 5mm in a (non-isolated) area, then come back up and eventually later in the run the channel will connect with the rest.

I’m trying to avoid channeling. Its not the end of the world but it makes it more risky to leave the machine running without me standing over it.

[mhotchin (Michael Hotchin)]

This is a long-known defect in the pocketing behaviour of CC. There have been some minor improvements over time, but the algorithm is still fundamentally depth first instead of breadth first.

You can fiddle a bit with the stepover to see if it generates a ‘better’ cut plan, but there is no way as a user to fix the behaviour, short of using multiple toolpaths to force all cutting to complete at a particular depth before proceeding.

BUG: Pocket operations cutting as slots

To prevent slotting, the usual advise is to cut a slightly oversize pocket instead. I have found a condition where the pocket is being cut as a slot - one path full depth, then the other, rather than alternating. It appears to be an interaction between a pocket cut followed by a contour cut. I first cut a pocket down to 1/8" off the wasteboard. Then I run a contour, with tabs, down to the wasteboard. Turtle Rock.c2d (596 KB) I think this CC file, with these two paths enabled, shows the pro…

[machinemoney (Chris Hayes)]

@mhotchin

This is a long-known defect in the pocketing behaviour of CC. There have been some minor improvements over time, but the algorithm is still fundamentally depth first instead of breadth first.

You can fiddle a bit with the stepover to see if it generates a ‘better’ cut plan, but there is no way as a user to fix the behaviour, short of using multiple toolpaths to force all cutting to complete at a particular depth before proceeding.

Ok, appreciate the response, its good to know it’s not ideal but somewhat normal behavior.

Hopefully AI can improve toolpaths in the future, it would be good to have a “Layer by layer” option to check where it maybe takes a big longer but doesn’t channel at all.