How to do a double depth pocket?

Hey everyone,

I’m now to the hole CNC thing, but not to vector based graphic programs (I use them with my Epilog lasers). I’m trying to create something that has two pockets that are side by side, but at different depths.

Here is a screenshot of the design:

What I am trying to figure how to do is to pocket the area between the cyan and red lines to a depth of 27mm and the area inside the cyan line to a depth of only 17mm. The black line would be a contour cutting the whole thing out.

How do I make that area between the red and cyan a single object so that it can be pocketed without removing the material inside the cyan line?

Here is the file if it helps:

DoubleDepthPocket.c2d (92 KB)

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Of course, as soon as I post this I figured it out. I had tried just grouping them but that did not seem to work… until I figured out that the area was too small for the endmill I had selected so it showed an empty toolpath. It might be nice if the software gave some type of warning that the tool is too large for the area or something.

Use two pocket toolpaths:

Select the outer geometry:

Assign a toolpath to a depth of 17mm:

Select the inner element:

Assign a toolpath which starts at 17mm and cuts down to 27mm:

(presumably the stock is thicker than 27mm)

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Thanks for the amazingly fast reply Will, but I actually needed the outer pocket to be the deeper one, so just running two pockets on top of each other would not work (I don’t think). Regardless, I was able to get it to do what I wanted by grouping the two and selecting the correct tool size.

I think he meant,

Select the outer element only & cut 17mm deep
Select both the outer & inner element & cut 27mm deep, starting at 17mm

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Hi Tod, I tried that and it shows that it will cut the entire pocketed area down to 27mm.

This is what I was trying to accomplish and I was able to do it by grouping the outer and inner elements and creating a pocket toolpath at 27mm for that grouped element. I then ungrouped them a selected only the inner element and pocketed it to 17mm.

Grouping has no effect on toolpath. It’s only so you can select things easier.
So whether you group them & select once, or shift-select both objects it’s the same.

Select just the outer boundary & pocket down to 17mm


image

Now select both curves & pocket down to 27mm


image

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Thanks Tod. I did try it just now with out grouping them and it did work the same as when I had them grouped. Thanks for point that out to me. I’m not sure what I did when I followed your instructions the first time, but it pocketed everything down to 27mm. This time the simulation shows it to me just like you posted above.

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