Pocket Retract Every Pass

Software Carbide Create
1

Whenever I do a pocket mill, it goes to travel height after every pass. I tried the beta CC but I still have the issue. I saw where others had posted the same problem but I never saw a resolution.

Example GCODE: The Z5.00 is travel height. It adds this line on every pass.
X20.30Y32.22
Z5.00
G0
Z-1.10
G1Z-1.40F203.2
X20.24Y32.29F508.0

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jim

2

Hi @jelanier,

This is still CC’s behavior for pockets, indeed.

If this bothers you, @fenrus came up with a nifty online tool to optimize of the G-code files generated by CC, and remove the extra retracts when pocketing:

5 Likes
3

Thanks for the help. I have been doing a search and replace to edit the g-code. I’ll try the site.

Thanks again,

Jim

4

Do you mean to say this is one of CC’S most hated behaviors regarding pockets? LOL

3 Likes
5

Features and quirks? :grinning:

6

I’ve offered @robgrz to either fix it or explain the easy fix… but I understand priorities vs this…

1 Like
7

It should get fixed in the next week or two.

10 Likes
8

That would make things easier. I noticed that contour of a single line does a same thing. When it gets to the end of the line, it raises to travel height and returns to beginning of line then lowers. (wash lather repeat). I would think it would reach end of line, lower, then return along the line (and repeat until desired depth has been accomplished.

Thanks so much.

Jim

9

Can you also change necessary retracts from G1 to G0? I’ve been using md8n’s gcodeclean utility on github to do this, but it’ll save a step. Still might need it to change line segments back to G2/G3 arcs but that’s for another day.

10

The one time this is nice is for effectively peck drilling holes.

1 Like
11

100% agree — it’s great for chip evacuation on holes. But I definitely feel the communal frustration of the added run time in every other scenario.

At the risk of violating CC’s minimalist aesthetic, could retracting between stepdowns be an optional checkbox?

Or could software intelligently detect if the pocket area (approximation is fine) is less than 3-4 times the area of the endmill, and retract only if under that size threshold? This would be relatively easy to implement without cluttering the interface.

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12

which should not be obsolete with the introduction of drilling toolpaths in the latest beta of CC (haven’t had a chance to try them yet)

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13

Here I am, new to this group, and the first thing I do is complain. Let me state that this is great software. It is the only truly intuitive CNC program I have seen. I am an engineer and write control code and GUIs in my job so I know how hard it is to make programs easy to use. (I have to make it so simple that even a PHD can figure it out.) It took me weeks to use other cnc programs effectively whereas I was using this within an hour. And it’s free! I hope to soon purchase a Shapeoko router to replace the small machine I am using now. Thanks to all involved!

Jim

8 Likes
16

Check out the CC beta 526 at the beta download page . It’s got some much more aggressive pocketing code that when we’ve done in the past. (We’ll see if it’s good enough to keep)

Be sure to simulate any toolpaths you make before running them and if you do run the toolpaths on an actual machine, try and use cheap stock just in case.

8 Likes
17

I tried the new pocket milling. Works fine no complaints so far.

Later,

Jim

4 Likes
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