Procedural help when making changes in middle of job

Software Carbide Create
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What is the best procedure for adjusting a project in the middle of the cutting process. For example, let’s say that I have cut a pocket and decide I would like for it to be a little deeper than originally planned. What steps should I take to reprogram the depth of cut. What I did, was:

a) stopped the cut job on CM,
b),changed the dimensions in CC,
c) reloaded the file into CM with the completed paths disabled and started from where I wanted the change.,
d) reinitiated 5Pro and then
e) started job. …

While that process worked, I wondered if there was a more efficient, i.e. better way to do it.

Thanks,

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I do this quite often when prototyping a part for a project. I just leave my machine on and skip step “d”

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me too…same ad Ed. i dont think there’s an easier way

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Thanks, that is what I was looking for, i.e.confirmation those were the steps. Makes me feel good that I used the appropriate problem solving process. :grinning:

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@Ed.E

I thought you could just go back and manually input a lower value for the Z axis start point and hit the start button on the same file?

For example, original Z was 0.5” (top of stock), DOC was at 0.2”. For a final pocket depth of 0.3”
You want the pocket 0.1” deeper, set the Z at 0.4” and hit the start button. The pocket tool path should cut the same DOC (0.2”) and final depth would be at 0.2” (0.4”- 0.2”= 0.2”).

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I’ve done that also.
I like to go back to the file most of the time and make the change there. That helps give me an idea of what I’ve changed in case I had to make something a second time. More often than not I make it 3 times before it’s right.

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The rule of 3! (It’s common enough to have a name :laughing: )

If it’s small enough, I would just change my Z zero & recut it. It will cut air up to the previous depth, but it might take longer to go back to the file & change it.
Caveat: If you’re increasing the depth more than your retract distance, this won’t work.

And Ed makes a good point. If you bother to change it in the design, it’s ‘fixed’ if you have to make it again. :wink:

A little trick I use to change the Z. If I want to cut my pocket 0.100" deeper, rather than moving the machine around, I just look at the current Z position after the last retract & add 0.100".
i.e. after my last path the Z retracts to 3.167". I just type in 3.267", ENTER. And rerun the path.

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Great tip, much appreciated.

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I stop it where its at, go into CC, disable the completed tool paths I dont need to change, and leave the ones that havent finished or are going to change, make the changes, save, reload file in CM and run from that point

sometimes I’m machining air for a couple minutes, but I dont care about that.

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I do the same thing. It saves time (not that it matters much to me) not having to rezero.

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One nice takeaway from this discussion is that I don’t have to re-initialize and reset zero. I was not sure if that was necessary so I had been doing it just to be on the safe side.

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