I think what I'm after is called "less material" but not sure. I've tried changing every variable and non of them seem to accomplish what I'm trying to do. Here is what I mean:

Let's say the top of my part is at Z0 and I want to cut a particular pocket .300 deep with .100 cuts. After the first .100 cut the toolpath takes the end mill back up to safe Z plane then goes down slowly to make the second .100 cutt. After that it goes back up to safe Z and then down for the next .100 cutt, etc.

The problem is the wasted time cutting air between cutts. I don't want/need the cutter to go back up to safe Z when it just has to come back down (slowly) to make the next cut. I would think VM being such a formidable program would recognize the fact that it just cut the material there so it doesn't need to cut air slowly on its way back down.

I've tried every variable in the pocketing parameters. What am I missing?

Mark

Mark,

What kind of entry are you making? Some kind of a ramp is considered to be the best way, better than straight plunging. The reason I ask, is that perhaps you can boost the plunge rate considerably higher than whatever you are using now (I don't know VM at all, sorry). This would be because the cutter can be fed more normally through a ramp entry than a straight plunge.

Perhaps another trick is to program each pass as a seperate process. Then each time you do this, you can set a different material top height, which may allow the tool to rapid down closer to each new clearance plane. You may not want to go to this much trouble for every cut, but if you have a very deep pocket to cut, you might want to create a new process at every 1/2" increment, redefining the material top for each, as I described.

Most cam systems have a (keep tool down) option. This eliminates all the wasted tool lifts. Maybe you have this option.

I haven't used my VM 5 in a while since I switched to OncCNC but have you tried setting the vertical distance setting in approach motion box of the Entry/Exit tab on the 3 axis pocketing screen ? As Hu suggested the feeds&speeds for the plunge and approach speeds are configurable separately from the engage settings so you might be able to safely crank those up if you can't minimize the vertical distance setting.

Try this out:
On Pocketing, you choose Entry/Exit and turn off the "Apply entry/exit at all cut levels" BOX.
A low clareance plane will help too.
I hope i had helped...
Good luck
Ito.

Ito
Been a month or more since my last programming, but if my memory is good the "apply entry/exit" button still doesn't do anything in 2.5d pocketing in VM5