Used to do this all the time.
Must be having a brain cramp.
I have a DXF file that has text and a perimeter shape.
The file is a 2d dxf drawing for a sign.
Carve the text using the special engrave 3d functions. No problem.
Then I send a rdy file to cut the perimeter shape thru using multipass function.
The material is 1.5 inch thick high density foam board.
On the OUTPUT page:
Compensation set to radius of cutter.
Depth set to THRU.
Multipass ON and the material thickness set to 1.5".
Pass depth to 0.25". Number of passes updates to 6.
Change cutter and set F4 and F8 cutter depths accordingly.
The router advances to the start point and comes down to the material surface.
Never plunges down to the step distance. Repeats six times if I let it.
Exported the file as a text NC file and there are X and Y values but no Z values.
ToolPath issue or 2D drawing requires something?
What am I missing?
thanks,
Old thread but I have experience in this area. I have had the exact same problem with my toolpath machine, ie the cutting only at surface level and never into the material. The only way I have been able to resolve the issue is to go back to the DXF drawing, in my case using Autocad and to make sure there are no unwitting 3d objects or objects with any z value. I know you say that you have no z values, but I have found that just because there appears to be no z, doesn't mean there isn't one hiding somewhere.
The next failsafe after you've made sure your drawing is good in your cad program is within Toolpath itself:
Go to the EDIT tab on the tool bar, after selecting edit, go all the way over to the right of the tool bar options and counting back from right to left there is HELP, MAIN MENU, then MAKE 2D. This is the command you need AND sometimes you need to run that command 2 or 3 times depending on the complexity of the job. Only takes a few seconds so whenever I am doing something with text especially (because that is often when this problem appears) I run the MAKE 2D command several times.
Often I forget the above myself and only find it needs doing when I see that the machine is only cutting some parts properly and not all.