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Entry and exit moves

How it works

Section titled “How it works”
Seen from the side: plunge drops straight to depth, helix circles down at the ramp angle over its helix diameter, and ramp slopes down and back along the path. Seen from above: the XY approach curves the cut onto the wall on a tangent arc and off it again, where without it the cut simply starts on the wall.

The Entry strategy controls how the tool reaches cutting depth: Plunge, Helix, or Ramp. A helix or ramp uses its angle setting; a helix also has a diameter setting. When a strategy cannot fit the geometry, the app reports the fallback in its warnings.

For an outside edge route, entry clearance is checked against the surrounding parts’ actual material, including holes and letter counters. A part enclosed by a ring of other parts can still use a helix or ramp when there is enough room for that entry. An enclosed position alone does not require a plunge; inspect the generated entry and any fallback warning, especially after nesting.

Where it applies

Section titled “Where it applies”
Operation Where to find it
Pocket Entry & retract
Surface clean Entry & retract
3D surface rough Entry & retract
Inside edge route Entry & retract
Outside edge route Entry & retract
Trochoidal cutting Supported entry controls where the operation offers them

Opening older projects

Section titled “Opening older projects”

When you open a project saved before file format 3.2, PureCutCNC resets a stored Entry strategy to Plunge on inside and outside edge routes that are not trochoidal. In v0.4, those routes plunged even if the file recorded another strategy. The load warning counts the routes reset, and the original file stays unchanged until you save it. Trochoidal edge routes are not reset; newly created rough edge routes still start with Helix.

Check the entry on each affected route and inspect its first cutting move before generating or exporting the program. See File formats for the format warning shown by older builds.

Settings

Section titled “Settings”
Setting Description
Entry strategy Chooses Plunge, Helix, or Ramp.
Ramp angle Sets the descent angle for a ramp or helix.
Helix diameter Sets the helix size for a helical entry.

XY approach

Section titled “XY approach”

XY approach & exit can add a direct or tangent-arc lead-in and lead-out on compatible wall cuts. It is offered for eligible Pocket, Surface clean, 3D surface rough, and edge-route work. Edge routes need a ramped entry; trochoidal rough edge routes do not offer this control. A region mask can also make the lead unavailable.

Limitations

Section titled “Limitations”
Section titled “Related pages”