What angle does the tool move into a pocket when the RAMP entry mode is selected?
The tool will zigzag back and forth along the X or Y over a length of one tool radius while moving in the Z direction. When it travels one tool radius along this direction, it will have traveled a distance of ten percent of the tool diameter along the Z. This works out to roughly ramping into the part at an angle of 11 degrees. In order to use a zigzag ramp, the X or Y move must be larger than the diameter of the tool plus the radius of the tool, minus the finish cut of the pocket. The formula is: The pocket x or y move > tool diameter + tool radius – fin cut If the tool is too large for the zigzag ramp, the ProtoTRAK CNC will give an error message during program run and will then default to plunge. This will occur for each pass of the pocket depth.
