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Pocket

Pocket operations tell your router to clear an area that falls within the outlines of designated vector graphics.

If individual, non-overlapping vector graphics are assigned to a Pocket operation, the entire area within each graphic will be cleared.

If multiple vector graphics are assigned to the same Pocket operation, and one of the graphics is inside another, the area between the outlines of both will be cleared.

Open vs. Closed Shapes

Because MillMage must determine the inside and outside of a shape in order to determine the area to clear, Pocket mode only works with shapes that are closed. A shape is closed when it is a complete, continuous loop whose start and end points are the same. When a shape's start and end points are different, it is open.

See Open vs. Closed Shapes for more information on the difference between open and closed shapes.

Pocket Mode Settings¶

Click any option in the image below to jump directly to the relevant section for that option, or scroll down for a list of options and descriptions.

Sections that have special settings for Pocket operations are listed just below, while common settings that apply similarly to most or all other types of operations are listed toward the bottom.

Note

For information on options that are unique to other types of operations, see Other Operations, below.

Clearing Pattern¶

The dropdown menu in the Clearing Pattern section controls the type of path your router will take as it clears the area within your assigned shapes.

Offset¶

Select Offset to tell your router to carve concentric paths that follow the outline of the shape(s) assigned to the operation.

Raster¶

Select Raster to tell your router to carve parallel lines in a back-and-forth motion, within the outline of the shape(s) assigned to the operation.

Two additional options are available if you select Raster mode.

Raster Angle¶

Controls the angle of the back-and-forth movements your router will make across the shape(s) assigned to the operation.

Outline Pass¶

Select whether to add an additional pass along the edges of the carved area, following the contours of the shape(s), Before or After the Raster carving is completed. You can also select No Outline.

Without an Outline Pass, Raster carvings may have stepped or flattened edges.

Raster clear without an **Outline Pass**

A Raster pocket operation with an **Outline Pass** — Raster clear with an **Outline Pass**

Pattern Preview¶

The Pattern Preview depicts the path (in purple) your router will travel on an example shape, based on your Clearing Pattern selections.

The gray area indicates the overall space that will be carved.

Offset
Raster With Outline Pass
Raster Without Outline Pass

Cut Direction¶

Controls the direction your router will move while carving.

Conventional milling moves the router against the rotation of the spindle.
Climb milling moves the router in the same direction as the spindle rotates.

Cut Preview¶

The Cut Preview depicts the movement of the router and rotation of the spindle relative to the material, as determined by your current Cut Direction selection.

Conventional
Climb

Stock to Leave¶

Enter a value here to tell your router to leave a given amount of material uncarved.

For Pocket operations, this will effectively shrink the size of the carved area inward by the amount you enter in the Stock to Leave field.

Applying a Stock to Leave value is useful for roughing passes that will be followed up by a finishing pass that clears the remaining stock.

Tool Path¶

The Tool Path dropdown allows you to select from three types of paths that MillMage will tell your router to follow as it pockets the shapes assigned to the Pocket Operation.

Direct¶

Direct creates a standard toolpath. Your router will clear out the pocket based on the Clearing Pattern you chose in continuous linear motions. This keeps more of your tool engaged in the material than the Trochoidal Tool Path options.

Direct paths are usually the most efficient option when you're cutting relatively soft materials that your machine can process without difficulty.

Trochoidal¶

The Trochoidal option creates a path made up of circular motions along the toolpath created by your shape and your Clearing Pattern selection.

The circular paths result in small, shallow, arcing cuts as your tool cuts into the material and backs away. The small radial depth of cut reduces stress on the tool, and the repeated disengagement helps with cooling and chip clearance.

The size of the arc is determined by the Trochoidal Diameter setting, and the distance the tool advances into the material with each arc is determined by the Trochoidal Step Size setting.

Trochoidal toolpaths are a great option when you're cutting relatively hard materials that your machine may struggle to cut, or would need to cut very slowly with a Direct toolpath.

The Advantages of Trochoidal Paths

Trochoidal paths result in reduced radial engagement and lower stress on your tool and machine. The reduced stress and radial engagement of the trochoidal path enables better chip evacuation and allows for deeper depths of cut.

Reduced stress enables low stiffness or low power machines to process materials they wouldn't otherwise be able to, and stiffer, more powerful machines to process much more efficiently.
Greater depths of cut allow you to utilize more of your tool's cutting length, resulting in more even wear, and extending its lifespan.

Trochoidal (Half Circle)¶

This is an alternate option that creates half-circle paths instead of the full circles of the Trochoidal option. This option results in a shorter period of disengagement, sacrificing some of the cooling and chip-clearing advantages of full Trochoidal, and placing somewhat greater load on the machine (although still less than the Direct option), in exchange for faster cutting.

Trochoidal Diameter¶

This setting determines the diameter of the arcs that make up the Trochoidal path. Larger diameters lead to a wider overall slot, and greater load on the tool with each arc.

Trochoidal Step Size¶

This setting determines the amount of forward advancement of each arc. Larger Step Sizes advance the tool more rapidly into uncut material, leading to a greater load on the tool.

Depths and Steps¶

Equation Support and Automatic Unit Conversion

The Depths and Entry/Steps fields in the Operation Settings Editor support equations and automatic unit conversion.

For example:

To cut to a final depth of ¼ in, type 1/4 in the Diameter field, then click in another field, and MillMage will convert to the value to 0.75.

Addition (+), subtraction (-), and multiplication (*), are all also supported.
If your display units are set to metric but you've taken measurements in imperial, you can enter 1/4 in and MillMage will convert the value to 6.350 mm. This works in reverse as well, converting metric units to imperial

Multiple notations are supported, including ft, ', ", and mm.

Start Depth¶

The depth, relative to the surface of your stock, at which the operation will begin carving or cutting.

A value of 0 means it will begin at the top of your material — any value greater than 0 will tell your router to begin carving below the surface of the material.

Final Depth¶

The depth, relative to the surface of your stock, at which the operation will stop carving or cutting.

Final Depth is the total depth of the material that will be removed from your stock.

The Final Depth field can accept values with units of measure or as percentages. Setting the Final Depth to 100% will cut to/through the current stock dimensions Thickness value set in Project Setup.

Depth Per Pass¶

Specifies the depth of material to be cleared with each pass of your router. The total number of passes is equal to Final Depth / Depths Per Pass.

For example, if you set Depth Per Pass to 1 mm, and Final Depth to 10 mm, your router will make 10 passes of 1 mm each.

Stepover¶

Stepover controls the distance between each path of your chosen clearing pattern. A larger Stepover leads to greater distance between each path.

Stepover (%)¶

Enter a percentage in the Stepover (%) field to apply a Stepover value as a percentage of your tool's diameter.

In other words, if your tool's diameter is 0.125", entering 50% in the Stepover (%) will set the Stepover value to 0.0625".

These values are linked in both directions — if you adjust the absolute value in the Stepover field, the value in the percentage field will change to indicate the Stepover value's percentage of your tool's diameter.

Entry Type¶

Entry Type controls the motion of your router as it lowers into your material.

For Zig Zag Ramp and Plunge entries, the router lowers to the depth set in the Depth Per Pass, as it begins carving.

Plunge¶

Lowers the router straight down along the Z Axis into the material, before the router moves in X or Y. The same Plunge movement is repeated as the router lowers for each subsequent pass.

Zig Zag Ramp¶

Lowers the router along the Z Axis into the material, while also making lateral movements along the X or Y axis, meaning the tool enters at an angle — the exact angle is determined by the Ramp Angle setting.

The same Zig Zag movement is repeated as the router lowers for each subsequent pass.

The router makes a straight down movement in Z before beginning the ramped entry.

Ramp Angle¶

Controls the angle at which your tool will enter the material, if you’ve selected Zig Zag Ramp as your Entry Type.

Common Settings¶

Click here for information on settings that apply similarly to all types of operations

Name¶

Use this field to edit the display name of the operation in the Operations Window. By default, all operations will be named according to their type.

Paint Color¶

Click the Paint Color button to open the Select Color window, which controls the color by which the operation will be indicated in the Preview window, if Show paint colors is enabled.

You can choose from a number of Basic Colors presented at the top left of the window, or create a custom color.

To create a custom color:

Press Pick Screen Color to hover your cursor over any color on your screen. Click to select the color you're hovering over.
Use the color gradient and shading slider at the top right.
Adjust numeric or hexadecimal values at the bottom right to create a custom color.
After creating a custom color, click Add to Custom Colors to save it for future use.

Click OK to apply the color to your operation, or Cancel to exit the window without applying the color.

Output¶

Controls whether the operation will be sent to your CNC when you Preview your project, press the Start button in the Job Control Window, or save your project in GCode format.

Auto Use Layer¶

Enable this switch to automatically apply this operation to all shapes set to a given layer. Designate the layer by clicking the button to the right of the switch.

Note

When Auto Use Layer is enabled, you can still Assign Operations to graphics set to any other layer, as normal, but all graphics assigned to the chosen layer will also have the Operation applied to them.

Quick Tip Video: Auto Use Layer

Tool Setup¶

Select Tool¶

Press the Select Tool button to open your Tool Library and select a tool to assign to the operation.

MillMage will automatically filter for appropriate tools for the type of operation you've selected. Some operations require specific tool geometries — if a tool's geometry is not appropriate for the type of operation you've selected, it will be unlisted and not selectable.

Tool Information¶

The remaining fields in this section display information about your selected tool, as entered in the Tool Library.

Tool Name¶

The name you gave the chosen tool in the Tool Library.

Tool Number¶

The unique number assigned to the tool to support automatic tool changers.

Tool Diameter¶

The diameter of the cutting edge of your tool.

Tool Length¶

The length of the cutting edge of the chosen tool, from the top to the bottom of all flutes.

# of Flutes¶

The number of flutes on the chosen tool.

Feeds and Speeds¶

The Feeds and Speeds saved to a given tool from your Tool Library are automatically entered in the Operation Settings Editor when you select that tool.

To enter speeds in units other than what's set in Device Settings, enter the measurement including in/" or mm to specify the units you want. MillMage will automatically convert to the appropriate units as shown in the example below.

What Feeds and Speeds should I use?

The proper Feed and Speed settings depend on your tool, machine, material, and use case. In short: there's no easy answer to that question.

For specific recommendations, the best resource is usually the manufacturer of your machine or tool.

Feed Rate¶

Controls the speed at which your CNC will move laterally (along the X and Y axes) during operations.

Ramp Feed¶

Controls the speed at which your CNC will move vertically (along the Z Axis) during ramp movements.

Spindle Speed¶

Controls the speed at which your router will rotate your tool.

Note

Not all CNCs allow Spindle Speed control through software. Some have routers which must be adjusted manually.

Plunge¶

Controls the speed at which your CNC will move vertically (along the Z Axis) during plunge movements.

Chip Load¶

The Chip Load calculation shows the thickness of material removed by each cutting edge of a tool, during a single revolution of the spindle.

Chip Load = Feed Rate / (Spindle Speed (RPM) x # of Flutes)

The optimal Chip Load varies according to your tool and material. For specific recommendations, the best resource is usually the manufacturer of your machine or tool.

Excessively low Chip Loads produce dust, wear out bits more quickly, and risk overheating the tool and burning the edges of cuts. Excessively high Chip Loads produce chips that clear inefficiently, and may overstress and break the bit.

Vacuum and Coolant¶

Enable Vacuum¶

Enable this setting to automatically turn on your vacuum system when this operation begins.

This option requires a vacuum system that is connected to your CNC's controller.

See Controlling Vacuum Accessories With Custom GCode for more information.

Enable Coolant¶

Enable this setting to automatically turn on your coolant system when this operation begins.

This option requires a coolant system that is connected to your CNC's controller.

See Controlling Coolant Accessories With Custom GCode for more information.

Other Operations¶

All types of operations are listed below. Select an operation to learn more about the settings available for that type of operation.

Pocket

Tells your router to carve the entire area inside the outline of a single closed shape, or between the outlines of multiple closed shapes that are set within one another.

Rest Pocket

Tells your router to carve only the space within a single closed shape, or between outlines of multiple closed shapes that are set within one another, that a larger Clearing tool could not reach in a previous Pocket operation.

Profile

Tells your router to carve a path along the outlines of geometry in your project.

V-Carving

V-Carving dynamically adjusts the height of an angled V-Bit to perform variable-width carvings with precise details unachievable with standard end mills.

Drill

Tells your router to carve directly down, at the center of the shape assigned to a Drill operation.

Bore

A special type of Profile operation used for making holes in your parts.

Dogbone Slot

A special type of operation that works similarly to Profile mode, but adjusts the geometry of your shapes to allow interlocking CNCed parts to fit together.

Chamfer Profile

Tells your router to carve angled edges along the outlines of closed shapes in your project. This operation require use of a V-Bit.

Fluting

A special type of operation that uses shaped tools and ramped paths to create decorative effects.

Texturing

Carves patterns into your material with controllable type, depth, length, and angles of carving.

3D Relief Roughing

3D Relief carving utilizes a grayscale depth map to quickly clear out the material around a three-dimensional object.

3D Relief Finishing

3D Relief carving utilizes a grayscale depth map to slowly and precisely carve the fine details of a three-dimensional object.

Surfacing

A special type of Pocket operation used for leveling your CNC's work table.

Face

A special type of operation that works similarly to Pocket and is intended for ensuring the surface has a flat top surface and the desired thickness.

For more help using MillMage, please visit our forum to talk with MillMage staff and users, or email support.