Need help setting up ETSLCAM to cut this quicker

So I’m trying to cut this image out (dark areas cut to only 2mm deep) and when I set it up in ETSLCAM, it said it was going to take about 11 hours to cut! I scaled it up to about 20" x 20" using a 1/8 single flute bit. Anyone have some pointers on how to set this up so it cuts quicker?

What tools settings are you using? Are you sure you have the correct settings on the screen that lets you choose the default file extension (mm/m not mm/s)?

Yeah, I followed your tutorial on switching from mm/s to mm/m and have been cutting some fairly large things. The longest cut time was about an hour and it came out great. I’m using 15mm/s on the x/y travel. Should I increase the % cut overlap? I’m at work right now so I can’t check my tool settings but I’ll add it to this thread when I get home tonight.

That shouldn’t take more than 20-40 minutes I would guess, 2mm DOC, 8-15 feedrate, 45% stepover.

Let me know when you have a look later, I bet one of those numbers is just pretty far off somehow, or maybe the wrong tool was selected (I do that one all the time).

I did a similar sized project and it didn’t take me 11 hours… IIRC, it was closer to 1 hour.

Are you doing carving or just a pocket? If you’re carving, do you have the flat end mill selected to do the pocketing? The carving might take quite a while.

With a flat endmill, I think it’s fine to do up to 90% stepover. The “linear” pocketing strategy is the only one (IIRC) that will let you go up that high.

And you said 15mm/s, are you also doing full DOC (2mm)?

If you do all of that, and it’s still an enormous number, post the e10 file here and I (or someone faster than me) will take a look.

I’m doing pocketing for everything on this one. I’m using a flat endmill, but I believe my stepover is much lower than 90% and using the default linear pocketing. Also, yes I’m doing the full 2mm in one pass. The material is 1/8 particle board with black laminate on top.

This is very helpful :slight_smile: I’ll post by my results!

That’ll be neat. Looking forward to seeing it. Did you buy the material that way, or add the laminate yourself? I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone cut through laminate yet.

This is the project I was referring to, with my pocket operation:

https://www.v1engineering.com/forum/topic/mpcnc-cabinet-transformation/

You can buy it from Lowes / Home Depot for $9 for a piece that is 24" x 48". I cut it in half so each board only costs $4.50. The only colors they have are black and white tho. The Laminate does a very good job of providing a clean cut…much better than MDF or plywood, and the contrast between the laminate and wood really makes the image pop. Here is one I did recently. Came out really nice:

 

OK, I might have seen that near the premade shelves. I’ll have a look next time I’m in.

Do you use an upcut bit? For plywood, I use a downcut bit and I don’t get the veneer pulling up as much. With the downcut, you have to be careful not to plunge straight down though, and drilling isn’t possible, really.

I’m using this one:

 

Got it cut tonight. I doubled the step over and it printed in about an hour.

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From 11 hrs to 1 hr? Something else had to be wrong in there. Either way, who cares it works now and it looks great.

Project looks great Troy! Glad you got it figured out. I might have to look at some of that laminated stuff next time Im at the hardware store.

That is a great bit. I used that for the first time this weekend. It just chews through the work.

It is an upcut bit, so if you ever want to work in plywood or OSB and have the pretty side up, you can try a downcut bit. It will push the material down while cutting so there’s a lot less tearout on the top.

I haven’t tried this bit yet. The few cuts I made was with the long single flute from Ryan. Love the chips it puts out and cuts through pine like butter. I have this bit too and will try it soon to compare. Now Im curious.