At a Glance

This guide covers the foundational parameters used when configuring a toolpath in Ibex. Understanding these settings ensures accurate and efficient machining, from feed rates and depths to final passes and tool motion behavior.

Parameters

General

Tool
The tool currently selected for this toolpath.

Cut Direction
Switch between conventional and climb cut directions. Conventional is the default and most commonly used.

Helical – Profile Toolpaths
Enables a helical cutting motion, where the tool enters the material in a spiral rather than plunging vertically.

Channel Tags
Adds clearance cuts at sharp corners, useful when creating female pockets that must accommodate a sharp-edged male part (e.g., channel letters).

Feeds and Speeds

Feed Rate
The maximum speed of the tool while cutting in material.

Chip Load
A reference calculation for determining the width of material removed per tooth of the tool during cutting. It is not a direct measure of cut quality or tool life but serves as a guide for setting the feed rate.

Final Pass Feed Rate
The speed used when performing the final cut pass.

Plunge Rate
The speed at which the tool moves into the material along the Z axis.

Rapid Rate
The speed of the tool when moving out of the cut or repositioning.

All feeds and speeds are nominal. Ibex will adjust them dynamically to account for acceleration and direction changes.

Depths

Start Depth
The starting depth for the toolpath in material. Normally set to 0 (material surface), but can be set deeper (e.g., 0.1") if a previous toolpath has already removed surface material (like a surfacing pass).

Finish Depth
The final depth of the cut. This should match the material thickness if you want to cut all the way through.

Passes

Passes
Total number of passes used to reach the finish depth.

Max Per Pass
The maximum allowable depth per pass. This is auto-calculated based on the tool and finish depth. Lowering this value will increase the number of passes.

Actual Per Pass
The calculated depth of each pass based on the number of passes and the maximum per pass.

Final Pass
Enables a final light pass to improve finish quality.

Final Pass Depth
The depth of cut for the final pass.

Lift Between Pass – Profile Toolpaths
Controls what the tool does between passes:

Standard Lift: Lifts to the Z value set in the machine profile.

No Lift: Tool stays at the current depth between passes.

Material Height: Lifts to the material surface before beginning the next pass.

Custom Height: Allows you to define a specific lift height.

Lift Value
Used only when Custom Height is selected for Lift Between Pass. This value sets the lift height between passes.