Finding reliable feed and acceleration settings is explained here from 2:43 to 4:33:
- Basically you start at a low feedrate, apply the change and see what happens if you move the axis at full speed by clicking the corresponding arrow in the controller window at its maximum speed position.
- If it works well increase the value and try again…
- If the axis stalls go back to the last working value and further decrease it by a 20-30% safety margin. This is important otherwise your machine will not be reliable because any minor issue may cause step losses.
If you want even better settings make a series of tests also with different acceleration distances:
- Change the acceleration value, repeat the above test and note the final feed rate settings.
- You’ll notice that fast acceleration (low acceleration distance values) limits the achievable feed rate.
- If you plot it as a X / Y diagram you’ll also notice an area where further increasing acceleration distance won’t improve speed anymore.
- Finally you have to find a compromise between feed and acceleration - I usually prefer a setting where the machine achieves about 80% of its maximum speed to avoid compromising acceleration too much.
- For things like picture engravings where you have thousands of short moves with constant accelerations I optimize for extreme acceleration settings as the machine won’t reach maximum feeds at the short distances anyway. This can cut machining times down to a fraction of the time you’d need with a more traditional setting.