# Tool Presets

This page explains how tool presets are structured and how to interpret them.

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### Why presets exist

The same cutter behaves very differently depending on:

* material
* engagement
* cutting strategy

Because of this, a single set of cutting parameters is rarely meaningful on its own.

Tool presets make these differences explicit by grouping **tool geometry and typical usage** together in one place.

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### How presets are organized

This documentation follows a simple preset structure based on two main ideas:

<figure><img src="/files/yeETvjSxdbUFSlq56rWZ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 1. Material

Material choice has a strong influence on cutting behavior and the cutting parameters that make sense for a tool.

In practice, the same cutter is often used across different materials, but with very different expectations and limits. Grouping presets by material reflects this reality and makes it easier to choose a setup that fits the material you’re working with.

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#### 2. Engagement

Within a material, presets are separated by **engagement**.

Rather than tying presets to specific CAM strategies, they describe how heavily the tool is engaged:

* **Partial engagement**\
  The cutter is engaged with only part of its diameter.
* **Full engagement**\
  The cutter is engaged across its full diameter.

This distinction reflects the **actual load on the tool**, which matters more than the name of the CAM operation.

The detailed meaning of engagement and how it affects cutting behavior is explained in the **Cutting Parameters** section.

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### What presets do — and what they don’t

Presets describe **how a tool is typically run**, but they do not describe the full machining situation.

They provide cutting parameters such as spindle speed and feed rates, while the CAM operation defines how the tool is applied — including strategy-specific settings like step-downs, step-overs, and stock to leave.\
\
Operations may **override** or **ignore** certain preset values depending on the strategy being used.

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Operation settings should always be reviewed.**
{% endhint %}

***

### Related Pages

Cutting parameters --> [Cutting Parameters](/miwicnc/cutting-parameters.md)


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