Note: Lead-Ins are available in v2.2.0.57 as an experimental release. Updated in v2.2.0.59 to allow individual lengths for each lead-in.



Use Lead-Ins on thicker materials to move the pierce point away from the finished part. 


There are two ways to add Lead-Ins to a geometry.

  1. Click on a CUT contour to insert a Lead-In
  2. Use Box Selection to add Lead-Ins to all closed contours selected


Add Lead-In by clicking on closed cut contour


Use this method to precisely position the lead-in on the closed cut contour.


The first thing to do is specify the length of the lead-in. All lead-ins will be perpendicular to location point where inserted.

Depending on the thickness of the material being cut, choose a length around 2-3 times the kerf compensation.


With the Add button highlighted, use the mouse to select the desired start point and lead in location on the closed cut contour.


The Lead-In location will be marked with a purple square on the original contour. The white outline will show the kerf-compensated cut with the lead-in. 

Note: Kerf compensation must be active to see the kerf-offset and lead-in.


When finished adding all the lead-ins, click Done to view the lead-in.



The Lead-Ins will always be on the kerf compensated side of the part. Kerf Compensation has to be enabled in order to view the lead-in from the Process tab. Job Preview will show the lead-in regardless of whether kerf compensation is active or not.


Add Lead-Ins to all selected contours


Using the box selection tool, highlight all contours that need lead-ins.

The lead-ins will be added to the start point of each contour that is within the selection window. 




Remove Lead-Ins


To remove a lead-in, select the Remove button then click on an existing lead-in.

To remove multiple lead-ins at one time, use the box-selection tool to select multiple contours.


Rules and Notes


  • Lead-ins can have different lengths. To change the length, use Add and click on an existing lead-in.
  • All lead-ins will be perpendicular.
  • When selecting a lead-in location, this location will become the start of the contour.
  • To move the start-point without a lead-in, set the lead-in length to 0.0
  • To move a lead-in, use Add and select another location on the contour.
  • If a tab is selected as the lead-in location, the tab will remain and a lead-in will be added.
  • For tubes, you can have two lead-ins on the outer contour, one on the right-side and one on the left-side.