"Warning: Lifting retract plane to safe plane" message in Fusion and Inventor CAM

Autodesk Support

Jan 15, 2025


Products and versions covered


Issue:

The following message is shown in the error logs after generating a toolpath in Fusion or Inventor CAM:


Warning: Lifting retract plane to safe plane.

User-added image


The warning message may also appear as the following: 
 

Warning: Lifting feed plane to topmost ramp.
Warning: Lifting retract plane to feed plane.

lifting plane warning

Causes:

Note: This message is only a warning, not an error. Warnings will automatically adjust the toolpath to work with the given parameters, while errors prevent toolpaths from generating.

This error is triggered when the retract plane (defined in the heights tab) is closer to the part surfaces than the Safe Distance parameter.
  • The Safe Distance parameter refers to the minimum allowable distance between the tool and part surfaces during retract moves.
  • The Safe Plane is defined by the Top Height plus the maximum value between the Safe Plane (default of 2mm), the axial stock to leave, or 5x the toolpath tolerance value.

 

Solution:

To resolve this warning, ensure that the the distance between the model top and the retract plane is greater than the safe distance.

In the example below, the toolpath is flagged with the warning because the retract plane is set to the 1.5mm above the model top while the safe distance is set to 2mm.
User-added image
This means that this warning could be resolved by either:
  • Decreasing the safe distance to less than 1.5mm, which would be relatively tight.
  • Increasing the retract height to greater than 2mm from the top of the model.

If this warning is occurring in a toolpath that does not include a safe distance parameter, it could be either of the following:
  • The retract plane is below the top height plus the vertical lead-in/out and the ramp clearance height.
  • The path for a retract move within the toolpath needs to move to a plane above the defined retract height to clear model geometry.
In this case, the warning message can be resolved by one of the following:
  • Ignoring it if the retract heights generated in the toolpath are acceptable.
  • Moving the Retract Height upwards in the Heights tab until the warning is no longer shown.

Products:

Fusion; Inventor CAM;


Was this information helpful?


Need help? Ask the Autodesk Assistant!

The Assistant can help you find answers or contact an agent.


What level of support do you have?

Different subscription plans provide distinct categories of support. Find out the level of support for your plan.

View levels of support