thanks, that's good to know. i thought you were doing a depth of cut of 5+mm in a single pass.
I've seriously considered doing just a final parallel finishing pass similar to what you are doing, but doing a first "roughing pass" using the ball endmill to avoid changing from a flat endmill to ball endmill (after noticing that my ball endmill is extremely strong and can carve very deeply in a single cut).
I hear you about toolpaths being tricky to make so you can reduce time/effort/tool changes. I use Fusion 360 and it takes a lot of work because often, there will be a single move in a very long carve that ruins the entire cut by plunging deeply.
I am curious about the closed loop steppers. Is it something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Stepper-NEMA34-Hybrid-Closed-Control/dp/B06XHMHVCP I am looking for an affordable way to have my x-carve e-stop when the stepper detects a problem.
Yes! You can use a straight arduino uno and 3 dedicated stepper drivers. You don't even need a CNC shield or any such nonsense.
You can use 3 TB6600. Here is an example, you can probably find them cheaper.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HHS14VQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_enCXFbKEER9MH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Try using a single-flute cutter, your chipload might be too low when using a 2-flute cutter. Try it with your current plunge rate and if you're still having issues, go with a more aggressive plunge rate. Set your router to the lowest RPM.
Plastic is soft (especially HDPE) and will tend to smear and melt unless you're taking healthy cuts.
Been a while since I've used Easel, but I think you can also set your travel rate slower to give the cutter time to cool between cuts if you're having tool heat issues.
I use these for cutting Kydex plastic and they work great: https://www.amazon.com/HQMaster-3-175mm-Milling-Engraving-Tungsten/dp/B07F35WQYG/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=single+flute+end+mill+1%2F8&qid=1599766649&sprefix=single+flute&sr=8-6
I know it's not digital, but once you get used to reading it, you will get much better results. No batteries to fuss with and it does dual measurements. I absolutely love the accuracy of this caliper.
https://www.amazon.com/Anytime-Tools-Caliper-Reading-Standard/dp/B00B5XJW7I?ref_=ast_bbp_dp
I have (regular access to) an X-Carve and own a Silhouette Cameo. The sticky mats for the Silhouette (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B005VPVW3I) work well for card stock, but would be awfully expensive to shred through on a CNC unless you're using some sort of drag knife.