I was looking in the help files and one part of the tool path menu is missing; the Lead > Radius value

I assume the ramp angle is the angle at which the end mill travels as it cuts in the Z axis on a standard 3 axis mill. The Radius seems to control the swirly motion the end mill does when trying to cut in the Z axis when a ramp isn't practical. That said, the smaller the number the more swirlies it does which is confusing since the swirlies seem to get wider as it travels down.

Can somebody please explain these values?

The secondary question is I am losing steps in the z axis and I need to slow down the z axis. The Z axis feed rate on the tools doesn't seem to help much which is why I need to understand these Lead values and explore how they help cut in the z axis better so the steppers don't lose steps.

What would be some good example values in these fields for a small, week little mill like my X3 conversion? What is the process you would use in MadCAM if your mill is losing steps on the z axis?

Thanks!