# ERROR: Too many cutbacks **URL:** \ **Category:** General Questions\ **Tags:** results\ **Created:** [April 3, 2025, 8:08am UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/error-too-many-cutbacks/2602 "2025-04-03T08:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SupharoekS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SupharoekS](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/SupharoekS)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 8:08am UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/error-too-many-cutbacks/2602/1 "2025-04-03T08:08:36Z")
Hi all, Just to give some background: I’m working on a compression test involving an auxetic structure. I ran the static analysis aiming for a displacement of 15 mm, but the simulation failed with results and stopped around 9–10 mm. I have a couple of questions: 1. What does the error message “ERROR: Too many cutbacks” in PrePoMax actually mean, and how can I fix it? After this error, the next step shows a distorted mesh in the results viewer. 2. I started with a coarse mesh and gradually refined it. I noticed a pattern: the finer the mesh, the farther the simulation progresses (up to about 10mm of displacement), but it still fails before completion. If I keep refining the mesh to push the simulation further, I’ll end up with an extremely large model that takes too long to solve. Is there a better way to solve this issue without having to rely solely on finer mesh? ![Screenshot 2025-04-03 090243](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/d/d3ad28c410757453a1e1babefb1d023d841d3c88.jpeg) Step before failed ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/e/ea507940edc8b67ccef3d4e3bf82dfaa18c13951.jpeg) —Settings— ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/e/ea711da3d763499fdb6a76b0c8c10f3b0c02634b.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/a/a39a4e52ae41a9ef6e4693b14512f6b12bfdb998.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/a/a3f9fc46810b5a9c2fb3a3920a712c0b3e8bf677.jpeg) Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![FEAnalyst](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/prepomax.discourse.group/feanalyst/32/688_2.png) [@FEAnalyst](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/FEAnalyst)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 8:32am UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/error-too-many-cutbacks/2602/2 "2025-04-03T08:32:18Z")
> [@SupharoekS](#): > > What does the error message “ERROR: Too many cutbacks” in PrePoMax actually mean, and how can I fix it? The direct meaning is that CalculiX had to reduce the increment size too many times because of non-convergence. But it’s a very generic message and only indicates convergence problem which may have many causes (usually contact is the culprit). > [@SupharoekS](#): > > I noticed a pattern: the finer the mesh, the farther the simulation progresses (up to about 10mm of displacement), but it still fails before completion. If I keep refining the mesh to push the simulation further, I’ll end up with an extremely large model that takes too long to solve. > Is there a better way to solve this issue without having to rely solely on finer mesh? This is understandable - mesh refinement often improves convergence. Of course, you could run a 2D analysis to reduce the size of the mesh. But, as I said, contact is often the cause of non-convergence so you can try adjusting its settings as well. ---
**Author:** ![SupharoekS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SupharoekS](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/SupharoekS)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/error-too-many-cutbacks/2602/3 "2025-04-03T17:05:27Z")
Thank you for your respond, I’ve run into the error **“increment size smaller than minimum”** again during my simulation. I’ve read in other posts that the **minimum increment size** can’t go below **1e-5 or 1e-6**. Right now, I already have mine set to **1e-6** , which seems to be the lowest limit. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/a/a1767f92840341b3320307c48a91d8c0192e8449.png) Is there another way to fix this issue besides lowering the increment size further? ---
**Author:** ![FEAnalyst](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/prepomax.discourse.group/feanalyst/32/688_2.png) [@FEAnalyst](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/FEAnalyst)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/error-too-many-cutbacks/2602/4 "2025-04-05T16:57:19Z")
This is just another common generic error indicating non-convergence. Further reducing the increment size most likely won’t help. You should try determining the cause of convergence issues and fixing the model as suggested before.