Thinking of going with EZ-CAM for software..?

C

comp 670

Aluminum

Joined

Mar 5, 2016

• Mar 18, 2016

• #1

Hi, I'm very new to the cnc world. I bought a used Haas VF3 to run as a home based business. I have the machine up and running, have a small amount of tooling and now I need to buy some software. I have used Gibbs a little about ten years ago and liked it but I did struggle with it at times. Tried Mastercam a few months ago and it confused me trying to navigate thru it. I'm told EZ-CAM is fairly user friendly for a newbie like me but can also do fairly complicated stuff as I learn how to? I was hoping to buy Gibbs but was quoted almost $9000 today plus yearly maintenance fees and that killed that idea.

Thanks for any info you can give.

 

E

Evenglischatiest

Cast Iron

Joined

Nov 22, 2005

Location

Santa Barbara

• Mar 18, 2016

• #2

I haven't used any Autodesk software in 15 years, but I've read some good things about this one:
Get Inventor HSM Express - Autodesk CAM Solutions

It's not really a complete CAM package, but you can't beat the price. And if you're just starting out, it'll probably be a while before you grow beyond it's capabilities. If you search this sub forum, you'll find some good information about it.

 

U

upnorth

Plastic

Joined

Nov 20, 2007

Location

u.p. in the north

• Mar 19, 2016

• #3

I had the ezmill express package and did not care for it one bit. Ask Chris at ezcam about a full unlocked trial period. If he wants to sell he can do it for you. Don't let him give you the scenario of what you are trying to do with it. I had for some simple 3d cutting and it wouldn't do it, so that completely turned me away. I have heard good things about fusion 360 and am going to try that and it is free for the home guy.

 

Bigtoy302

Cast Iron

Joined

Jul 31, 2011

Location

Eugene, OR

• Mar 19, 2016

• #4

I have have been using ezcam for a few years and I do not recommend it. It does too much weird stuff and when you ask chris about it he just says that's the way it is. It does work well for some stuff but after I updated to 2016 I don't trust it anymore. I have EZmill pro and EZturn Pro. The lathe side does still suck but I can make parts with it with C axis fine. The HSM paths are a joke. I have not done any 3d stuff with it yet but will soon.

 

B

Billshop322

Plastic

Joined

May 5, 2016

• May 8, 2016

• #5

I use ezcam when I have to. It is actually pretty good once you get used to it, but it also has its pros and cons like all software does. I recommend it if you will be doing 3 axis 3d stuff but not anything over that. Expect a bit of a frustrated learning curve because it isn't Gibbs or mastercam or edgecam. You get what you pay for, but for then price it is decent and generally get a the job done.

Machining a Part From A2 on a CNC Mill - YouTube

 

DavidScott

Diamond

Joined

Jul 11, 2012

Location

Washington

• May 8, 2016

• #6

Another vote for Fusion 360. I've been using it for 2-1/2 years and love it! It can post code almost as clean as hand coding, which I haven't seen before. As for trusting it I usually don't even simulate before posting, I just look at the paths when I create them. Definitely look into it before buying anything.

 

M

MasterCNC

Plastic

Joined

Jan 15, 2013

Location

MA USA

• Jan 25, 2017

• #7

Mill PRO

The full trial version works. It may not save or post code, which is Ok, but the post is included. You can evaluate as if you own the product otherwise.

 

S

Shawnrs

Stainless

Joined

Mar 30, 2016

• Jan 25, 2017

• #8

Depending on your budget I would check around with a few cad/cam systems and request a demo from the resellers. I like to see what other software packages offer and see what each can do for you on the applications you plan on using. If you get some demos from any reseller send them a print or a cad file and have them demo your part. Have a list of questions put aside for the pros and cons you may encounter.

 

D

D.D.Machine

Stainless

Joined

Dec 10, 2003

Location

poulsbo, wa, usa

• Jan 25, 2017

• #9

I used Ezcam for a year and then wanted HSM and it was going to be a new upgrade to get from ezcam so I went to onecnc and I like it more ... have not found a part yet I could not build with onecnc and the learning curve for it was super short .. I do all 2 1/2 axis parts and its easy to draw in and the cam side works good ,,, the post I use it not the best but that just me not having the time to fix it ...