User Reviews
Here are what some of our users have to say about our Software. If you would like to submit a review - good or bad - please email it to webmaster@machsupport.com...
"My name is Michael Turner. I own Turner Customs and produce a line of competition rifle stocks and pistol grips as the primary product, but we do branch off into
other wood and foam projects.
Right after the terrible events of 9-11 happened my business took a nosedive and during the next 18 months we experienced a chain of events that nearly put us under.
One of those events was my cnc machine broke and it was going to cost nearly as much to repair it as it was to upgrade it.
I had just started reading a new website called CNCZone and kept hearing people talk about something called Mach1 and Gecko's. I called both companies and discussed
my situation with them and they agreed at it would be better to upgrade than repair.
Other than doing the upgrade work myself I would not class myself as a DIY guy since I use this machine nearly every day to produce part of the household income.
I would like to say that without the great software, support and the fact Art is generally just a good guy, I would not still be in business. It has taken a while
but things are turning around and I'm getting some sizeable contracts which will all be carved on a Mach controlled cnc machine.
Art I have told you on the phone, I have told you on the forums and I have told you in emails...........Thank you for what you have done for the small guy."
"Dear Sir
Last year i had an opportunity to buy a cnc lathe it was a denford orac in it's original condition the owner BFCarbon said he would change all the electronics and put
gekko drives and a program called Mach 2 to run it . Having worked on a cnc lathe in the 80's i though it was time to buy one for my hobby, never having made a
program to run a lathe i was quite apprehensive but decided to buy it .When my lathe finally arrived the owner Steeve Spenard showed me the rudiment of programming
with G codes .I was quite impressed with Mach 2 the ease of programming the displays where quite intuitive easy to learn and the graphics showed me where the tool was
and error i made in programming where easely visible . The first i did was buy a licence THANK YOU"
"I work in a commercial cabinet shop programming and running a $150K router. For $159, Mach3 has all the same features, as well as many more. It actually gives me the ability to do things on my homebuilt router that I can't do on our large commercial router, such as several hundred-thousand line 3D toolpaths with constant velocity. And with all the customization options, commercial-style control panels can be created with ease. The hobbiest community can't thank you enough, Art."
"My name is Dennis Izoita
I was starting a granite countertop fabrication business and needed to obtain the tools, as the tools are very expensive I decided to build some of them my self. That
is when I needed a cnc mill to machine the parts to make the tools. I found a 1946 Bridgeport mill in good mechanical condition that I converted to CNC with MACH
controlling it. As this was my first cnc experiance I was not sure how or if it will work. In about a week of compeleting the convertion I was able to cut the first part
with ease!! Art is doing a fabulous job on the software!"
"Mach3 es el ejemplo perfecto de funcionalidad, precision y facilidad de uso, si alguna vez pens en un construir u operar un equipo CNC desde su computadora, no creo que encuentre una solucion mejor, y esto lo digo en muchos aspectos: desde poder probar el producto antes de comprarlo, aprender a usarlo preguntando en el muy activo grupo de usuarios y el excelente soporte tcnico post-venta, no hay en el mercado una solucion mejor que Mach3."
"Before I started using Mach2/3 I was using a dos program called Turbo CNC. I used that until it got to version 4. I thought Turbo CNC 4 was the greatest thing until I decided to try out mach2. After I figured out Mach2 and had it running my mill, it only took half an hour for me to decide to buy the license. Mach2 ran my steppers incredibly smooth, I was able to increase my maximum speed from 60IPM to 90IPM. After an upgrade of motors I was able to hit 210IPM which was a little high for such a small package that I had. Mach software is such a great software package especially for the price. At the time I thought it cost a lot because I was using freeware CNC control at the time but as soon as I saw it in action I was sold. Now with the new Lazy Cam package that I believe will be included, you definitely cannot go wrong!"
"I am new to CNC programming, but I found Mach 3 to be very easy to set up and understand. The tutorial videos found on the support web sight are worth the price of the software alone. They talk you through each area of set up using the actual Mach screens. Weather you are using the incredible G-code wizard or your own code, it's a snap to load, set up, and make chips. I would also like to add, that the support group for Mach will help you through any situation you may encounter. They'Â’re a great bunch of guys."
"My name is Jeff Goldberg. I'm a computer, network, security, audio-video, and power kinda guy. If it's two paper cups and a piece of string, I'll get involved
with it. I got my start in the field as a kid designing and troubleshooting control circuits for printing presses and other electro-mechanical gadgetry. In high school
I took a load of courses in machine shop, mechanical drawing, pattern making, foundry and the like. I studied a bunch of other stuff along the way and ended up in
business solving other peoples technology problems from my home base in (nearly glamorous) Brooklyn, N.Y.
A couple of years ago, I picked up an NC Bridgeport and decided to see if I could convert it to CNC. I selected MACH2 (real happy that I did) and decided to build a
control panel which offered the functionality of a commercial unit. Never having seen a CNC tool, I researched photos of panels on E-Bay and designed something that
looked the same, but internally bore little resemblance. Anyway, I've been having a blast pulling up bits of lost knowledge out of the dust bin of my mind
(and learning new things all the time). Now that the conversion is done, it's time to figure out what to do with the beast. Without MACHx, the support of Art
(the author), the support of the user group and the ongoing enhancement of the solution offered by wizards, and so forth, my Bridgeport would remain just another
pretty face (instead of the movie star visage which it has today."
"What can you say about Mach3? It's the bees knees, the mutts nuts, the best thing since sliced bread. Why? It's so user configurable, don't like the screen?
Make one yourself! Got a problem, ask the forum, over 5000 members somebody's gonna know & odds on Art himself will give an answer. (how he's managed to develop this
and hold a full time job is beyond belief). Your problems are often sorted in less than a day.
My original meeting with Mach was a few years ago wanting to upgrade an old Denford Easiturn lathe. Web research turned up Mach2 but I was unsure, I couldn't work out
if I could control the spindle speed with Mach, you can. Mach cuts threads with only one pulse per rev from the spindle,don't let anybody tell you different! Seeing a
cnc lathe cut a thread for the first time is both amazing and frightening. I thought Mach2 was good, I redesigned the screens to my liking then read the manual for Mach3
and the screenshots were amazing, I had to have it. The lathe screen already has large buttons ready for touch screen use. Designed by Steve Blackmore, another devoted
user. Go on build a cnc machine, seeing those axis move for the first time on something you've built while pressing a keyboard is a real kick. Forget the rest, get the
best, MACH3."
"Some 12 years ago I started to control the steppers from old 5,25 floppy drives. The intention was to have three cubes of Lego building blocks with those motors
inside. My son was 8 and always playing with Lego Technic. We would be able to make "intelligent" machines, a facinating idea. Main problem in those days was that
suitable software was not widely spread. In the end I succeeded by using software modules from various sources. On the internet I followed the development of a growing
community of enthousiasts who converted machines to CNC and experimented with robots. Software became available.
My main hobby is restoring old motorcycles. My son developed the hobby of making model steam- and stirling engines. We both needed parts which required a lot of milling
and turning. Having a well equipped hobby shop with all types of machines I decided at last to make a CNC controlled router/mill as prototype. To experience the problems.
From the factory I was working I could buy rest pieces Bosch aluminium profiles to build the frame. Some 20 km from where I live, a well known supplier of control units
and steppers (www.nc-step.de) was located. All parts came together and after one year of trail and error the machine worked. The software I used was the german DOS-based
PCNC. In a Windows world the interaction with CAD/CAM software was causing too much problems.
Two years ago I found Mach on the internet and a world opened. The demo program worked fantastic. Great to see the active community and the patient support of Art. Let's
buy a license and.. let's build a bigger machine and get rid of all mistakes I made.
Starting from scratch the machine growed in a 3D-design/simulation package. A great way of making virtual (read:cheap) mistakes. The result is a stable, fast and precise
working router / mill.
What's next?
The servo motors are already in the workshop.
The milling machine will be converted to CNC.
It's an addiction"
"Hello,
Mike Klos here. I have run a small firearms related shop out of my home for about eleven years. We deal with NFA (national firearms act) stuff and we build and sell our
own line of silencers all over the country. Products that we build in the shop have to me marked with all of our information as well as a serial number. I was subbing
all of this work out to an engraver. It was OK at first but prices kept going up and up plus the guy would sometimes damage my parts. I never got a break in price
either. I began to search for an engraving machine but was suprised at the cost. Having a small 3axis milling machine, I decided to build my own. I'm in it for less
than 1K and the results are perfect. Then I got my biggest break of all, I FOUND MACH2 SOFTWARE!! I have never used anything so powerful yet so easy to learn. The support
is the best with the forums and all. I don't think there is a better cnc program in the world. Again, I want to thank you for such a great product."
" I have been using Mach 2 for approximately 2 years now and more recently Mach 3; I use them for both hobby stuff Clock Making, Live Steam Model Etc, and
professional work, Plastic Injection Mould Tools production, and general milling, I find it both simple to use and complex in use, although this may seem a contradiction,
I find it simple for every day 2.5d machining using the (Wizards Etc), however ArtSofts Mach 2/3 can be used to carry out very complex 3D machining operations by
combining Mach X with your chosen CAM Software.
The machine that I converted (Updated is probably a better description) is a Hurco KMB; I had no previous experience of
converting machine tools but have some experience in electronics and of machining. Below are some pictures of the machine both before and after, total time from
acquisition to a usable CNC Machine tool, about two months of spare time, this includes a lot of repair work on the miller replacing bearings etc, totally rewiring both
the control system and PSU and converting the spindle motor (rewiring it internally) to run from an inverter, this in order to allow Mach x to control the spindle speed
in conjunction with the normal and the recently fitted high speed gearbox, (this is very much an ongoing upgrade).
Mach’s support system is quite simply second to none,
I have on occasion had some small problems, mostly during the initial conversion phase, and more often than not it turns out I either hadn’t read or hadn’t understood
the excellent manual."
"I assembled a router from www.3Drouters.com and am running it making speaker boxes with Mach3.
A student, continuing my master's thesis work, built a 4 axis CNC machine with www.xylotex.com steppers and controller. (I have filed US and intl patent on the machine
design/manufacturing process.) We are running Mach2 on that one. There should be some pictures attached of things we've done with it.
How else in the world could we have done this? Thanks. "
