[rherman]

I am looking for a high-speed router for 3d work. Ez-router (www.ez-router.com) claims 500ipm on 3d parts and 800ipm on rapids. It basically looks like a rack and pinion drive with steppers. I currently have a practical cnc (www.practicalcnc.com) router, but even when commanded to cut the 3d parts at 100ipm, it actually achieves around 25ipm. I guess I am timing linear inches, but I can't imagine going up and down a total of .1" in small slopes creates that much more distance. Thanks.

Rob

[ger21]

Are you running their control software? If so, is it possible to run your machine using Mach3 to see if their is a performance increase?

[rherman]

It is a WinCnc controller. It came with a pci card for my pc and then that goes to their box. I'm pretty sure it's step/dir, so I guess I could try MachCNC. The cards it uses are dedicated and fast, so I doubt using MachCNC will drive the control box any faster. I'll certainly look into that. I think it's the limit of the steppers. I think ShopBots use the alpha step plus motors from Oriental Motor company. They are fast and expensive, since you need to purchase the controller with their motor. Thanks.

Rob

[ger21]

I'm thinking the software can't look ahead fast enough, which would cause it to run slowly.

[rherman]

I'll certainly look into it. It would be a great no-cost upgrade, other than MachCNC for $149. Thanks.

Rob

[cncpro2005]

In the world of Cnc often times you get what you pay for. I am talking about both control software and cnc tables.
If you are looking for a good solution, you may take a look at ShopSabre.

They use Wincnc motion control and rams 3d software. I would put this machine solution up against any other in this price range.

[mortimer]

has anyone used the Ez-Router. Planning to buy one. Any objective views? Any views on BobcadCAM software.

[Svelte]

I just got back from both shops. I travelled from Phoenix, Arizona just to see some machines. I was impressed with the both owners and their machines. I plan to order a 4 X 8 Shop Sabre machine this week. Be prepared for "sticker Shock", though. Remember.....You get what you pay for.
After looking all over for a medium-duty machine to get started with, I think Shop Sabre is probably the best deal. The guys at E-Z Router were good too, but I didn't like the rack and pinion drives with cog belts and the lack of cable trays. They were about $6,000.00 under Shop Sabre for the same configuration, though.

[mortimer]

Thanks for the feedback Svelte, but I know nothing about cog belts and cable trays. Could you explain, as I am a novice in this arena. I hve already committed to EZRouter and cannot change my committment at this late stage.

[Svelte]

If you look closely at the pictures from E-Z Router, you will see that the wiring for the gantry is just wrapped in flex-tubing and drpaed across the machine. Go to the other sites (even eBay) and you will see what I call a "link tray" setup that contains the wiring and keeps it from being kinked or pinched when the gantry is in motion. The guys at E-Z Router told me that you have to watch the wiring as they have had operators get the wiring caught. When this happens, it can tear out the wiring or cut it which could result in short circuits. That could put you down for quite some time and cost you money for new control circuits.

Depending on who you talk to, the belts can be good or bad. The belt reduction setup results in higher definition, but belts can break. This also can be a good thing if you happen to hit a fixture. A $10.00 belt is a lot cheaper than a gear drive. However, the guys at Shop Sabre claim that they have never lost a gear drive in an accident like this.

I am kind of confused about all of this myself. My area of expertise is in metal machining on large commercial equipment. I have heard good things about both E-Z Router and Shop Sabre. I have met with them both and they seem very honest. I just liked the way the Shop Sabre looked better. It seemed more robust. However it is costing about $6,000.00 more than a similarly equipped E-Z Router model. I am hoping that I get what I am paying for.

Let me know how your unit works out for you.

[iraklitos]

Dear Friend!
i wanted to ask you if you finally have the ez-router machine?
and if yes how is it?
i plan to buy a 4*8 table for plasma cuting(stainless steeel) and router work (plastic and wood).
thanks for your time

[mortimer]

hey Svelte, thanks for the info. I took a look at the picture of Ezrouter and saw just what you said. I figure I might have to find a way to correct that cable setup. here is a picture for anyone who might need to know what we are talking about.

[Svelte]

Here is another picture of the cabling on the EZ Router. This cabling setup on the "Y" axis was what bothered me the most. I still think they make a pretty good machine.

[Joe Crumley]

Hello Fellows,

I've been through the same mental process as you fellows and settled on the Ez. I had a Shopbot for about 5 years and the maintenance and poor cuts finally did me in. I made the trip to Ez, looked over their units, and was impressed. They make a solid dependable CNC. Dollar for dollar they may be the best buy on the market.

I bought the 5'X10' with a Colombo spindle. Very very smooth and quiet. It will cut 3D files at 600ipm with ease

The beld drive units are common in the industry, and provide smoother cutting along with speed. Replacement is rare. Their controll software is Mach 3. One of the best.

All this said, I'm sure ShopSabre is a good unit also. I've heard nothing but good things about them. Shopbot isn't in this league. Just read their forum and see. They can't keep em square and maintenance is a big part of the deal.

J.
www.normansignco.com

[ez-router]

Finally, after as many machines as we have sold somebody speaks on the zone. This is great guys, I am glad you like our machine. I do want to clear up a few things though. First, I do not want to nit pick. But, what was said is we had a customer that dropped a piece of 2" plate steel on the cables running from the control to the gantry. This severed the line and caused some timely and costly repairs. Even if it were in wire track, this would have been costly and maybe more damaging. But all of our machines are available with e chain wire ways; matter of fact, if you look at the machine on our home page it has e chain wire ways. By not making you buy e chain, because it is the only way we sell it, we save the end user money. And this is the only incidence known to us of problems with the cabling. Thanks for the feed back we are always open to ideas for improvement.

Have a Great Day
Daniel Berry

[Svelte]

You can see what a class act the guys at EZ-Router are by their reply to my post. We did not discuss cable tracks when I was there and I was not aware that they were offered.
Now if someone could just give me definitive answer about the upside/downside to the rack-and-pinion vs. ball-screw debate I could FINALLY order a machine. I can see where the latest poll here shows a large margin in favor of ball-screws, but then I just read where you have to worry about "whip" in longer screws. Since I am ordering an 8 foot table, I now have that to worry about.
Can anyone tell me a REAL horror story about either? I will be machining wood mostly and .0001 tolerances are not going to be needed.
Any help from people on the forum or even a manufacturer would be greatly appreciated.
My biggest problem is that I have narrowed my search to either EZ-Router or Shop Sabre. They are both class acts, in my opinion. They both have professional-looking production facilities. Neither one slams other manufacturers and both organizations seem very knowledgeable. EZ-Router is the cheaper of the two, but price is not everything. Both machines are robust and well-built. I guess it just comes down to ball-screw vs. rack-and-pinion.

HELLLLP!!!

[Svelte]

Okay. Since no one could answer my question about ball screw vs. rack and pinion, I just went with the survey results.
I placed an order for a Shop Sabre yesterday. I got quite a few bells and whistles and the order ended up right at $20,000.00 with the shipping and crating to Phoenix, AZ.
I should have the machine in 4 to 6 weeks. I would love to get in contact with someone who purchased an EZ-Router so that we could compare notes here in the forums about our experiences with our machines. Maybe it would help someone like myself with little CNC experience to make an informed decision.
I would also still like to hear from someone who purchased one of the Chinese imports and see how they are doing. They sure are cheaper up front. It would be interesting to compare notes about their actual operational costs and problems.
Hope to hear from someone on this.

[Mr.Vain]

Well I was really enjoying that thread and was anxious to read the punch line and it ended, like watching an episode of Soprano's and them leaving you with a cliff hanger! I thought it was an unforseen twist when you switched to a shop sabre. But now I want to know what you think of it?! Did you have to send them your computer? Does it meet all of your expectations? I am in the same boat that you were in, I started looking at the shop sabre and then decided to go more industrial and looked at camtech.ca and multicam, and then over to thermwood, once I hit the $100K mark I decided this was crazy and WAY more then I needed and now I am back to the three above.

Any suggestions?

[Zumba]

Svelte, I think you made a good decision.

Browsing through their website, I get the impression that EZRouter is a fab shop with little experience in actual machining. Certain components of CNC machines really need to be machined from solid materials IMO, rather than thin plate (motor mounts), and angle iron(linear rails). The THK linear rails and carriages on the Shop Sabre are easily worth $1.5K more, because that's how much more they actually cost. EZrouter appears to be using 3/16" angle iron with $10 V-rollers. Not your best choice for a precision machine.

[Mr.Vain]

Svelte, you cant leave me hanging, how is it? Are you happy? Did you have to send them the computer?