[jsthomps]

Hi all,
I have a Chinese 3040 router and I am now just coming up to speed with Mach3. I have made some test cuts and the machine and Mach3 seem to be working fine. I now want to explore CAM apps but the number of products available is overwhelming. Can anyone recommend a CAM app (preferably free) that I can use to "get my feet wet". My initial plans are to use the CNC for 2D working such as cutting and drilling of MDF and plywood.
Thanks,
Scott

[tinkeringtechie]

For 2D work you might want to try CamBam. It has a long free trial (I think 40 uses) and is relatively inexpensive if you decide to buy it.

[crodriguez1517]

Cambam is extremely good try the trial if you interested send me a message let me know I can get you a great deal on cambam plus and adobe illustrator CS5 so you can export your dxf and use them on cambam

[MetalZilla]

GibbsCam is my favorite!

[fixtureman1]

Vectric cut 2d is my favorite for straight 2d I use Vectric Aspire mostly that has cut 2d included. You can download a trail and see how it fits your needs. Also they have one of the best help forums out there.

[jharvey407]

CamBam is very good. It's what I started with, and I still use it quite a bit.

If cost is an issue you can use SketchUp, which is free, and the free dxf export plugin to create your dxf files.

James

[mcarvey]

I learned on Sheetcam, and still use it for some of the simple stuff! IIRC the trial version is limited to a few hundred lines of gcode, but it's enough to get your feet wet.

-Matt

[cemrich]

Hard to beat for the price.......add Rhino 3D for CAD......and your set.


Been using these for many years now.

[Ajancnc]

There are many software for CAM. In all of them Mastercam is the most popular and useful in the field, because its strength is in 2-axis and 3-axis machining. And that’s why now a days it is most useable software.