Originally Posted by
radconjon
Hi, I am brand new to the forum and joined because I am considering buying one of these machines. They now offer a 8060 model with the 4th axis and a pendant for about $2100 on eBay.
[Who is "they"? These machines, while they are generically denominated by numbers like "8060" or "3020" vary widely in quality. Some vendors on Ebay have better reputations than others.]
I know I would have to get Mach3 and a Cam program.
[While these machines often say that Mach3 is included, that's generally the free trial version; if you want to run more than 500 lines of code you'll need to buy it separately.]
My questions are,
1. How does everyone like the machine? Is it of reasonable quality?
[Most users agree that the mechanical parts are better than the electronic parts.]
2. What is a low cost CAM program, is anyone supplying an open source program. I do not need a lot of high end functionality, just standard 3d and the ability to do some simple 4d cutting.
[I don't know of any open-source programs that support the 4th axis, but one might exist. DeskProto, which I sell for $250 to hobbyists, isn't open-source but it does work well and is simple to use.]
I have done some work on a shop bot that I converted over to a aftermarket controller and Mach3 control, but only cut supplied dxf files. I have also helped a friend with his Tormach plasma cutter so I am not devoid of knowledge.
If this needs to be posted somewhere else just say, the forum is huge and as I said I am a newbie here.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this.
Jon