[cncuser1]

What do people think of the Masso controllers.?
Are they reliable for basic 2.5D and 3D milling work ?

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
I have not ever used a Masso G3, but their reputation is second to none. Do you suppose they could have garnered that reputation without being reliable with very basic machines?.
Mind you at $890USD for the G3 and $1290 for the G3 Touch, you'd bloody well hope they would be good!.

I've used Mach4 and an Ethernet SmoothStepper for 8.5 years, and its proven very reliable for 2.5, 3, 3+1 and simultaneous 4 axis. I'm exploring the capability of my new home-built trunnion table and fifth axis.
So far so good. It does rely on a PC, my machine PC is a dual core Atom single board miniITX without a graphics card. Very low computing power...but has proven reliable for over ten years.

Whether the premium you would pay for a Masso is worth it......the jury is out.

Mach4 and UCCNC are very similar in price, performance and reliability. LinuxCNC has likewise proven to be very cost competitive and reliable. Centroid Acorn is yet another well regarded solution, and would not have that
regard unless it was reliable. All of these solutions have a wide user base, an all are cheaper than Masso.

Craig

[TMToronto]

I am using a Masso G3 5 axis controller for my hobby CNC router ATC build.
I am still new to CNC machining, having started just a few years ago, and this build and controller are my first.
I purchased the Masso G3 in part because I wanted a solution not tied to a PC - it was an expensive investment.
Below are a few reasons I remain happy with my purchase:

1) The controller many inputs and outputs that can be configured
2) The settings are straight forward to configure, and offer a reasonable amount of options - for example ATC logic
3) There are other hardware components available - closed loop steppers, relay boards, sensors, etc - for those who want to use them for a complete build
4) The online manual, videos, and actively monitored forum, all offer excellent information and prompt support
5) Masso is constantly listening and responding to user feedback, and has regular software updates that fix issues that are found, and more importantly that add new functionality

For my hobby use cases, and machining inexperience, the supported G and M codes are not a limitation. This may not be the case for other more experienced users who work in different (production/business) environments. Having said that, over years on the forum I have seen many requested 'must have/deal breaker' features added (or currently in Beta testing).

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I am using a Masso G3 5 axis controller for my hobby CNC router ATC build.
I am still new to CNC machining, having started just a few years ago, and this build and controller are my first.
I purchased the Masso G3 in part because I wanted a solution not tied to a PC - it was an expensive investment.
Below are a few reasons I remain happy with my purchase:

1) The controller many inputs and outputs that can be configured
2) The settings are straight forward to configure, and offer a reasonable amount of options - for example ATC logic
3) There are other hardware components available - closed loop steppers, relay boards, sensors, etc - for those who want to use them for a complete build
4) The online manual, videos, and actively monitored forum, all offer excellent information and prompt support
5) Masso is constantly listening and responding to user feedback, and has regular software updates that fix issues that are found, and more importantly that add new functionality

For my hobby use cases, and machining inexperience, the supported G and M codes are not a limitation. This may not be the case for other more experienced users who work in different (production/business) environments. Having said that, over years on the forum I have seen many requested 'must have/deal breaker' features added (or currently in Beta testing).

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
all of the benefits listed for the Masso apply nearly equally across all the solutions I listed.

I commented that the Masso seemed expensive....but that is probably unfair. In another thread I defended my choice of software and motion controller being somewhat more expensive
than the alternative being discussed in that thread.

I reasoned that Mach4 and the ESS cost me $400USD. I've been using the combination for 8.5 years, so to date its cost less than $50/year. I pay $500/year for Fusion and another $1320/year
for Fusion Machining Extensions. It makes the cost of the CNC software and the motion board seem really cheap. Counting my new trunnion/fifth axis, and the new 40,000rpm 3.5kW ATC spindle
that is awaiting NZ Customs clearance my machine has cost nearly $30,000USD. The cost of Mach4 and an ESS seem miniscule by comparison.

Please disregard my earlier criticism of the cost of the Masso, its not so much that its untrue, but the difference in cost is too small to be bothered with relative to the whole machine.
If you like the Masso, and many users agree with you, then go get one and let the fun begin.

Craig

[cncuser1]

Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.
I am looking at a machine that comes with a Masso included. I am familiar with the machine but not Masso.

So now I feel they are not a gamble from the perspective of reliability, and the increase in cost, as you noted, isn't a big factor.

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Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.
I am looking at a machine that comes with a Masso included. I am familiar with the machine but not Masso.

So now I feel they are not a gamble from the perspective of reliability, and the increase in cost, as you noted, isn't a big factor.

[mrniceguy]

I used one on a cnc plasma built at home with clearpath servos. Worked a treat.