Like Mike, I too have sold and used Mastercam for a number of years and now sell Edgecam. Both are very powerful products and can make complex parts in the hands of the right user.
Mastercam has a ton of "legacy" tools from years ago that are useful, particularly when working with wireframe geometry. There are many ways to get the job done in Mastercam and there is a good selection of strategies and toolpath control.
With that said, I believe that Edgecam is a more modern and automated platform. The stability of the system, graphics performance, and strong solids machining ability far surpasses Mastercam. Macros and automation tools are easy to create and apply, so you don't have to program new parts from scratch like you do in Mastercam.
If you want to be more productive, you might want to take a serious look at getting into 3D modelling, even if you just make simple parts. It is far more efficient to program a 3D model than a 2D model in any CAM system. Edgecam has a very good solid modeler (parametric) available for less than half the price of Solidworks, Inventor, etc.
Both CAM packages will get the job done. However, it is my feeling that Mastercam (like Autodesk and General Motors) is playing catch up with the rest of their competitors now in terms of functionality because of too many lost years without innovation.
Good luck with your choice.  |