Anyone else use EZ-Cam?

[Nastyzen]

Does anyone out there use Ez-Cam?
Do you like it,have you used other software to compare it too?
Thank' in advance for your feedback.
Claude

[machcon]

Hi, i have used EZ Cam for 12 years now. Our whole company uses it for their programming, whether it is turning or milling. I use the Mill package with the
3-d package. It is as it's names says, EASY to use with a short learning curve. It is powerful, and yet relatively simple to use.

The best thing I feel is that it is very economical to get set up and use.
I would definately give it a try.

Randy

[OKThumper]

Claude, we haved used EZ-CAM for a couple of years and find it to be just what it says, easy. I am, or was, a total novice at machine operation. Had never operated any CNC machines and only "toy" manual machines. However, the owner of the company has been in manual machines all his life but a bit behind on "computer stuff". As a team we found EZ-CAM and especially it's support staff to be an unbeleivable asset to our production. We had tried another software and really had problems just getting it to work in Vista, then in XP, so after a long fight and our production deadlines falling behind we went to EZ-CAM for the solution. We were up and running in a fraction of the time we had wasted on the other software

The support from EZ-CAM is quick, very knowledgable and solves the problem in order to keep production on time. They can even do an "online session" were they can actually see what you are programing and help you out "real time" as you watch them make the key strokes.

You will find that as you use EZ-CAM for just a short period of time you will be drawing parts and building program with greater ease.

As far as we are concerned it is the best bang for the buck on the market.

We are building G code for a Hawk 250 that runs Accrumatic 2100E and a Bridgeport interact 316 that runs fanuc. EZ-CAM writes codes for both the lathe and the mill with great ease.

Hope this helps

Glenn

[Adamsherman]

I have been using EZCAM for about 3 or 4 years. I just tried convincing a few others here at work that I think it is a good option and that they should take the short time to learn it. We are a small part of a big conglomorate so we have pro-e and all the options available including Pro-NC and Expert Machinist. We also bought at least a couple releases of BobCAD but I have only observed somebody using it and played with it for a few hours but did not get the hang of it. Too much g-code for my taste. Why use CAM if you want to play with G-code?
I'm sticking with EZCAM (express) because it gets the job done.
If you follow the tutorial it will probably take you a couple hours and you are left feeling like -hey is that all it does?- But its simplicity is the elegance. You import your geometry from Autocad or whatever, DXF, DWG, IGES etc. You choose a tool (over time you setup your library for feeds and speeds for each tool and save more time) You click out the geometry you want and then get a preview. If it is on the wrong side you can flip the direction and offset. You can turn on and off lead ins. Step by step you create all the contours, pockets, facing etc. You can set the cut per step and preview each contour as you go. It is easy to create roughing and finish passes by just copy and pasting the same contour. Specify some material to be left on the roughing i.e. 0.002 finish allowance and step by 0.18 per cut. Then on the copied routine, get rid of the finish allowance and cut at the full depth.
You have parts before you know it.
As a comparrison, I have spent days and days learning Pro-NC for Pro-engineer. I struggle getting Pro-NC tool parth routines to run and it will not tell me why they fail. Our sister company does a lot of shop work so they are big proponents of Pro-nc but I have not yet seen the light. I found Pro-NC to be a huge waste of time and very cumbersome to use. The same goes for my limited experience with BOBCAD. Too much fooling around and not enough work getting done. It should be easy and EZCAM is just that.
With EZCAM you get each step as you go and you can preview your work. It also has a rendering engine to show you all the stock removal so you can see the part before you go to the machine. It is nice to verify you are getting what you want far better than observing it in wireframe. You can easily pattern work using some translation menus in the advanced tab.
I have a few beefs with the program but they are minor. It crashes occasionally. I just save my work a bit more often and it is better in this latest rev 15 I am using. The drawing program is included is okay. I still have preferences for other CAD programs but it gets the job done. However, you can get the hang of it pretty fast and it is still useful for creating some extra geometry when necessary to have a contour extend past an edge etc.
The support has been very fast. I have called with questions and the staff was very helpful. They provided me custom posts to get the helical threading working correctly. I was even at work on a weekend with a rush job and they were there to support me.
For $999 you cannot beat it in my opinion. I have made dozens and dozens of original parts and hundreds of patterned parts.

[santosa]

I had nightmare with CAM software for my TNC control.
I tried many companies out of desperation but nothing but disappointment. I
My last contact was with EZ-CAM to help me with the post.
Honestly I didn't want to buy EZ-CAM and tried other companies because it was too cheap to trust its quality. I know other CAM softwares but after I tried the EZ-CAM 16 Express I decided to buy it. I bought all full version later and went for a training. The guy called Chris Lalashius was a kind of guy second to non sincere tech help. I didn't know well about the EZ CAM but he always was available to help me even in the evening. The EZ-CAM software is excellent and very cheap compare to others. Of course it is like comparing an apple and orange. Other CAM maybe better in some way and EZ-CAM also better than other. None of the CAM is the best of all. I used other well known software before but now I only use EZ-CAM. Many ways EZ-CAM is much easier to use and can convert almost any files while others cause nothing but trouble.The more I use the more I like it. You can't lose to use EZ-CAM. Specially the tech support is the best of the best. I notice the reason why EZ-CAM software is much cheaper than others. It is not because they are inferior quality but their frugal management. They don't have offices and many employees everywhere in the US and that case you have to pay hefty overhead and facility cost. That expenses will be yours to pay. EZ-CAM runs with minimum expenses. I will not hesitate to recommand EZ-CAM now.

[Bill Sergent]

We are a small job shop located in San Diego Ca. Our machinery consists of five Daewoo two axis Lathes , two Daewoo multi axis lathes, and six Haas milling machines. We have been using EZ CAM software for about 14 years . All of our lathes use EZ CAM V 16 Turn / Mill and our Mills use EZ CAM Mill software. We have considered many other software systems and even purchased Feature Mill and Feature Turn Mill 3D in a moment of weakness to the tune of about 20 K . The ease of use and the phone support offered by Chris Lalashius at EZ CAM is outstanding. The software is very easy to use , the Posts work perfectly with our machines. When we purchased our multi axis Turn / Mill Lathes EZ CAM created a Post for them in about a week , after a few refinements they worked perfectly. The EZ DNC express works great to download programs to the machines and is also very easy to use. I do not think that you will find a better quicker software value that has as many features and is as easy to use as EZ CAM . If you have any other concerns or questions please feel free to contact me , as long as you are not a sales person from another software company. Bill Sergent 619 448 8802

[aaron p]

I literally learned CNC using EZ-Cam. My old boss gave me about a 2 months or so just pushing the cycle start button and watching the mill and learning controls. 6months later, I was drawing parts, editing his existing programs to do de-burring on the machine and save shop time. EZ-Cam is very good software! Highly recomended.

[robinhood2b]

i have been using ezcam for 15 years now producing 3d plastic injection mould tools.
i started whey back with version 7 and now run version 16 pro. i also run ez-edm to program my wire eroder.
i cut my teeth on ezcam and at the time CNC and cadcam were new too me and i self tort my self after having done a 2 day course on the cnc and the cam at bridgeport in the uk having brought both the interact and the complete cadcam system and computer from them as a complete package.
i have tried playing with other systems over the years but have always gone back too and stuck with ez-cam.
i think that speaks for its self.
mark

[cob]

do they offer a demo to try it .
looks pretty interesting.

[Master_CNC]

Yes EZ-CAM offers a demo version. You can also get a live demonstration. Go to: http://www.ezcam.com Find the phone number under "sales" for this demo. Under downloads you can register and try a copy for yourself.

[bertus.nl]

HI

I use ezcam v16 pro for every part or work step (yes even making a zigzag on a flat surface) for heidenhain and fanuc.
it is fast and easy especially the new path generating engine from interfacial that they use is very strong and effective .
when you have dedicated toolnr in your machine ,you only have to choose the kind of tool you want to use from you're tool library and the speeds and feeds and pos NR are there .
the newest version has a wizard that leads you trough 3 stages (roughing,re roughing and
finishing)where you fill in kind of tool and how deep you want to go the rest is automatic.
but it is also easy to fine tune you're strategy

for the drawing part of ezcam. it is simple and very straight forward there are just enough buttons to draw lines. but some programs have some many possibilities that that makes it al to confusing fore me, i even make solids
although i don't think it is just the program for that.(it is ezcam not ezcadcam)

i would recommend this for everybody,except for tool-shops in the direct neighborhood

greeting bertus.nl the Netherlands

[cob]

I have never use this program and everyone makes it sound so easy.
I have been useing mastercam for the last 1 1/5 years how would you guys compare it to say mastercam?

also is this more like a conversation cam system I have use the bridgeport type of machines that are called EZ-TRACK AND EZ-PATH. would you be able to use this to program this type of machines.