The Home of Mach3

Artsoft has been in the CNC business since 2001. In this time, the Mach series of CNC software has evolved into the best available PC-based CNC software on the market. Not only is it extremely affordable to the hobbyist and industry alike, it is pioneering in its features and continuing development. There are over 10000 users of Mach who swear by its ease of use, great features, and outstanding support.

General Features

The Mach series of software was originally developed for the home hobbyist, but has quickly turned into one of the most versatile control packages for industrial use as well.

Here are some of the basic features and functions provided by Mach3:

Converts a standard PC to a fully featured, 6-axis CNC controller
Allows direct import of DXF, BMP, JPG, and HPGL files through LazyCam
Visual Gcode display
Generates Gcode via LazyCam or Wizards
Fully customizable interface
Customizable M-Codes and Macros using VBscript

Spindle Speed control
Multiple relay control
Manual pulse generation
Video display of machine
Touch screen ability
Full screen eligibility

Mach3 has successfully been used to control the following types of equipment:

Lathes
Mills
Routers
Lasers
Plasma
Engravers
Gear cutting

Wizards

Wizards are "mini-programs" that extend the capabilities of Mach3. Wizards can be written by anybody and are designed to allow users to quickly perform routine or convenient operations without the need to have a pre-written GCode file. Included with Mach3 are free Wizards for such things as:

Gear cutting
Digitizing
Holes
Slots and keyways
Text engraving
Many standard shapes
Surfacing
MANY MORE

Also available, for a fee, are the Mach3 Addons for Mill - a handy collection of wizards designed to minimize the time it takes to go from "start to part".

Licensing and Updating

In the past 10 years, Artsoft has freely updated all previous versions of Mach for its customers. This policy still remains today. Any current version of Mach will be free to update for the duration of its development.

A license is only required on the computer(s) actually running the machine(s). If a computer not connected to a machine is used to test code, please use Mach3 in Simulation mode - it will remove the 500 line limit. Simulation mode can be accessed by uninstalling (or not installing) the Parallel Port Driver.

Software Requirements

Keeping with our home hobbyist roots, the minimum software requirements to run Mach are very reasonable. Below are the specifications for running Mach3 stably.

Mach3 Minimum Requirements:

32-bit Desktop (using the parallel port)

32-bit version of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 Operating System (64-bit will not work)
1Ghz CPU
512MB RAM
Non-integrated Video Card with 32MB RAM
Basic Computer Skills (ability to copy/rename files, browse directories, etc)

Laptop / 64-bit Desktop (using an external motion controller)

An appropriate external motion controller (options can be found on the Plugins page)
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 Operating System
1Ghz CPU
512MB RAM
Basic Computer Skills (ability to copy/rename files, browse directories, etc)

Support

PDF manuals and training videos are available. Technical support is available via the Forum or though our Yahoo users group, allowing the entire community to contribute to, and benefit from, the solutions. Questions about licensing or purchasing issues can be directed to license@machsupport.com.