CNC Control Software is one of the essential components that is required to do CNC. The software is responsible for interpreting the G-Code line by line and relays the commands to the machine controller. The control software acts as an “info harvester” of the CNC program. Some have also tuned this software into their CNC machine where it functions as a go-between. It carries out the G-Code program lines and relays the data to the machine controller.
There are various levels of CNC Software Program available in the market. Depending on what you want, it can be obtained anywhere from zero to thousands of dollars Today’s standard in the hobby marketplace would likely be Mach. It is available in three versions – Mach1, Mach2 and Mach3. Mach is developed and produced by a software company known as Artsoft and is one of the bestsellers in the market. Mach packs a lot of punch and is very easy to use. Artsoft has a great after-sales service and is always busy developing a new generation of products.
There are a slew of other control software packages that you can choose from such as TurboCNC, CNCPro and Master. While they would look outdated after using Mach, they do what they’ are supposed to and get the job done.