I am looking for some input on the different cnc controls mainly Heidenhain,Fanuc,and Mitsubishi.Which one has the lowest learning curve, most available posts,most powerful,etc. etc.Any input would be helpful.Fanuc seems to be the most popular any reason why as I am not sure.I do not have much experience with one or the others. Thanks for the replys.

Well...learning curve is all relative. I run a small shop and use a 5'X16' ShopBot cnc. It is taylored for small to medium shops and couldn't get any easier to use. The ShopBot post-processor is a Fanuc style PP.



Here are 3 distinct areas that will help you to understand what it takes to get a cnc going: 1) The actual hardware (the cnc itself) 2) The design software (CAD) and some type type of toolpathing software with the appropriate post processor. The post processor is like a piece of middleware. The toolpathing program converts the XYZ moves into a language that your specific cnc understands.



DelCAM makes some really nice products that combine the CAD and toolpathing into one.



-Brady

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I am looking for some input on the different cnc controls mainly Heidenhain,Fanuc,and Mitsubishi.Which one has the lowest learning curve, most available posts,most powerful,etc. etc.Any input would be helpful.Fanuc seems to be the most popular any reason why as I am not sure.I do not have much experience with one or the others. Thanks for the replys.

Check out www.hurco.com They make the easiest control to use in the cnc industry. Fast conversational editing, fast gcode & lots of memory.

You may want to take a look at Mazak as they along with Hurco have one of the easiest and most powerful ocnversational controls. The Mazak easily handles G-code programs from Pro-E, SmartCam and other cam softwares. Fanuc though has always been my favorite. Mazak has a large line of machines and support is good.