The MASSO G3 Touch, Is It Worth It? 

overall price point is pretty good, its the closest thing I have seen to a real industrial controller. all those PC controllers just dont do it for me, but then I come from siemens and fanuc controllers. If I could get a fanuc controller I would put it on everything. Granted I have not used this controller, but the #1 thing that stops us from buying a controller or machine is the lack of switches and knobs. case in point, I will not buy a haas machine as they are not good for a job shop, mass production yes, but proving out a program on a controller without the ability to operate it without looking is a nogo for me. example, turning flood coolant on/off with a switch while not looking. lowering raising rapids without looking, single cycle, etc..

It's an underpowered and expensive semi real time controller that acts exactly the same as any other pc system with motion controller. Those Masso cannot run in real time and always have the commands in buffer. It's made for the standard user without any knowledge in the field. If you want cheap industrial grade cnc controls try something like the XCMCU 709D or HLCNC 980m. I've built a lot of CNC retrofits for bigger milling machines and lathes, from Pokeys57CNC, ESS, CSMIO IP/x and some others that were running Mach3/4. I've now moved to standalone Fanuc like controllers from china with built in display and proper keypad. They start at about 500 USD, depending on how many axis you need. They are proper 32 bit real time systems without any lag while jogging with mpg, support mpg job control, have full ATC control, Tool library with auto wear measurement and compensation, proper spindle orientation for rigid tapping and supports every axis with separate encoder inputs and even glass scales. You can also run any plc via rs485, so oilers and exotic hydraulic table clamps are no problem to implement. For example, the XCMCU 709D 5 Axis unit is about 500 USD, and has all the above features, almost the same as any MACH4 system when you count all the extra stuff you need. My customers are super happy with those and i no longer need to kill hours on support for obscure errors with mach and motion controllers. I run one of these on a MAHO700 myself and another more sophisticated one from another chinese manufacturer on a CNC with Toolchanger and 64 toolholders. The only problem you have with these is the documentation is basically nonexistent and only includes the most basic stuff in chinese. Nothing for the standard user that needs to have a step by step guide. However, maybe i should open up a webshop and sell these with proper documents, since i know them in and out.

If I’m correct, there is No network, Wi-Fi connection or onboard memory. I’ll stick with a Centroid controller.

I might need bleach for my eyes now :) ... Did you use red wires for GND ? Tisk tisk tisk.

can you set a password on it?

do you have have Mach 3 to use this controller?

I'm converting an old meccanica cortini l300 4 axis mill, is this controller fast enough to do HSM or complex 3d toolpaths? Like 100 lines of code a second or more? this is my main concern atm, does it have look ahead and smoothing?

does anyone know if this will work with an older servo drive system?

Masso doesn't support macros so I got rid of Masso - sold it

When you buy a car with a big screen and you don’t pay the $2k for the gps nav it’s still there in the car, you just don’t have the code to enable it. It’s a standard biz practice. That way they simplify production. I don’t think you can expect them to give you stuff free. They are in business after all. I think their price point is charging what the market will bear. That’s straight forward business 101. They aren’t a charity. If they don’t deliver on performance then you have a beef but if it’s good and people are buying it then what do you expect?

No macros no memory running off a usb stick doesn't sound good on long programs but it does look nice ill keep running my tried and true solid uccnc.

its not worth the price, there are too many g codes that it dont support, for a machinest its a nogo for a wood router ok

I noticed you didn’t use the ES output on the Masso. Can you explain how you are handling an E-stop condition? Just curious as I’m currently wiring my CNC and using a Masso touch.

I was thinking of buying this system but I went another way so my bank account wasn't empty to a greedy company. So it worked out I can buy 5 of a anther provider's unit and the money saved I purchased another machine with tools and still have money in my pocket.

The price of the extra axis made cry tears of joy. Haas charges over $1500 for just rigid tap option lol.

I got the Masso Touch for my PrintNC build.A little intimidated about my electrical enclosure and wiring.

I am so tired of my RichAuto controller on my Axiom AR6 router. Especially given I use Fusion 360 and its had its issues with a Post Processor. This looks like a really good change which can allow for better control of spindle speed and programming other things like a mechanical dust shoe and mister

Hi, my name is Guillermo (Bill) Marrufo from Mexico, I wonder what the resolution it has. I intend to build a 3+2 axis laser engraving machine for irregular 3D surfaces. Being dedicated to plasma, I tend to think it may not have the precision I need for very fine intricate details. Thanks for your time answering.

What about federate overrides for running program the first time?

Tnx for the review! Very helpfull!

It would be nice if there was a feed over ride.

Does the Masso also replace the stepped drivers or do you still need the stepper drivers?

how do you wire up your stepper cards to this

Did the price for the masso just jump up like $500 in the past 6 months? I swear it wasn't $1700 the last time i checked.

Hi. There is the possibility to write your own macros ?

been thinking about the Masso for awhile thanks for the review

Nice video. Can you tell me the manufacturer code / part number of the touchscreen itself? Maybe it's somewhere visible from the back. Curious what they actually built into this pendant.

Did you check out acorn six controller from centroid?

Cool channel, subscribed!

Don't waste money and time with this underdeveloped Masso ...look out somewhere...industrial standard at same price as Masso

If only Masso had screw mapping.

Pass

Thanks for the review

"You dont have to use PC" is really not a great argument. Most of DIY people and especially professionals have some PC that is not used. Also if you build a PC into a machine you do not place any other software unless its for CNC process so crashing is not a problem. As you pointed out, Masso is also crashing and if you run your system from SSD on PC it will start in just few seconds. I try to find a good argument for purchase of Masso G3 but I cannot find it, GUI is not enough as selling point.

could they use cheaper buttons? looks like junk.