Mac users: What CAD/CAM software are you using?

[Sammas]

I run a PC with Mach3 to control my CNC machine. It is working great! ...but is tucked in the corner of my cold, wet garage at the moment so even just the thought of designing PCBs on it makes me shiver.

Are there any mac users out there designing PCBs for CNCing? What CAD & CAM software are you using? I have investigated Eagle, and while it works, I run into the 100x160 board limit size all the time and it is a little frustrating. The addition of pcb-gcode to generate the NC machining files is nice as well... but there really isn't much chance that I am going to spend the $500+ to buy a commerical license to remove the size limitiations.

So... what CAD software are you using to design your boards?
What CAM software are you using to turn the design to g-code for machining?

 

[Vetsen]

There aren't many options for us Mac users with regard to CAM software.  I have tried Diptrace for layout and output a DXF outline of the traces. Then I run it through ACE converter to produce the g-code.

Both are technically Windows apps but they seem to run in WINE just fine.  Diptrace has a Mac version you can download for free to try with similar limitations to Eagle PCB but Diptrace is a dream to use in comparison.

Ace converter is free, and you need to add a bit to the G-code like header and feedrate etc.  But it can work.

For mechanical CAD Draftsight is quite good.

-Vetsen

 

[Retroperra]

Hi!

For making pcbs I'm using  Osmond  - http://www.osmondpcb.com/
Once you learn how to use it it's fast and very allowing to adapt to your personal needs.
I've made several boards one sided and two sided, some are etched at home and others are sent to manufacturing.

For Cadding frontplates I have stayed on two options:  drilling and then engraving or drilling/engtraving in one go

I'm actually using Illustrator for drawing and then converting the 2D Illustrator file like this:
AI > HPGL > [Cam prepend software] > NC code > big 3-axis CNC at work with embedded control SW.There I drill, mill and engrave in one go.

Or if the frontplate is to be laser engraved I can go from AI directly to the laser.