Core77

Inventables Launches 3D Carving Machine on Kickstarter, Reaches Funding Target in Minutes!

By Rain Noe - October 21, 2014

in Digital Fabrication | Kickstarter

These are exciting times for those looking to get into digital fabrication, as the technology really is starting to trickle down. With MakerBot the go-to for desktop 3D printing and ShopBot cornering the shop-based prototyping and production market, Inventables reckons there's room for something in-between: A machine it's calling Carvey, designed by Scott Wilson and MNML.

Billed as a "3D carving machine," what Carvey has in common with MakerBot's Replicator line is the fully-enclosed, desktop form factor; these are machines that could be placed in the office portion of a design firm, as opposed to the heavy-duty machines in the modelmaking shop area.

Where it differs from the MakerBot is in what it has in common with the ShopBot line: Carvey is subtractive, not additive. It's essentially a CNC mill, albeit it a miniature one. With a work area of just 12" x 8" and a Z-axis of under three inches, it's no competitor for a ShopBot (whose entry-level Desktop roughly doubles the work area in all axes), but it's not meant to be; while you won't be using Carvey to produce furniture, it's meant to be good enough to produce smaller items like sunglasses, jewelry, small signage, electronics enclosures, et cetera, out of wood, plastic or metal.

The device is meant to retail around the $2,000 mark, and to get the production rolling a Kickstarter campaign was launched just this morning at 9am EST. Incredibly, it surpassed its $50,000 target within an hour of going live. Here's the pitch:

Carvey is estimated to begin shipping in September of 2015.

o

Favorite This
Q
6

Comment

Comments

Scott W

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

It should work in 3D but with only a 3" Z-height you aren't gonna do much with that third D.

The software they have included is only 2.5D output, and while that's fine, there are many, MANY options for free 2.5D CAM software from big names. And it's precisely the jump from 2.5D to 3D CAM that costs the big bucks.

I've been building my own CNC and those are issues I've been running around in my quest to build something that can 3D machine plastic at a reasonable rate and cost: the 3D CAM is where you get stuck in the low-cost consumer/prosumer grade CNC world. There just isn't anything good that's affordable.
!Report as spam
BigCAD

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

You can use a CNC router, with a Mac, shurley shome mishtake.
!Report as spam
Hughe Mestake

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

Why is the V not aligned with the rest of the letters?
!Report as spam
Anders Klitgaard

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

But CNC-machines are really messy and noisy. Not really something I would want on my desk, but other than that it looks pretty sleek.
!Report as spam
Ugo

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

OK so thats basically a mini CNC. I dont see the 3D in there in the sense where this works on 2 axis not 3 as expected when reading 3D Carving Machine.

In any case it is a great tool :)
!Report as spam
Holstee

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

Wow, now that's great technology! Could totally use this at the office!
!Report as spam