Tag Archives: Inventables

X-Carve 3D Carving Machine: Cut All the Things

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One of the coolest companies out there for the DIY and Maker scene has got to be Inventables. Based here in my home town of Chicago, they not only sell a wide variety of materials and equipment for 3D printing, milling and laser cutting, they also make some gear themselves.

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The latest addition to their product lineup is the X-Carve, a 3D carving machine that can create models from plastic, wood or metal. The machine works in concert with Inventables’ easy-to-use Easel software for uploading models and controlling the machine’s movements. For those familiar with the Shapeoko & Shapeoko 2, the X-Carve is the next evolution of these already very solid machines, offering improvements in ease of use, durability, modularity and versatility.

One of the really cool things about the X-Carve is that the machine is flexible in terms of its bed size. You’ll be able to choose from off-the-shelf 500x500mm (~19.7″ x 19.7″) and 1000x1000mm (~39.4″ x 39.4″) machines, which provide approximately 12″ and 31″ of work area respectively. You can also make a machine at your own special size. Thanks to this flexibility, the machine can be used to make everything from signs to skateboards to pieces for assembling furniture.

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X-Carve kits will start at as little as $799(USD) for everything you need to get up and running, to a “fully-loaded” kit with a large bed and a few other enhancements for $1256. You can also spend as little as $292 for the core components – though you’ll need to add to that if you want a fully functional machine.

You can pre-order your X-Carve today, and machines start shipping this April 30th. For those who already own a Shapeoko 2, Inventables is offering an upgrade kit for $200. You can learn more about the X-Carve and its capabilities in the video below:

Carvey 3D Carving Machine Makes It Easier to Personalize Your Things

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Carvey 3D Carving Machine 01

Carving machines are obviously more than just about personalizing things, as they help makers create all sorts of objects based on custom designs.

What’s truly revolutionary about the Carvey 3D carving machine is its form factor. Since it fits on a desk, makers have just a few minutes to wait between the moment when they finish their design on the computer and the time the carved objects are done. Created by Chicago-based Inventables, Carvey is a tool that could prove equally useful for artists and industrial designers or makers.

When it comes to sculpting, there are two possible main ways to do it. Either you start from scratch with a malleable object that you model according to your wishes, or you have a massive block that needs to get carve to obtain the desired design. While 3D printing can be used for the first method, 3D carving is the way to go in the second one.

Carvey is extremely versatile, in that it works with a great number of materials, including:

  • Circuit boards
  • Cork
  • Hardwoods
  • Linoleum and other stamping materials
  • Plastics such as acrylic, HDPE, Delrin, Corian and PVC
  • Plywoods and MDF
  • Soft metals like aluminum, copper, brass, silver and gold
  • Softwoods
  • Waxes and foams

With so many options, you can start the 3D carving machine as soon as you’re done designing the object on your computer.

This 3D carving machine is currently featured on Kickstarter, where Inventables looked to raise $50,000 for mass-producing Carvey. At the time of writing, backers had pledged $581,620, which is nearly 12 times the initial goal, so there’s no doubt that Carvey will become a reality. Early birds had to back the project with $1,999 to secure one carving machine for themselves, with an estimated shipping date in September 2015, while the regular folk who pledged $2,399 will get theirs in October 2015.

The following video should give you an idea about what Carvey is capable of:

3D printing and 3D carving become more popular with each passing day, and since devices using these techniques become more and more affordable and easier to use, more people are getting a chance to express their artistic selves. Making complex art creation mainstream doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality of the design will drop in time, but that it won’t require as many skills.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the hundreds of models of dinosaurs you can 3D print at home and the liquid metals that give 3D printing a twist.