Carvey Is A Powerful CNC Machine For The Rest Of Us

Robotic CNC machines – cutting systems that use spinning tools to swipe through metal, wood, and plastic – are cool but ugly. Most of them are as big as a fridge and designed to carve out objects in a few minutes but none will sit quietly on your desk and do its business with aplomb and elegance. Now, however, there’s Carvey.

Carvey is the Form 1 of CNC. Designed to be a seamless, well-designed tool for designers and makers, you program it by entering a tool path – basically the movements the cutting head will make – and pressing a button. The system can be set up for specific materials.

Now this isn’t exactly a 3D printer. It’s more useful if you’re planning on building a flat-pack sort of buildable object (think Ikea) or a flat piece of a bigger project. For example, you could print an entire pair of glasses with this system by printing the stems and eyepieces separately. You could even cut out the lenses.

Quoth the creators:

• We designed Carvey for makers and designers of all levels, from artists and teachers to architects and engineers. We want Carvey to blend seamlessly into an office, a workshop or a crafting desk, and be so simple to use that anyone can incorporate it into their practice.

Early bird units cost $1,999 and non-early birds will pay $2,399. They’ve already surpassed their goal and are aiming to ship next September.