Inventables, a department store-like supplier for those who invent physical objects has released their first personally-designed product this morning on Kickstarter in the form of Carvey.
Billed as a ‘3D Carver’, the desktop manufacturing machine soared past its funding goal in less than 90 minutes earlier this morning and is close to already tripling their original funding goal of $50,000 just hours out of the gate.
According to crowdfunding project statistic manager Kicktraq, if the sales continue at the current rate, Inventables can expect to see nearly $5 million worth of sales from their already-dynamite Kickstarter campaign.
To put things into perspective, that would put them in the top 10 most funded Kickstarter projects of all-time alongside the Coolest Cooler and Pebble E-Paper Watch.
The Scott Wilson and MNML-designed (Inventables and MNML are both Chicago-based) box aims to be a fully-featured ecosystem for creating carved products. Meaning, Inventables wants you to go from sketch to CAD to manufacture in what is seemingly one of the easiest ‘contained’ product development ecosystems for Makers that we have ever seen. They also have plans to integrate ‘kits’ for different types of makers such as small hardware and circuit boards.
What sets Carvey apart from other desktop manufacturing machines though is its ability to distinguish between a variety of materials based on presets that are included in their free CAD program Easel. Among other materials that Inventables is claiming that the Carvey can develop products and prototypes with are:
- Hardwoods like walnut, maple, and mahogany
- Softwoods like pine and balsa
- Cork
- Plywoods and MDF
- Soft metals including aluminum, copper, brass, silver and gold
- Circuit boards
- Plastics like acrylic, HDPE, Delrin, Corian and PVC
- Waxes and foams
- Carbon fiber
- Linoleum and other stamping materials
According to their Kickstarter page,
“Carvey is a 3D carving machine that allows you to make quality objects out of a variety of materials including wood, metal and plastic. Using Carvey and our free design software, you can make your idea a reality in three easy steps. First, design your product using our software, next choose your material, then click carve. Carvey will cut your design, giving you the power of creation right from your tabletop. Carvey is the next step in 3D manufacturing.”
“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.”
Carvey starts at $1999 with a limited amount available for earlybirds before the price goes up to $2399. You can get one here.
