Carvera Air - Smaller, cheaper, but still smart and capable
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- čas přidán 30. 04. 2024
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Makera previously launched the Carvera desktop CNC, to much acclaim. Unfortunately, the machine was too expensive for many. In response, Makera now has the Carvera Air, a cheaper version that still retains many smart features. In this video, I test it out to determine the strengths and weaknesses, to let you make an informed decision.
This machine was provided to me free of charge by Makera for the purposes of making this video. All opinions expressed are my own. The machine will be donated to a local school where I am certain it will do a fantastic job.
0:00 Introduction
0:47 CNC router options
6040 on Aliexpress: www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...
3018 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/SainSmart-Genm...
Nomad 3: shop.carbide3d.com/products/n...
Carvera Kickstarter video: • Carvera desktop CNC mi...
Carvera production video: • Machining custom race ...
2:19 Carvera Air
Kickstarter page: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Information page: www.makera.com/pages/carvera-air
Review policy: teachingtechyt.github.io/revi...
3:13 Unboxing and setup
5:47 Working through example projects
10:11 Laser module
11:14 4th axis module
12:26 CAM options
Software page: wiki.makera.com/en/software
Kiri:Moto: grid.space/kiri/
12:58 Aluminium parts
Injection molding video: • Home injection molding...
14:14 Carbon fiber gears
Backyard automation video: • How to automate everyt...
15:24 Trying Makera CAM beta
Makera CAM instructional video: • Makera CAM beta Test p...
16:38 Summary
Kickstarter video with Makers Muse: • Kickstarter: Why compa...
18:40 Conclusion
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Can't wait until creality sweeps in and makes a really afordable and slighly worse but still great CNC mill. Not because i would buy that machine, but because it would start a race to the bottom, which is great for my budget
Creality already have these. Check out the cp-01, althought that's a three in one.
I'm rooting for Bambu Labs to shake things up!
And then you can spend the original price of the machine all over again performing upgrades to make it actually usable, just like the Ender 3
My ender 3 worked great out of the box. Printed tons of stuff. Upgrades for itself and just about anything I threw at it.
@@evanbarnes9984 All the while saying that they were so much more frugal than people who bought the original 😂.
I feel like this is every ender enthusiast.
Good to see you wearing your safety sandals for the unboxing 😉
It's an Australian law.
@@TeachingTech Or is it one of Michael's laws? 😂
It's know that Australians have evolved steel toes in their feet to protect against predators.
Thank you for your reviews! Always in-depth, objective and well produced
This looks amazing! Love the quality of your videos
It's amazing that you can buy a CNC machine as a private person for a reasonable price.
somewhat reminds me of Big Hero 6 these days.
youve been able to for a while, the chinese ones are not junk they do work. and oyu can upgrade them. but yea this one is like the bambulabs of CNC lol...
Nah, for this asking price this is extreme trash. Put it side-by-side with an equally priced lathe or mill. If you one of those for the same price, you could machine steel parts that are infinitely more usable for most applications. Metal WILL do the job that you need to get done more often than not. And you will be able to machine decently sized chunks of metal, too.
With this overpriced garbage fire, you can only do subpar materials and small pieces. This extremely limits the use cases. How many foam pieces did you need in your life so far? Chances are, you won't need all that much CNC milled foam in the future either.
It's a very niche machine that is very expensive considering what conventional tools you could get for the same price.
In fact, if you bought a welder for that price and had means and training to operate it, that'd be an investment that could end up making you money. Instead of making you useless CNC milled foam.
@@JoshuaNorton Exactly, you can get into an RF-15 size milling machine for about the price of this toy and it will cut steel all day.
I better pay CNC factory in China to do the job, no failed parts, they have any material I need. Try sourcing some knife steel and tempering it before and after cutting. Home CNC is for toys.
awesome... will definitely have to check it out - thank you soo much for informing about it
What a timely video I was shopping for a desktop CNC but thought a Carvera was out of my price range. Not anymore Kickstarter here I come.
This is the video I've been waiting for, I've already put my pledge in but I've been hoping and checking every day to see if you would get to do a video on the machine, your opinion means a lot for this kind of purchase
Great review, as always. Agree with your analysis, great cost savings without giving up anything significant. Cheers.
Sweet, thats a pretty amazing machine. Love it. Great video as always.
Thanks for another great video. I've had my eye on the original Carvera for a while, and was wondering what all the differences were between that and the "air" version. This definitely answered the questions I had. Seems like a very fair price for what you loose by going with the air. I could see possibly buying the air if someone wants to dive softly into making CNC items as a business, and then if the products they make with it sell well enough, they could always buy the one with auto tool change to keep up with orders at that point.
I've had to many problems being an early adopter with 3D printers, so I don't think I'll be going for the Kickstarter. But I'll definitely being keeping an eye on what people think about it once it's actually out in the public.
Thanks 👍
Amazing review! I purcahsed the full Carvera after watching this and emailed Makera letting them know you made my decision for me! Keep up the awesome work.
I’m very close to making an order as well but when the air popped up last week I’m worried the original has much lower value,… 😢
@@erikm9768 I'm sure the new machine will be good but likely have a few teething problems and the KS is 7 months out. I'm investing in the Carvera to get stuff done... I'm done with machines-as-a-hobby tools myself. Either way, I'm sure you will end up with a good machine!
@@AndyTheimer Thank you. The KS on the Air would set me back $1400 + 500 for 4th axis + 500 for shipping + vacuum + laser etc, would be around $3000. About $6000 for the OG Carvera with shipping and 4th axis etc. So is ATC and slightly more work area worth $3000? Robustness seem to be the same almost, same spindle and mostly everything... very difficult choice. If you want a step up from the Air its better to get the OG Carvera now perhaps.
I got my KS within 30 seconds of it going live and I'm still debating buying the og Carvera. Tool changes are pretty dang handy. The super early pricing is hard to pass up, and almost makes me want to just have them both. Hard to justify though. I'd really need to be producing a lot to need to almost identical CNC routers.
@@scrampker I have a FoxAlien and just like @TeachingTech I don't use it much because its super big, makes a mess and while it works its just kinda a pain. I try to 3d print most everything. Having a small machine with built in tools and cleanup + hood + small laser. I am hoping I will do more plus some fun messing with pcb design even. In my experience, the convienence is worth it. I have no doubt the air will be good, just like the Bambu P1P is awesome and half the price of the Carbon but I've since paid to buy all the upgrades so this time I'm going big to start :)
I use a fantastic free tool for making a height map o your stock (for pcb / engraving work). It's called G-code Ripper.
It probes the surface and alters you original g-code file for precise DOC. So this does no have to be expensive 😎
Thanks for sharing!
How does it probe the surface?
I have the original Carvera and was excited to see this one announced because more people will get access to such a great machine. Honestly the way the automatic tool changer finds new tools, you could beat it with a manual change.
The blue tape, super glue, blue tape makes me wonder, have you've tried double sided crepe paper tape? It's thin and lies flat, doesn't bunch like plastic tape. You can get it in a 2" wide roll so you just quickly stick two strips on the back of a circuitboard and you're ready to go.
The spindle collete design of Carvera CNC looks promising. I think the best part is the quick change among different milling bits. Might get one after it goes into production.
Great review
Thanks!
Buy a cnc ready sherline mill. If accuracy matters, get the ball screws but you’ll be paying for it. Sherline have all these attachments and conversion kits available to change it to do whatever you want. They have fantastic customer service. I’ve really emailed them an annoying amount and they’ve always helped, quickly and throughly. Buy some reasonable stepper motors, a gecko drive g540 and a uc100 with a Mach 3 bundle deal, cost isn’t that different from this depending on what you want it to do but I can guarantee your getting quality across the board and at an extremely competitive price. I did a lot of research years ago so take this with a grain of salt and do your own research but my impression of this machine is that it looks quite limited in terms of rigidity which translates to how long it takes to cut parts. I’d be concerned about the router rpm which will dictate whether you can cut a lot of steel. If you’re primarily getting this for wood just buy a shapeoko or equivalent, this has a tiny work area for wood considering and these machines can cut aluminium at a push. I think this new Carvera can probably comfortably cut metal but at the end of the day you’re still paying for a lot of bells a whistles, it’s just they’ve removed the most useful one which I was actually impressed with, which is the tool changer. Everything else is childs play to set up with manually, don’t pay the premium for a little extra work.
The cheapest I could configure a Shoreline mill of similar size was over double the cost. Can you share a configuration that is in the ballpark of the price for the Carvera air?
@@PearlSwirl-G This is always the case with people claiming these little mills are useless. They pretend that the barebones useless version of a much bigger much more expensive mill is the price of this which has all included.
@@BeefIngot Okay, you mentioned that " cost isn’t that different from this" but it's over double for even the most basic, I was hoping it was actually not that different in price.
Really cool, very reasonable feature cuts for the price.. if i only had the space...
You should do a video on the Millennium Machines Milo Mill
Im quite curious to see a deep dive into the quality of the soft metal milling quality/how useful it is for things like metal gears, cams etc.
I missed out on the super early bird for the original and then the discounts because I thought there was no way itd actually be that much more expensive, but this time I got a super early bird slot which makes this seem like really nice value for me.
look how the ships on the opposite way of the spindle are shaking and you will understand that this machine is not as rigid as you want it to be when cutting aluminium
@@pholos77 I mean, I am not expecting it to be a VMC. I just want it to check the box adequately, which for a hobbyist means getting usable metal parts in any amount of time. Im not expecting it to produce mirrors.
The parts he made out of aluminim look good
designing and producing drone/Quad frames at home.... hmmm might consider buying a machine like this.
Only problem will be a workbench and a silent vacuüm solution....
for the money this is great! Good to see 3d printers and CNC machines going trough some evolution again!
They mention they are coming up with their own dust collection solution as well so maybe that will be it. There are also some shop vacs that advertise being less noisy.
Do me a favor. Get a run out gauge. Put a precision pin in the spindle, and measure it's actual runout.
dial test indicator
You mentioned in the setup step that you need to enter in your Wi-Fi, do you need to run it online, or can you use it offline only?
In for one! Been looking for a nice desktop CNC to sit next to the Bambu X1C and Elegoo Saturn.
At work, we've been looking for a decent machine that could mill softer metals such as copper or aluminium, but just doesn't seem like there are sturdy enough machines, that cost 4-5k.
Copper is actually a really hard metal to machine well. It is soft, but that works against you. It gums up cutters really badly, and you need a really rigid machine to make sure it the end mill doesn't get dragged around and snap. Either way, maybe look into building a PrintNC! This has been on my list for a long time.
@@evanbarnes9984 PrintNC is a decent design, far better than the MPCNC but at the end of the day it's still in the cnc router class of machines. By the time you buy a decent spindle and ball screws you could buy something like an RF-15 clone and convert it to CNC. I have a Precision Mathews with a CNC conversion, great machine. Far better than the Grizzley version.
Copper is a pain to machine, you can get lubricating coolants that help but you still have to be careful with speeds and cutter choice.
Hey Michael, I am so excited to back this project from Carvera as its something I've been wanting to jump on for years.
Do you know of any software that we can practice on that has 4th axis functionality? I just want to do very basic machining with it in a similar fashion to traditional wood turning. Would you be able to provide a small video covering this topic?
I think alot of people jumping into this are going to be very much in the same boat.
Thanks for your fantastic content!
Even at $2,200 this is definitely something I'm looking at getting. Now if we can just get desktop sized metal SLS machines.
I have a desire for a good desktop CNC router, and this is very much the kind of thing I want. Unfortunately, there's still a gap between my perceived value of such a machine, and the price. I'm not saying Makera is charging more than the machine is worth. I *am* saying that the amount of utility I expect from having such a machine is a lot less than what it will cost me. Even the now-sold-out super early bird pricing is about 25 to 30% too high for me.
But this design does seem like a great midpoint, a nice way for Makera to reduce the cost of the machine while preserving the most important and useful features compared to the original Carvera. Hopefully this is just the start of a trend, and in a few years perhaps a good quality desktop CNC and laser-engraver will exist for under a thousand USD.
Hopefully they make a middle priced version with auto tool changing! I won't by the air one without this feature.
They did have a middle price version, if they would stop raising the price.
"All onions expressed are my own" are we making soup?
Fixed. Don't know how I managed that, I must have been really hungry as I was typing.
Hi Michael I'm really tempted to get one of these but I live in a flat in the city center and the noise would be a problem. I have a bambu lab p1s and I know for a fact this isn't loud enough to bother the neighbours (I did ask them).
Could you tell me how does it compare to machine aluminium and carbon fiber to bambu lab p1s or similar 3d printer? Is it significantly louder?
Thank you!
Can you compare it to the Nomad 3 CNC?
How was the dimensional accuracy of the aluminium parts? The surface quality on aluminium didn't look very good, do you think that's because of the machine not being stiff enough?
I also want to know more about this. I dont think anyone thinks this thing is going to get VMC quality but I want to know if parts are usable comfortably for things like press fits etc.
It's likely a combination of the head not being trammed and conventional milling instead of climb milling. With such a small endmill, the feedrate should've been reduced a bit and climb milling should be employed to reduce chatter.
Alot of these you tubers have 0 idea about machining and correct feeds and speeds also.
What rods, rails, stepper and controller are used? What are the differences on this specs compared to the big brother?
What power is the laser? Do you need to repeat the Z probing after changing tools?
How would you say it compares to the snapmaker artisan in terms of value and capability?
"BOY! Come here."
The compromises seem quite acceptable. What is the closest competitor?
Ive seen things lile the 6080 or printnc or milo floated, but nothing thats enclosed and near in price.
I paid $1300 for a Milo 1.5 about a month ago. I probably would've bought this if I knew about it then.... Looks like I need to work some overtime
I paid about 2K for my milling machine (a cast iron RF-15 clone) and about another 1k to convert it to CNC. Naturally it won't fit on a desktop since it weighs about 800lbs but it can machine steel easily. I think these desktop cnc machines could come way down in price for what they are. I personally don't think any desktop mill / router is worth $2500 for a barebones version let alone $5k+ for their "better" one. Guess it depends on what you want to do with it.
Maybe invest in a strong shop Vac outside in a little box and feed pipes and remote switches inside
The Carvera Air is good and all, but what are your opinions on Marko Rudan?
The siege mentality he promotes is a double edge sword. A few weeks ago it seemed like he might have lost the team, but they have been better. Tonight is a big test.
"Under 10 seconds toolchange"? But how long for the tool to cool down to be safe to touch before that?
Gloves...
I would love if they can add a camera inside
So is the laser head not worth getting?
Without mechanics review, this video is a bit incomplete.
Like what type of bearing it uses for each axes and which size?
How well they protected from chips? What motors does it use etc. What speeds and loads can it hold?
Except this, it is close to "shat up and take my money" 😊
You can see the two x axis linear rail bearings and they are not protected at all.
Hi, could you use the 4th Axis rotary with Kiri:Moto ??
No.
Really? I've used it with the Carvera 4th axis.
GridSpace: 4 Axis Indexed Milling with Kiri:Moto and Carvera
Found it at yoututbe ... :-) No clue how practical it is, have to wait till I get the Cavera Air end of the year
Indexed milling, that's true. But that's not what's demonstrated with the bust here, which is continuous rotation.
@@TeachingTech Ah, true - good distinction to make - I was using indexed milling. Hopefully continuous rotation gets added to Kiri:Moto at some point!
Any plans to sell your cheap Chinese CNC? Community giveaway comp?
Really cool and great start but it being limited to soft metals like aluminum isn’t enough for me. Really need ability to cut steel.
How audible is this device?
is the laser powerful enough to cut balsa and acrylic?
Acrylic no, wrong wavelength. Baksa if it's thin, but you would machine it instead.
one day..
Would love to see you review a 3030 Prover MAX if you could get your hands on one
i bought it, its cuts aluminium like butter with a router. before i had a cheap 3020 and a lowrider2 but they are trash compare to the 3030 Prover MAX. Just do some tape or cover over the contact at the sensors when you cut metal. so far i'm happy with it and i can recommend it
@@qsa6089 Have you done anything in steel? I saw a CZcamsr make a single solid pass through mild steel - But doesn't do anything further, would love to know what it's capable of!
@@Smugly_Watching_Society_Burn i did not try steel, because i do not need it, its too havy. usually, if you can cut aluminium 7000 you can cut steel too, just dont go 2mm deep, thats too much, even when it did work in the video. on steel i would go for 400 speed and 0.5 mm stepdown, so its looks nice even without a finish step. the alu i cut with 600 and 1mm stepdown
@@qsa6089 Thanks! Did you pair it with a makita?
@@Smugly_Watching_Society_Burn yes, Makita RT0702C, but they are not much different from others, nowadays a router for 40-50 bugs should be the same, important is just, the 30.000 rpm to drive fast and make big flakes
If i had seen this when super early $1200 was still available I would have backed it
Hi! Been watching your videos for some time and I’m so glad you posted this review policy. I too review items from time to time, and while it’s easy for me to articulate terms with a company supplying a product it would be great to have a policy like this written up to share with them. Would you be okay if I used yours as a template and changed some particulars to suit my needs? Thanks very much. :)
Carvera 'Air' only 50kg 😅
Still to expensive for most people imho.
I personally would want this device but only for pcb. Maybe could sell a device aimed only for a certain purpose would be bettet/cheaper.
How could they call it the Carvera Air when Carvaira was right there!
How much do you reckon you've used your Carvera since getting it? Do you reckon this type of mill will really serve a hobbyist like yourself well/provide the value to the hobby experience that its price commands?
I probably use it once a month. That doesn't sound like a lot, but I tend to 3d print projects as a first choice. I use it exclusively by choice though. My 6040 hasn't been used since having the Carvera, I might sell it.
I wish I could use a CNC machine but my neighbours and roommates would be bothered by it!
how thick of an aluminum can be cut?
The limit is the length of the cutter. You just cut down pass by pass until that depth.
Isn’t cnc milling carbon fibre dangerous because the dust when inhaled can cause lung cancer?
I'd prefer a sainsmart or foxalien and upgrade it tbh
Nice machine really. A 5 axis machine down the road? 😅
no way that there is a hobby-market for that. too complicated CAM-wise, and too complex mechanically anyway if done rigidly.
@@simonschneider5913 Ive seen a few rrally enthusiastic hobbyists make their own.
I mean there is a small one whose name escapes me that is meant for hobbyists though its still like 8k
See their first kit was too expensive for what you got, i ended up buying an MR1 at 9.5k shipped. took another $600 with mods in assembly.
but i can cut anything........ no shatter marks like i see on the carvera
I believe chatter is what you meant to say
Shart @@BeefIngot
Still not convinced by this machine, even if the ATC on the Carvera made me curious. This this is way to light to make anything but a keychain and a PCB. That's not worth a 5000€++ ticket. Hopefully there might be something more capable in the future.
200x300 just a bit smaller than I was wanting.
I do not rate using a laminated material in an somewhat abrasive application 😅 machine looks nice otherwise.
Expensive AF: now with fewer features!
My biggest issue with the Carvera was its small work area, now I'm even less interested.
They sent these to everyone
I haven't actually seen that many reviews for them yet.
That said, how would you get word out about your prodict for makers to makers?
I imagine sending them out to reviewers while getting a massive low pressure preorder is the easiest way for you. No money spent and you get orders of scale quantities from the start.
update on your ants?
Not sure, think best bang for the buck in this realm is still openbuilds.
In terms of the feature set and time involvement too? Both of those things matter.
I also have doubts that Openbuilds cand reach this level of rigidity (even though this level isnt amazing)
I don’t get what’s the point of milling your own pcb when you could just make a cheaper better one from someone like pcbway. These machines always seem like a waste of money to me. Not the same tool but I could get a used Bridgeport for $2000 and make substantial things.
I would like to know where you’re getting a Bridgeport for 2000$.
@@ReProps2003 Cleveland, you can get a good deals for them in the rust belt. I know there are bit more everywhere else.
@@capitalv8062 dang, haven’t been able to find a decent one for under 5k in NC.
@@ReProps2003I got a very good condition Bridgeport manual mill for 2500 in Utah a few years ago. They are out there, but getting rare.
Teaching tech posts on derby day wearing a WSW jersey and only the aleague obssesed would know lol
Someone noticed! Were going to the game tonight for my son's birthday. Come on you Wanderers!
Shariff dmc2 is a better machine for slightly more with a 2200watt spindle.
" This 3D printing concept is insane! Forget building objects layer by layer, this design uses a spinning vat with two sections to literally print from the INSIDE OUT. Imagine building complex internal structures first, then layering the outer shell!
The separate vats for different materials open up a whole new world of possibilities. You could print objects with hidden compartments made from a different material, or even integrate things like dissolvable support structures or tiny magnets directly within the design. This could be a game-changer for things like self-assembling furniture, microfluidics with built-in valves, or even bioprinting with intricate vascular networks!
Seriously, this is some next-level 3D printing. Can't wait to see how this technology develops! #FutureTech #InsideOutPrinting"
Worth a buy if it drops around $1500.
Фрезер за полторы штуки баксов без тулченджера - деньги на ветер.
Makera banned Taiwan internet addresses, all I get is a connection refused thanks.
Still it is the price of a modern car and for hobby I just think it is to expencive. I would like one but to make PCB as I would like it is not going to pay the price from ordering the samples I need. Still it look like a great tool for some people. Thanks for great videos.
A typical modern car costs way more than $2k
A modern car is literally 20x the price. In what universe is 2k the price of a modern car. Not even a used modern car.
Maybe a used car over a decade old that needs double its price to get into decent running condition.
Each to their own.
What is this? A CNC for ants?!
the chinese carried the best practises of german engineering into the 21st century and now they go beyond that on their own. they have so much more than just cheap stuff over there! ...germany on the other hand over-engineered itself out of most markets...financially and technically.
Ah, kickscammer. Who knows what youll get, if anything!
Why bother with pesky consumer protections
I just got a P1S, to retire my Ender 5, now you show me this? (Breathing hard) if it can do 7000 series aluminum, or steel, I hate you, and so does my wallet. Now if it can’t, the. I don’t care.
Carvera Air Titanium Milling Test czcams.com/video/CynRyyO4Gko/video.html
lol.... it never ends mate... were all trapped in addiction😅
@@factuallogic5483 you know what that means.... i need a sponsor asap...lol
"cheap" 1200usds as early bid, 2000 when released.
Yeah...
That's the price of a laptop. It's in consumer reach.
Compared to other CNCs intended for materials harder than pine, yeah that's pretty inexpensive. That doesn't mean it's approachable for most folks though... or even the best option for that price range. All depends on what definition of 'cheap' you wanna use ig...
Personally think I'll stick with my existing "heavily modify an off-brand X-carve as needed" plan though. This does look pretty sweet for people who care more about convenience though!
Have you seen any other CNC?
Cheaper -the og carvera is $5,000, i got mine with most of the addons and was over $6,000. I would say for what this can do and its size it is a pretty good deal
I don't care how good of a deal it might be. I will never, I repeat never, by anything that a CZcamsr is given for free.
You wont be able to buy anything