TFDL Makerspace Training

Carvey Rules and Etiquette

• Every time you change a Bit, Carvey should be OFF.
• Please ensure that the cutting depth of your design doesn’t carve into the waste board.  If you need to cut the design out of the material then please bring an additional layer of material to put under the model block and consider including tabs from the design to the material block, so that the design is attached to the material block by these tabs.
• Always check on Easel that the path of the Bit doesn't collide with the material securing clamps.  This can cause damage to the bit, clamps and Carvey CNC.
• You should ask for the bits from a STAFF member when coming to the Makerspace.
• Take proper precautions with the equipment, remember, even though user friendly, this is a high-speed rotary tool that can cause damage to itself and its user.  So please be  careful.  Staff members are always happy to review your design and setup before you start carving.
• Have fun and take pride with your carvings!!

About our Carvey CNC

Ref. Inventables - Carvey

The Carvey is a desktop CNC milling machine that has a fully enclosed work area to keep noise and debris contained. The Carvey can work with a wide range of materials, including wood, soft metals, and plastics, and it operates at up to 12,000 RPM. It has automatic calibration and uses design software called EASEL, to create precise 3D carvings and prototypes.  At LabNext the most used materials are HDPE, PVC and Wood, and although other materials can be used, you should first consult with a staff member about it's use.
 

Carvey has some limitations you should be aware of:

1. Size Constraints: The Carvey's work area is limited to 11.6 inches by 8 inches (30 cm by 20 cm) in the X and Y axes, and a maximum Z-axis travel of 80 mm (8 cm). 
2. Material Limitations: While it can handle a variety of materials like wood, soft metals, and plastics, it struggles with harder materials.
3. Geometric Limitations: Carvey is a 3-axis CNC, this means that its bit is always positioned in the Z axis because of the vertical spindle. This prevents Carvey from being able to carve undercuts or, bridge-like structures.  More complex CNC machines can have 5-axes of control that enable the bit to carve the material from different angles.
 

Carvey has stages; the first is setting up the project using the EASEL software. The second is the setup of the CNC Machine, installing the drill bit, securing material, and cleanup.

On Easel

Easel is a web-based application for creating your Carvey project.  The app is available at https://www.easel.com/.  In the Makerspace, the computer next to the Carvey CNC is setup with the software through the web browser but you will need to sign up for a free Easel account.  You can perform your designs directly on the app or import a design on a SVG file, just make sure you don't use a PRO feature or it will ask to pay in order to enable the carve.  This is how the software appears:

Model Editing Space:

This is the space where the model will be built and modified.  For this there is a Tool bar (explained below).  The editing space shows the waste board, the surface in the machine that you clamp the project material to, and the Workpiece layout, for situations where you have different parts of the same design across several pieces of material.

• Editing Tools

Model Preview Space: 

This window provides a rough simulation of the milling process and final product.  For complicated operations/designs a more detailed simulation will be needed in order to show a preview. This space also shows the material selection bar, Bit selection bar and Cut Settings.

• Material Selection Bar

The materials available to use with the Carvey are ABS, Acrylic, HDPE, Hard and Soft woods, Aluminum, Corian, PCB and Expanded PVC.  Please contact staff before attempting to mill anything that is not wood or plastic.
It’s very important to select the correct material because this will determine important settings like Feed Rate and Depth of Pass, for a successful carve.  Also measure the thickness very precisely using the caliper (located in the top drawer of the Carvey cabinet) to ensure that the bit does not cut into the Waste Board when carving a model. 

• Bit Selection Bar

The bits are the elements that connect to the spindle and carve the material. The selection of the bit is critical in achieving a good result.  The bit must be matched to the type of material and the desired shape of the carvings.

Easel can specify a two-stage carve where you change the bits between stages.  The first stage should use the biggest bit size possible as this reduces the risk of breaking the bit and speeds up the carving process. This is called the roughing pass.  The second, detailed pass, uses a smaller bit to carve smaller details. Care must be taken when changing the bits not to shift the material that would result in an offset between the two stages. 

Note that the makerspace only provides 1/8” and 1/16” bits. 1/32” bits are not available.

Resource:

• Carving Bits 101
• Bit Selection Chart
• Choosing your Milling Bit

• Cut Settings Bar

The cut setting bar allows selection between automatic or manual settings depending on the bit and material selected.
 

Here the user can input the Feed Rate (how fast the bit goes through your material in the x-y plane) in in/min or mm/min, it also allows to change the Plunge Rate which is equivalent to the Feed Rate but on the Z-axis, and Depth per pass that calculates the number of passes (steps) the tool has to do to reach the desired total depth of the carving.  The user can also choose the path mode between Offset, X-axis and Y-axis passes.  For more information, please see the following resource.
 

Resource:

• Calculating your Cut Settings

On the Carvey CNC Machine

To use the Carvey CNC machine you’ll need to interact with some parts of it.  Some of them are:

Ref. Inventables

•    Main Door: to gain access to the spindle, waste board and smart clamp.
•    Spindle: Where the bit is installed and secured. Remember to turn Carvey OFF before installing the bit.

Ref. Inventables

•    Waste Board: Surface where the material block of the model will rest, and be secured to, with threaded clamps and step blocks.

Ref. Inventables

•    Smart Clamp: Main L shaped clamp that will secure where the lower left corner of your material should be secured to. Easel software will indicate the color of the screws depending on the thickness of the material to be clamped down and secured. (Thinner-Green, Blue and Red-Thicker)

Ref. Inventables

•    Pause Button: Button used to pause the carve and clean, inspect or abort the carve.

Getting Started - Step by Step on how to Use the Carvey CNC

1)    Login to the Carvey computer: In the makerspace there’s a computer dedicated for Carvey and Cricut.  You need to login to this computer and open the browser. The user and password are indicated at the computer.  Once it loads the desktop, there’s a shortcut called “Easel Inventables” that will take you to Easel web page.
 
2)    Login to Easel webapp: To make your designs or transfer them to Carvey for carving, you need to login to your Easel account.  If you don’t have one, there is the option to Sign Up for a new account.

Resource:

3)    Make or Load your Design: Since Easel is a web platform, you can do your designs in your laptop or at home, or you can do the designs at the Makerspace computer.  Once the design is ready you can proceed to carve it.

Ref. Inventables

On the model you should check that the bit paths doesn't collide with the clamps, as this can cause damage to the bit, clamps and Carvey CNC machine.

4)   Open Carvey and clamp your material: Make sure Carvey is OFF, then proceed to open the main door (it opens upwards).  Place the material on the waste board and clamp it first at the Smart Clamp making sure the corner of the material is placed all the way into the Smart Clamp corner.  

Ref. Inventables

Clamp around the material with the other clamps and blocks.  Is very IMPORTANT to secure the material or else it may move, ruin your carving design and ruin your material.  When clamping please pay attention to the orientation of the Clamp Blocks, as the flat part should be facing down against the waste board and no gaps should remain between the flap-block nor block-waste board.

Also, remember that the screws color for the clamps will change depending on the thickness of the material to be secured, Green for thinner materials, Blue for intermediate and Red for thicker materials. These colors will be shown by Easel. Remember that at Makerspace you should bring your own material for carving.

 
 Clamping tool set and Bit changing kit.

5)   Change the Bit: Before changing or installing the Bit, turn Carvey OFF. The bits are provided at Makerspace, but they need to be installed properly and according to the material.  That means they need to match with the bit on Easel’s Bit Selection Bar. Depending on the bit and the material, you may need to Add a Bit at the Bit Selector Bar in the Easel software.

6)    Hit the CARVE button! : Once you’ve finished, on the top right corner of the Easel interface there is a button that says “Carve”, click on it and it will prompt you to check everything again on a 6 step by step.
 

1. Measure the material	2. Position the material
3. Secure with the Smart Clamp	4. Secure all around
5. Confirm your bit to use	6. Start Carving

   And watch the process…
 

7)    Clean: after you finish your carving, clean up all the debris left by the carving process.  Fortunately, Carvey is enclosed, and all the debris will be inside.  Use the vacuum cleaner (black and yellow shop vac) located just to the left of the Carvey.