Inventables Community Forum

X-Carve Pro

X-Carve Pro
#1

Dear Zach

So the launch is done but a lot still has to be answered:

  1. If I pre-order before November 5 and qualify for the 45% off when will I get the machine?

  2. Is the 45% off available for international buyers provided that I pay for the Shipping costs outside of the USA?

  3. What happens to my access to Easel Pro after the first 3 years?

  4. What is the guarantee on the spindle? Since the previous x-carve spindle had issues?

  5. Is the maximum material height limited to 10cm?

  6. What about the LASER option? Is it available on the x-carve pro?

  7. Is this machine upgradable to 3D Carving in the future?

Please note that the purchase of this machine is such a substantial investment for most small scale producers like me so it obviously should be a good buy!

Thanks for the launch it really looks like a good product that I am seriously considering.

1 Like
#2

@Shumba I’m not Zach nor am I employed by Inventables, but here is my understanding of your questions.

  1. Expected delivery for machines is starting April 2021
  2. 45% off is for everyone, free shipping is for US.
  3. Pay for it to continue or lose access to Pro features.
  4. The previous spindle was a woodworking router, not a real spindle. The new spindle is a 2hp with a VFD. Not sure what guarantee you’re looking for other than specs.
  5. I think, yes. Work area is 48"x48"x4"
  6. There is no laser options. Inventables never has had one and never will. In the FAQ the explicity suggest against a laser.
  7. The machine can already do 3D carving just like the X-Carve, you just have to use another program besides Easel to generate the g-code. I’ve used Fusion 360 and V-Carve.
2 Likes
#3

Hi @Shumba - Thanks for your questions. (And thank you @ShaneJamerson for jumping in to help!)

  1. If I pre-order before November 5 and qualify for the 45% off when will I get the machine? Yes, anyone who orders through Nov 5 will receive 45% off. Machines are scheduled to start shipping in April 2021.

  2. Is the 45% off available for international buyers provided that I pay for the Shipping costs outside of the USA? The discount is for everyone. At this time, however, we are not selling the X-Carve Pro internationally.

  3. What happens to my access to Easel Pro after the first 3 years? When your 3 years of included Easel Pro runs out, you will need to have a valid payment method stored on your account for it to renew. Otherwise, your account will become an Easel Free account. We do not delete or destroy any projects, so if that happened, you’d just need to enter a valid payment method to be restored to an Easel Pro experience again.

  4. What is the guarantee on the spindle? Since the previous x-carve spindle had issues? The spindle is covered under our 1 year, limited warranty. If you’d like to learn more about our warranty, you can email help@inventables.com.

  5. Is the maximum material height limited to 10cm? Yes, the maximum carveable height is 4in (approx 10cm).

  6. What about the LASER option? We do not have any plans down the line to support anything besides a router head for X-Carve Pro. This is for both safety reasons and our inability to offer quality software for these applications. There are some people making these modifications to their machines but they are considered unsupported upgrades, are not covered by and will likely void the 1-year limited warranty that comes with X-Carve Pro.

  7. Is this machine upgradable to 3D Carving in the future? I’m checking to make sure I have the right answer for you on this and will update when I hear back internally!

#4

Hmm, one challenge with the machine as is, at this price you are competing against the other mid-level industrial machines. Not that this doesn’t look like a great machine, and I love my x-carve don’t get me wrong, but the huge advantage is that it was at a price that was “hobby level” but you could get to pretty good performance for sign making, etc. At the non-discounted price of $12,000 you start to expect things like an ATC/Power-drawbar combo, 3-axis probing, DRO, etc.

3 Likes
#5

I agree with Henry.
The only upgrade I see are the linear guides, ball screws, and a spindle.
A couple of redesigned extrusions is not that big of a deal.
And the same old MDF bed.
Honesty, I don’t see the value.
My 750 will serve me just fine for a long time.

I also find it kind of strange that the machine was introduced just a few hours ago and they are already claiming 181000 pre-orders???

4 Likes
#6

That’s $181000… Like 30 orders. Seems reasonable.

1 Like
#7

Thank you @JessieFritz and @ShaneJamerson I now have a clearer picture here. Like I said before this will be quite a substantial investment for me which I would not want to toss away in a couple of years, obviously the expected direction at least from my point of view will be going full 3D with a turning tool incorporated and one would not want to end up having 3 X-Carve machines in a few years.

But again thank you inventables for the work you are doing.

#8

New machine looks really great, and I’m sure it will be. But at that price-point I would want a whole lot more technical details of the machine & how it’s constructed. An exploded CAD model would answer a lot of questions. Purchasing one based on the info provided seems equivalent to peering into a showroom window from the outside & purchasing a new car based on what you see.

11 Likes
#9

I guess it really doesn’t matter what they claim.
Without MUCH more technical data, that value is simply not there.
(Probably why they don’t provide more data.)
Don’t get me wrong, I have always liked my X-Carve.
I think its a great machine / value.

4 Likes
#10

Some quick questions, I couldn’t find in the spec sheet.

  • Linear guide size per axis? Looks like 15mm in a X axis close up shot.
  • Ballscrew pitch per axis?
  • Rapids per axis?
  • Where are the Y motors placed? I couldn’t see them in the promo video.
  • Bearing blocks per axis? Angular contact & deep groove? Deep groove on both sides?
  • What motor drivers (chip, max current) ?
  • What controller? Is it still ATmega328P running GRBL?

UPDATE
another two

  • Linear guide make/model?
  • Ballscrew make/model?
3 Likes
#11

Hi there,

I’ve answered some of your questions in-line below. I am unable to answer some of them due to the information being confidential, I hope you understand.

  • Linear guide size per axis? Looks like 15mm in a X axis close up shot.
    • 15mm on all axes
  • Ballscrew pitch per axis?
    • X/Y = 25mmx10mm, Z=12mmx10mm
  • Rapids per axis?
    • X/Y = 300ipm, Z = ~200ipm
  • Where are the Y motors placed? I couldn’t see them in the promo video.
    • Hidden below the plane of the wasteboard at the back of the machine
  • Bearing blocks per axis? Angular contact & deep groove? Deep groove on both sides?
    • 4 blocks per axis
  • What motor drivers (chip, max current) ?
    • DRV8711 driver
  • What controller? Is it still ATmega328P running GRBL?
    • Proprietary controller running custom GRBL
  • Linear guide make/model?
    • Confidential
  • Ballscrew make/model?
    • Confidential
2 Likes
#12

Here’s their modified grbl firmware for anyone else interested. Looks like they just added code to manage the DRV8711 drivers.

1 Like
#13

Ok, linear guide info is out there in public on the promo page. TBI is a respectable TW factory, same level as TW-also Hiwin. There’s nothing to hide there, it’s a strong marketing point. Hiding it might make people suspicious of Chinese knock-offs.

Screenshot from 2020-10-09 09-31-38
Screenshot from 2020-10-09 09-31-38867Ă—564 388 KB

1 Like
#14

Dear Politis

Just a side question, do you know of any make of CNC (in the same class) with comparable features and size to the X-Carve Pro?
How does the X-Carve Pro compare with other machines in the same class price and performance wise?

1 Like
#15

There will be a lineup from Tormach soon …

{:0)

Brandon Parker

#16

I guess the Pro line of Avid CNC (formerly known as CNC Router Parts) could be considered a competitor.

One main difference is they use rack & pinion for X/Y transmission and ballscrew for Z as opposed to all ballscrew for X/Y/Z on the X-Carve Pro. You will have to do some homework to compare them :slight_smile:

#17

Axiom is another one to look at.

#18

Thank you very much, I’m now digging into the literature for various models,

#19

Was wondering with machine you picked to go with

#20

Hi @ScottETeitge
I think axiom is the way to go… it supports a laser, rotary option as well as tilling, their machines look quite sturdy. Also the V-carve aspire doesn’t look complicated to learn. I haven’t pulled the trigger though! The advantage of the x-carve pro is its sizing, the smaller model can still do much of what the bigger size can do if you put tilling into consideration.
But again the option are limited on the x-carve!