Anatomy of a Carvera
This section provides details of the specifications and components inside the Carvera family of CNC machines. Remember that this article is fan written, and is not authoritative. If you have any doubts about what to expect from your machine, you should consult the manufacturer.
Physical Dimensions
Work Area (3 Axis)
36cm (X) * 24cm (Y) * 14cm (Z)
30cm (X) * 20cm (Y) * 13cm (Z)
20cm(X) * 20cm(Y) * 10cm
Work Area (4 axis)
9.2cm (Diameter) * 24cm (Length)
9.2cm (Diameter) * 20cm (Length)
8cm(Diameter) * 15cm (Length)
Gantry Clearance
12cm
12cm
12cm
Max Height (Lid Open)
84cm
84cm
84cm
Footprint (Lid Closed)
57.9cm (Width) * 52cm (Depth) * 54.1cm (Height)
50cm (Width) * 45cm (Depth) * 45cm (Height)
35cm (Width) * 48cm (Depth) * 45cm (Height)
Weight (Approx)
50kg
30kg
20kg
Work Area Limitations
Carvera
The Carvera has a cutting area of around 374mm (X) * 256mm (Y). One thing to consider is that this cutting area is somewhat larger than the bed area which is 360mm (X) * 240mm (Y)
Some implications of the design may not be immediately apparent:
Due to the proximity of the tool holder to the bed, part of the bed is in difficult to use due to risks of crashing tools into the raised tool holder bar
Due to the black plastic used by the tool proximity sensor approximately 15mm of the bed is lost in the X direction.
Carvera Air and Z1
Note that part of the bed is taken up by the tool setter. This prevents the complete use of the bed
Electronics
Both the original Carvera, and Carver Air use very similar control boards and as a result the same firmware files, the firmware is written with switches to change config/functionality based which board is detected. The major differences in the board are the absence of vacuum and air assist headers on the Air board. The board uses a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller called the NXP LPC1768 and runs a firmware based on Smoothieware v1. A ESP8266 is used for Wifi connectivity.
The Z1 is similar in that it primarily uses a LPC1768 for motion control and a Smoothieware based firmware. It differs from the previous two models through it's use of a ESP32 for wifi connectivity. This ESP32 is connected to a camera inside the machine for remote monitoring of the enclosure.
Power Supply
Supported Mains Input
100-120VAC / 200-240VAC @ 50/60Hz
100-120VAC / 200-240VAC @ 50/60Hz
100-120VAC / 200-240VAC @ 50/60Hz
System PSU
200w w/ 12v output
450w w/ 12v output
Unknown
Spindle PSU
200w w/ 48v output
shared with system PSU
shared with system PSU
System PSU Model
Mean Well EPP-200-12
Mean Well LRS-450-24
Unknown
Spindle PSU Model
Mean Well EPP-200-48
N/A
N/A
Max AC Current (Typical)
3.6A/115VAC 2A/230VAC
10A/115VAC 6A/230VAC
Unknown
Spindle
Max Motor Input Power
200w
200w
150W
Speed
1000 - 15000 RPM
3000 - 13000 RPM
1000 - 13000 RPM
Motor Type
Brushless DC
Brushless DC
Brushless DC
Motor Speed Feedback
Hall Effect
None
Unknown
Included Collet
1/8in
1/8in
1/8in
Available Collets
1/8in, 1/4in, 6mm, 4mm, 3mm, 8mm
1/8in, 1/4in, 6mm, 4mm, 3mm, 8mm
1/8in, 1/4in, 6mm, 4mm, 3mm, 8mm
Collet System Type
263504
263504
263504
Tool Library Size
6
N/A
N/A
Cooling
Air-cooled controlled by temperature monitor
Air-cooled controlled by temperature monitor
Air-cooled controlled by temperature monitor
Spindle Runout
Less than 0.01mm
Less than 0.01mm
Less than 0.02mm
Motion System
X Drive System
Ball screws with linear rails
Ball screws with linear rods
ACME Leadscrew with linear rails
Ball screws with linear rails
X Max Movement Speed
300cm per minute
300cm per minute
Unknown
Unknown
Y Drive System
Ball screws with linear rods
Ball screws with linear rods
ACME Leadscrew with linear rails
Ball screws with linear rails
Y Max Movement Speed
300cm per minute
300cm per minute
Unknown
Unknown
Z Drive System
Ball screws with linear rails
Ball screws with linear rails
ACME Leadscrew with linear rails
Ball screws with linear rails
Z Max Movement Speed
200cm per minute
200cm per minute
Unknown
Unknown
Motor Type
Closed loop Servo motors for X/Y/Z axis Open Loop Nema17 stepper motor for A axis
Closed loop Smart Stepper for X/Y/Z axis Open Loop Nema17 stepper motor for A axis
Open Loop Stepper for X/Y/Z axis Open Loop Nema17 stepper motor for A axis
Closed loop Smart Stepper for X/Y/Z axis Open Loop Nema17 stepper motor for A axis
Motion Motor Resolution
0.005 mm
0.005 mm
0.01mm
Unknown
Motion Driver IC
BigTreeTech TMC2209
Onboard stepper for X/Y/Z A Axis driver DRV8825
Unknown
Unknown
4th Axis Max RPM
New Harmonic Drive: 6.6 Original 4th Axis: 30
6.6
Unknown
Unknown
Dust/Chip Control
Dust Control System
Integrated or external vacuum
External vacuum
External vacuum
Dust Tank Volume
0.8 liter
N/A
N/A
External Dust Port OD Size
26mm
26mm
26mm
External Compressed Air Input OD Size
8mm
8mm
N/A
External Compressed Air Input Fitting
Pushlock
Pushlock
N/A
Recommended Compressed Air Pressure
3.5 bar (50 psi)
3.5 bar (50 psi)
N/A
Recommended Compressed Air Flow
40L/min
40L/min
N/A
Laser Engraver
The laser module is in-built in the Carvera spindle head, and is an optional accessory for the Carvera Air and Z1
Laser power
2.5w
5w
5w
Laser Type
445nm diode laser
445nm diode laser
445nm diode lase
Cooling
Air-cooled
N/A
Unknown
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