As of April 1st, 2021, Inventables is no longer formally supporting the Carvey. While our support team is still happy to assist you, we have limited user-serviceable parts available for purchase. More information can be found below:
Carvey End Of Life Expectations
Maintenance
If properly handled and used as intended, Carvey should require little maintenance besides cleaning up material chips and dust inside the machine after running a job. However, like any machine with moving parts, certain components can experience wear and tear over time. Here are some common maintenance procedures:
Cleaning the Carvey
As the Carvey lacks a dust collection system, we recommend using a vacuum to clean the build area after each job. The floor of the Carvey can also occasionally fill up with dust and material residue. We recommend removing the floor underneath the wasteboard and vacuuming inside. Instructions for that process can be found below:
Carvey Cleaning and Maintenance
Spindle replacement
If the spindle no longer powers on before a carve, either the connections have become unseated, or the spindle needs to be replaced. You can use the Carvey instructions for guidance on checking the connections here:
Cleaning the Smart Clamp
Before a carve, the Carvey spindle will lower down to the Smart Clamp and make contact with the metal button. This is how the Carvey finds the top of the material. If the smart clamp isn't registering contact, the machine will not carve.
Carvey Smart Clamp isn't Registering
Debris can become lodged between the button and the sensor, causing it to fail. We have instructions for cleaning the Smart Clamp here:
Cleaning and Servicing the Smart Clamp
Adjusting belt tension
If the Carvey is consistently not carving on the desired path, the belt may need to be re-tightened.
To check the X-axis belt, you would have to remove the rear panel on the Carvey. You would first have to remove the screws. Be careful when you remove the panel, since it will still be attached via wires going to the main controller board on that panel.
When you pluck the belt on the x-axis, it should produce a twang like a bass guitar string. If it seems slack, you can re-tension the belt by loosening up the studs on the plate with the idler wheel, which will be on the right end of the belt. When those studs are loosened, you can slide the bracket to the right to increase tension. The yellow circle indicates where the idler and studs are.
You will need to undo the Wasteboard and the center floor plate to check the y-axis belt. The instructions for this are here.