RAVEN Update – April 2023

Updated Timeline

We were very hopeful that we would be able to stick to our delivery dates in May 2023, but unfortunately that timeline required adjustment. Raven’s new hardware pieces are designed and mostly sourced, but we had to replace several vendors, causing some delays and retooling. Additionally, the new processor sourcing required all the electronics boards to be redesigned. These designs are all finished, but they are still in early stages of testing the firmware conversions to the new operating system. While it hasn’t been as quick as we wanted, the pieces are all coming together. A build schedule for the sub-assemblies is underway to make sure we can move quickly when the remainder of the parts are ready. We now plan to begin shipping by September 2023. 

Thank you for your patience and continued support! We’ll keep updating you as the timeline comes into focus.

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New Cut Motor Control

The new cut motor control board testing has been performing fantastically. While we were sourcing new processors, we decided to upgrade the motor control to use a sensorless FOC which allowed us to eliminate the hall effect sensors in the motor. This means the motor can run with a much smoother control while simplifying its construction. This also reduces the wiring harness from 8 wires to 3 which adds additional robustness to the system. RAVEN, after all, is all about reducing and simplifying down to a reliable and long lasting CNC system. Since we were redesigning the board, we also added LED indicator lights to identify that the components are receiving power. This will make for a much quicker QA process when assembling and a useful tool for quick visual troubleshooting.

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Software Advances – Bitbuilder Tool

Designer 5 is continuing to progress with its new RAVEN features. One of the most powerful features is the Bitbuilder. The Bitbuilder will give users the ability to add new or custom configure existing bits. This will allow for ultimate control over all the speed, feed, and spindle settings for every bit. Custom bits can be stored globally in your system or are stored on a project level. This means if someone designs a project with a specific bit setting and they share that project, the bit setting will come automatically with the project.

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Download Latest Designer 5 Beta Update

A new version of the Designer 5 beta is now available for download! Click the link below to access it. Along with bug fixes, this version has several changes to get the high resolution working better with the modeling tools and other functions. The bitbuilder tool’s conditional logic has also been refined to make it fully functional.