This desktop CNC mill lets you carve 3D figurines with zero experience, and it’s now on Kickstarter

For the past decade, 3D printing has been cherished as the most popular (and now even affordable) way to make physical objects without much experience or elbow grease. But now, a new class of DIY-friendly methods for making 3D objects is becoming increasingly popular. Computer Numerical Control, more popularly known as CNC, has made its way to indoor workstations with equipment getting affordable (compared to an industrial-grade machine) and computer-aided manufacturing (or CAM) becoming easier to grasp for enthusiasts. This has given rise to compact desktop CNC mills that allow you to work with a variety of materials, such as metals, wood, or even a variety of thermoplastics.

We recently tested one such desktop CNC mill, which let us create an Android mascot figurine without having to deal with computer-aided designing (CAD) at all. That’s what the creators of InfiMaker K1, a desktop CNC machine that uses AI to transform any 2D image into a 3D millable model, claim is its strongest point.

That helps overcome one of the biggest challenges with desktop CNC machines: the commercial software that supports 4- or 5-axis milling. Along with converting files conveniently, the K1 also supports standard 3D model file formats, including STL, STEP, and OBJ.

Apart from its AI-assisted CAM, the InfiMaker K1 supports 5-axis cutting. It means that, in addition to the three standard axes, the machine can also cut while the object is tilted or being rotated. The K1 supports tilts ranging from −30° to +110°. It is also equipped with an automatic tool changer that juggles five tools along with a ruby centering probe.

The spindle is rated at 1.5kW (kilowatts) and can rotate at up to 20,000rpm. InfiMaker claims it can chisle accurately down to a hundredth of a millimeter (i.e., 0.01 repeatability).

Materials it can machine include acrylic, aluminum, brass, composites, copper, engineering plastics, jade, resin, steel, titanium, wax, and wood.

After recently sharing details about the handy CNC mill, InfiMaker is starting its Kickstarter campaign today. Early birds can back the machine for just $5,199, which is 40% below the planned MSRP of $8,599.

You can also back higher tiers for additional perks, including a water coolant system, set of vice jaws, and a wireless jog handwheel.