CardMill™ - A TCG scanner and sorter for players/collectors

CardMill Update: The Hopper
4 months ago – Wed, Feb 11, 2026 at 03:31:14 PM

As we're getting closer to the backer survey, we wanted to take moment to talk about the hopper, because there's some cool stuff that happened with it! Early on Beyond Design introduced some dual functionality with the hopper and after solidifying plans with manufacturing we are ready to share the news.

What's the hopper again?

The hopper is the card intake area of CardMill. It holds your cards and works with internal mechanisms to feed a single card at a time into the scanning chamber.

What's changed about the hopper?

• Hoppers are removable and allow for more streamlined storage.
• Hoppers are multi-purpose as card feeders, desktop card storage or card stagers for your next batch.
• Standard small hopper now holds 400 cards (100 more than original).
• We have added a new large 800 card hopper.
• The large hopper is replacing the card column and hopper extender.
• Hoppers have lines to indicate capacity by 100s.

Listed below is how your original pledge will be upgraded and appear in the backer survey.

What hoppers you will receive if you purchased:

CardMill Starter Kit - 1 small hopper 
(You can upgrade to a large hopper for a small fee)
Heavy Lifter Kit - 1 small & 3 large hoppers
Hopper Extender Add-On - 1 large hopper
Card Column Add-On - 1 large hopper

Need An Additional Hopper?

In the backer survey, you'll be able to purchase an additional small or large hopper. Use it to stage your cards. When ready to scan and sort, just swap out the hopper with the one in your CardMill. Fill with your next set of cards, and stage them for whenever you're ready. 

Beyond Design showing us the hopper function. It fully clicks into place and is sturdy while running. Really cool to see this simple innovation in the works.

Lots more updates inbound on things like PCB and electronics, artist updates and add-ons, colors and backer kit guide as we get closer and closer to the backer survey. Stay tuned!

The CardMill Team

First Factory Manufactured Parts Have Arrived!
5 months ago – Wed, Jan 14, 2026 at 04:55:31 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Manufacturing Milestones
6 months ago – Sat, Dec 20, 2025 at 12:43:36 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

CardMill Update: Tray System
6 months ago – Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 12:04:28 PM

Our engineering teams have been hard at work refining and testing CardMill's tray system. We have nailed down the tray mechanisms that will make your CardMill significantly faster, as promised during the Kickstarter campaign. Also....

Tray Movement and Base Updates:

• Upgraded the mechanics of how the sled moves which was necessary to increase the speed from the prototype model, as promised to our backers during the campaign.
• We centered the discharge funnel allowing us to lengthen the trays without doubling the footprint. This 18" tray will replace the 9" trays. We are giving all backers the larger trays at no extra cost as a way to say thank you for your patience. 
• We also drastically increased speed of tray movement (testing in progress, will report speed when we have final data).
• The team has streamlined the tray build for strength, speed, and with ease of manufacturing top of mind. Utilizing an aluminum rail/tray base, we'll have a solid part, without excessive weight. 
• We have released the tray base for aluminum extrusion tooling to the manufacturer and are expecting our first parts in about 30 days.

Checkout this video showing the smooth and quick tray motion. It's so much better!! We'll be doing speed tests and will circle back on performance, but we're very impressed. This includes the next gen prototype without the outer shell.

We are in discussions about getting rid of the scan only tray (the tray with no dividers) for a couple reasons.

• One, we were seeing that the cards were stacking and behaving better in the 13 slot tray compared to a 0 slot tray. We don't want to risk any damage to cards as they enter the tray. 
• Two, we are almost doubling the capacity of the 13 slot tray which will hold a lot more cards. The 13-slot tray will work for scan only actions. 
  
  What if you bought a scan-only tray?
  Details are being finalized, but backers who bought the scan-only tray will be able to opt for refund for the scan-only tray or opt in to receive a replacement alphabetical or 13-slot tray instead. We know some backers want multiple trays on hand for staging and quicker swaps, so the choice will be yours.

While the engineers are hard at work we’ve been deep in ongoing research analyzing how people sort their cards and looking at first, second, and third letters across all the TCGs CardMill supports (168,000+ cards). Using weighted averages from real card names, we’re mapping which letters deserve larger or smaller slots in the tray.

Why does this matter?
The more common letters get more space, so your "S" and "A" slots don’t overflow constantly. Which means the mill won't stop as much and require you to empty the tray as often.

What if we centralized the most used letters?
We’re also exploring and testing whether centralizing the highest-frequency letters (like A C R S T ) toward the center of the tray could make sorting faster, since the tray would move less. 

Status: We are planning a series of tests of the user experience and time savings for centralizing the most used letters versus a true alphabetical sort. We have time to do this while the engineering work continues refinements. We believe that if centralizing the common letters cut the processing time down enough without hindering the user experience, its a win and one we want to give enough time to review. From a software side, we may be able to support both true alphabetical and a centralized tray and let you pick how you wish to sort. More to come as we work through testing.

If you want to dive deep more often on all things CardMill, engage live with us and the community by joining our Discord. We recently added a backer-only Discord channel, #the-mill-workshop, where we share what’s currently being refined and tested. We also post backer polls here.

Note: To view these backer only channels on Discord you will need to submit a #backer-verification ticket once you join Discord to verify you are a Kickstarter backer. Instructions on Discord. Please send us a direct message if you need help.

We are offering a custom designed gift announcement card to those who are planning on giving CardMill as a gift. Inside we invite them to learn about CardMill and follow the journey through design, development and manufacturing. 

Please send us a direct message through Kickstarter with your mailing address. We'll also include a blank envelope for you to address to your gift recipient. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery of your card. 

We plan to send out the survey to backers in the first quarter of 2026, targeting February. You will be able to input final shipping address, make final color selection for your device and select any additional add-on accessories in the survey. We'll send out multiple reminders and follow up with backers so don't worry you won't miss the survey! 
 

CardMill is the same dream machine being built to last. With Beyond Design and DMC on our team, we’re moving fast and building smart to deliver a refined product worthy of your support. 

Next Update: Manufacturing Milestones and Timeline

— Jonathan & The CardMill Team

The Teams Bringing CardMill to Life
7 months ago – Thu, Oct 30, 2025 at 09:47:18 AM

We’ve officially teamed up with Beyond Design and DMC - two outstanding Chicago-based teams helping take CardMill from prototype to full-scale production.

This marks one of our biggest milestones yet. With their guidance, we’re moving from a promising prototype to a refined, production-ready product that’s built to last.

Beyond Design is a Chicago-based product development studio specializing in industrial design, mechanical engineering, and user experience. For more than three decades, they’ve helped bring ideas to life - transforming concepts into manufacturable products that perform beautifully and connect with real users.

Their work spans everything from consumer electronics to medical devices, always guided by research, collaboration, and a deep understanding of how people interact with technology.

"We’re delighted to partner with CardMill on developing their new card sorting machine. Our team brings over 32 years of expertise in industrial design, mechanical engineering, and UX design. We're committed to ensuring that the final TCG CardMill scanner and sorter will be delivered to you in 2026 and meet the performance and quality standards your backers expect. Thank you for this opportunity."

- The Beyond Design Team

DMC is a Chicago-based engineering and software company founded in 1996, specializing in embedded systems, automation, and hardware + software integration. They’ve helped global innovators like 3M, Ford, Bosch, and Abbott bring complex technologies to life through advanced engineering and precision testing.

With more than 10,000 projects completed across 40+ countries, DMC’s team knows how to take big, technical ideas and make them reliable, efficient, and ready for real-world use. Their engineers are now applying that same experience to CardMill - refining the brains and motion systems that power its high-speed scanning and sorting.

“DMC is dedicated to employing the latest technologies and industry best practices to ensure the long-term success of every project. Our broad expertise across industries allows us to deliver innovative solutions that exceed expectations - and we’re thrilled to bring that same approach to CardMill.”

- The DMC Team

Beyond Design and DMC have successfully collaborated on numerous products over the years - giving CardMill an experienced, synchronized team that is integrated into the project seamlessly to hit the ground running.

Together, they bring:

Industrial Design & User Experience from Beyond Design

Hardware, Firmware & Software Engineering from DMC

Decades of production expertise guiding every phase

We’re now deep in the engineering and system-refinement phase - focusing on the key mechanics that make CardMill powerful and reliable:

• Optimizing the motion system for smoother card movement
• Exploring an expanded tray and improved feeder for capacity and flow
• Evaluating cameras, motors, and processors for speed and reliability
• Strengthening alignment and durability for long-term performance

Our founder Jonathan and Sean from Beyond Design testing out the refined tray system, its smooth and fast guys! (this is a new prototype of the interior system and tray) 

Together with Beyond Design and DMC, we’re vetting manufacturing partners who can take CardMill through tooling, pilot builds, and mass production. With over 60 years of combined experience, they’re guiding us toward a production process that’s smooth, scalable, and built right the first time.

Coming soon: we'll share what’s being refined in detail and outline the road to delivery.

CardMill has always been about accessibility - bringing real sorting power to the everyday collector. With Beyond Design and DMC leading the next phase, we’re more confident than ever that CardMill will deliver on its promise: an affordable, robust, all-in-one scanner and sorter built to last.

Thank you for believing in this project and continuing the journey with us.

- Jonathan & The CardMill Team