Autodesk Ember 3D Printer Is Now Available For Purchase

Autodesk, who has a lot of high-profile 3D modeling and animation software under its belt, such as 3ds Max, Maya, and AutoCAD, finally has a 3D printer under its name. And while Ember might have a pretty high price tag, that might just be fine for Autodesk's purposes. For one, it neatly ties in with Autodesk's own Spark 3D printing platform. And for another, Autodesk is making true its promise to provide an open source printer, which may very well make Ember an enticing purchase for makers and creators.

Autodesk Ember is somewhat interesting in itself when compared to more popular desktop printers like those from MakerBot. It uses a Digital Light Processing method to printing. Most common 3D printers print layers of melted plastic on top of each other. DLP, on the other hand, projects lights into a shallow tank of liquid plastic to cure it per layer in order to produce the model. This method requires that the model be printed upside down, with the finished product adhering to a platform that slowly rises up to separate already printed parts from those still in the liquid tank.

But even compared to other DLP 3D printers, Ember is somewhat unique. It uses a different style when raising that printed model out of the tank. The tank itself is shaped like a cashew and, as the platform rises slightly, the tank whips around the curve of the body and then back to its original position. The reason for this, according to Autodesk 3D printing research scientist Andreas Bastian, is to decrease the amount of force needed to pull the printed layers up. DLP creates a force between the printed model and the bottom of the tank akin to a suction cup. Whipping the tank in this manner, then, is like sliding a suction cup off a surface instead of forcefully pulling it away.

Aside from the novelty, one of the predicted appeals of the Ember printer would be its openness. Autodesk already has the software and resin tray open and will soon even make available the CAD plans and material formulations as well. Autodesk is advertising this move as its way of contributing to the development of 3D printing technology. It also doesn't hurt that it could very well boost the popularity and hence adoption of Ember, like what happened with MakerBot's similarly open printers.

Autodesk Ember does carry a rather high price tag of $5,995. And that's just for the "Explorer Edition" only, which is an early build of the printer. Autodesk warns that this printer has not yet claimed FCC certification But when it does, it is scheduled to ship starting mid-March in the US.

SOURCE: Autodesk

VIA: GigaOM