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Autodesk to launch 3D Printer

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CAD company will also make software platform freely available to 'kickstart' market

Software company Autodesk has announced that it is to simultaneously launch its own 3D printer and an open software platform for 3D printing. 

The company made the announcement via its blog. Carl Bass, chief executive of Autodesk, said: “For years, I’ve been fascinated by the promise and frustrated by the reality of 3D printing.

“Our own 3D printer will demonstrate the power of the Spark platform and set a new benchmark for the 3D printing user experience. Together, these will provide the building blocks that product designers, hardware manufacturers, software developers and materials scientists can use to continue to explore the limits of 3D printing technology.”

Manufacturers of 3D printers will be able to license and use the Spark software, which will run the 3D printers and link them to 3D CAD software, free of charge. Autodesk is also making the design of its first 3D printer publicly available in order to “allow further development and experimentation”.

The launch imitates the move made by internet search giant Google, when it launched the open Android mobile operating system and its own range of devices in 2010, in order to disrupt Apple's stranglehold on the tablet and smartphone sectors. 

According to the BBC, Autodesk's 3D printer will use stereolithography – where ultraviolet light is used to cure a photo-reactive resin in cross sections and the object is slowly built up layer-by-layer. Most existing budget printers use an extrusion technique where melted plastic is squeezed out of a nozzle. 

According to reports, Autodesk's printer will be available for around £3,000. Budget 3D printers from companies such as Makerbot and Cube3 can be purchased for as little as £600.

The Spark software and the 3D printer will be available “later this year”, Bass added. 

More information can be found at www.autodesk.com/spark.
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