Autodesk releases files for Ember 3d printer

Autodesk made all the mechanical files for their Ember SLA 3D printer publicly available making it open source. It comes shortly after they have open sourced the PR48 resin for it. The Ember itself proved to be very hackable.

Why did they do it? Maybe to gain market for their Spark platform? As a sort of move against competition? Who knows ...  How will other companies like FormLabs react? That will be interesting! I see that SLA is the new field of growth and competition and we can certainly hope for much more new machines and materials coming soon.

Here is what Autodesk team writes about this move:

With these design files, you can conceivably make your own Ember. However, many of Ember's parts are injection molded, and while it is possible to 3D print these parts (many of Ember's first prototypes were largely 3D printed -- there's a certain beauty in a 3D-printed 3D printer), it's probably more work and ultimately more expensive than buying an Ember. The same is true of the projector -- having a Fusion model of the projector won't help you make your own, but that's not the point.

Our thought is not that you would duplicate Ember, but extend it. The design files allow you to make your own modifications and enhancements. For example, we'd love to see Ember used as a research platform to explore the next-generation of stereolithography.

All the mechanical files can be found at:

http://spark.autodesk.com/blog/autodesk-ember-3d-printer-source-cad-design-files

Source and more information:

http://spark.autodesk.com/blog/embers-mechanical-designs-are-now-open-source

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