05-14-2014: Autodesk presented Ember - its first and only 3D printer
It was based on light-cured resins and Spark - an open software project for 3D printing
On May 14, 2014, Autodesk - a leading developer of CAD software, announced its entry into the 3D printing industry. The company presented Ember - its own 3D printer based on light-cured resins and Spark - an open software project for 3D printing. In subsequent announcements, however, the company made it clear that the most important thing was the software - the Ember 3D printer was to be only sort of "addition", enabling the company's smooth entry into the 3D printing market.
Ember was based on DLP technology and printed at a speed of 72 mm / hour, with a minimum layer of 10 microns. It had a tiny working area by today's standards: 6.4 x 4 x 13.4 cm. The 3D printer cost $5,995.
The project didn't last very long. First, Autodesk decided to promote it in an unusual way for a large corporation, opening its sources and transforming it into an open-source project. Finally, in April 2017, it ended its development and production, transferring these competences to Colorado Photopolymer Solutions (CPS).
Today, you won't find anything about Ember and Spark on Autodesk's websites. But the concept of the Spark software itself, which was supposed to be "Android for 3D printing", was very interesting…
Source: www.develop3d.com
There was so much M&A activity at Autodesk at that time. Pier 9 was a funky, fun place with a ton of interesting projects and amazing people. Much of it crumbled to dust as enthusiasm for the Maker movement died away.
The few projects that survived were refocused toward STEM education.