INTRODUCINGSPARKIgnite The Next Industrial Revolution We believe that 3D printing has the potential to fundamentally change how things are designed and made, but the industry is still in its infancy. With Spark, we want to enable the acceleration of innovation in 3D printing so that everyone can have even better experiences faster, and make 3D printing accessible and relevant to millions, if not billions, of people. Spark is an open 3D printing platform that will make it easier for hardware manufacturers, software developers, materials scientists, product designers, and more to participate in and benefit from this technology. Spark connects digital information to 3D printers in a new and streamlined way, making it easier to visualize prints and optimize them without trial and error, while also broadening the range of materials that can be used for printing. And because the Spark platform is open, everyone can use its building blocks to further push the limits of 3D printing and drive fresh innovation.

AcceleratingtheFutureof3DPrintingBy Carl Bass, Autodesk President and Chief Executive Officer

For years, Ive been fascinated by the promise and frustrated by the reality of 3D printing. Today, Autodesk is announcing two contributions to help make things better. First is an open software platform for 3D printing called Spark, which will make it more reliable yet simpler to print 3D models, and easier to control how that model is actually printed. Second, we will be introducing our own 3D printer that will serve as a reference implementation for Spark. It 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. Spark will be open and freely licensable to hardware manufacturers and others who are interested. Same for our 3D printer the design of the printer will be made publicly available to allow for further development and experimentation. The printer will be able to use a broad range of materials, made by us and by others, and we look forward to lots of exploration into new materials. The world is just beginning to realize the potential of additive manufacturing and with Spark, we hope to make it possible for many more people to incorporate 3D printing into their design and manufacturing process. Over the coming months well be working with hardware manufacturers to integrate the Spark platform with current and future 3D printers. Both Spark and our 3D printer will be available later this year. 3D printing will make it possible for us to create all sorts of things we create today, better, and to create all sorts of new things that we haven't even imagined yet.

TheAutodesk3DPrinterA tight integration between hardware and software is critical to a successful 3D printing process. Just as mobile devices and apps work seamlessly together, the 3D design software and 3D printer need to work in close partnership. As a reference for the capability of Spark, were also introducing a 3D printer built on the platform and setting a new benchmark for the 3D printing user experience. In keeping with our open approach, we will make it simple to integrate new materials into our printer, and will also make the design files for the printer available so others can iterate on and enhance its capabilities.

Autodesk's printer uses a laser to harden liquid plastic to create the objects

Autodeskunveils3Dprinterasitaimstobecomeindustry'sAndroidBy Leo Kelion, BBC Technology desk editor

Autodesk highlights the smooth surface of objects created by its printer

Autodesk - the leading 3D modelling software-maker - is going into hardware with its own 3D printer. Chief executive Carl Bass revealed the news ahead of an appearance at the MakerCon conference in California. In addition to selling the machine, Autodesk will also allow other manufacturers to make their own versions of the printer or power their own models off its software at no cost. Mr Bass likened the move to the way Google had driven adoption of Android. One analyst said the effort should encourage adoption of the technology. "The printer is a bona fide attempt to prove the interoperability and open source nature of Autodesk's platform," said Pete Basiliere, research director at the Gartner tech agency. "And by sharing its design we could see a second wave of small start-ups creating stereolithography machines just as the makers did when the early material extrusion patents expired." Stereolithography 3D printers create objects by using a laser to harden liquid plastic. The ultraviolet light traces a cross-section of the desired design over a thin exposed layer of plastic resin, turning it solid, before the unused material is disposed of. This process is repeated layer-by-layer until the object is complete. This differs from the extrusion technique most commonly used by existing budget printers, which involves building an object by squeezing melted plastic out of a tiny nozzle. The Stereolithographic process is more complicated to achieve, but can deliver smoother, more complex and more detailed objects. Only about 56,500 3D-printers priced under $100,000 (59,576) were sold last year, according to Gartner. However, it predicts that number will grow to about 200,000 units next year and then continue to experience "explosive growth" with business purchases initially accounting for most of the demand.

AndroidambitionMr Bass compares the new printer to Google's first Nexus smartphone, a product meant to inspire other manufacturers to install Android on their handsets rather than become a bestseller itself. In Autodesk's case the idea is to drive the adoption of its new Spark software, a product it likens to being an "operating system for 3D-printing".

The stereolithography printing technique allows complex designs to be created

Mr Bass told the BBC that he hoped others would take advantage of this to improve the 3D tech. "One of the limitations right now is on the material sciences side - the kind of chemistry," he said. "We're making a printer that, rather than just being able to load in proprietary materials, you can load in any material you want. You can formulate your own polymers and experiment with those. "That's an important next step because we think material science is a breakthrough that has to happen to make [the industry] go from low-volume 3D-printed stuff to where it really starts changing manufacturing." He added that although he was giving away both Spark and the printer's design, Autodesk should still profit because the move would drive demand for the firm's other products "If 3D printing succeeds we succeed, because the only way you can print is if you have a 3D model, and our customers are the largest makers of 3D models in the world," he said. "My feeling is that 3D printing has been over-hyped for home use but under-appreciated for its industrial possibilities. "I think we're really at the beginning of a new way of making stuff and we're just trying to kickstart it."

Autodesk's printer can be used with the customer's own customised plastic "ink

Autodesk has yet to announce the price and launch date for its printer.