Autodesk has today announced its $10 million investment in Carbon3D from the Spark Investment Fund, furthering its dedication to innovation in 3D printing.
Carbon3D’s innovative Continuous Liquid Interface Production technology (CLIP) addresses the current speed, mechanical properties and material choice limitations of the 3D printing industry, and promises to connect the digital thread from design through prototyping to 3D manufacturing by enabling the production of commercial quality parts.
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In late 2014, Autodesk launched the Spark Investment Fund with the aim of investing up to $100 million in entrepreneurs, innovators and startups who push the boundaries of 3D printing.
The Spark Investment Fund is the first venture fund exclusively dedicated to driving the overall growth of the 3D printing ecosystem.
Carl Bass, president and CEO of Autodesk, commented: “Carbon3D embodies the innovation that’s required to change how products are made.
“The incredible speed of its CLIP technology makes 3D printing accessible for true manufacturing, beyond the prototyping and the one-offs we see it being used for now.”
Current layer-by-layer 3D printing technology is slow and often produces parts that are mechanically weak due to their shale-like layers.
3D printing and additive manufacturing equipment is becoming increasingly more affordable and versatile, entering a number of different industries and as a result driving UK manufacturing into the future.
From techniques such as laser sintering to fused deposition modelling, and building products from cars to football cleats, advanced technology is set to completely revolutionise manufacturing as we know it.
This year’s 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Conference will focus on the benefits of investing in advanced technology; including reductions in time and costs; how to create an engaged workforce focused on the future of manufacturing, and what equipment is suited to you.
The conference will include case study presentations, problem solving debates and interactive sessions suitable for everyone, from the first time user to the more experienced manufacturer.
The must attend event if you are looking to explore how 3D printing and additive manufacturing can grow your business.
Using a tunable photochemical process instead of the traditional mechanical approach, Carbon3D’s CLIP technology eliminates these shortcomings to rapidly transform 3D models into physical objects.
By carefully balancing the interaction of UV light, which triggers photo polymerisation, and oxygen, which inhibits the reaction, CLIP continuously grows molecularly solid objects from a pool of resin at speeds of up to 100 times faster than conventional 3D printing technology.
CEO and co-founder, Carbon3D, Dr. Joseph DeSimone added: “By working at the intersection of hardware, software and molecular science, we are aiming to fundamentally address the issues that have held 3D printing back from becoming a manufacturing process.
“We’re honored to have an industry powerhouse like Autodesk recognise the transformative nature of our CLIP technology and engage with us in such a significant way.”
Following their technology preview launch on stage at TED 2015 and to the scientific community on the cover of Science Magazine, Carbon3D is focused on commercialising the CLIP technology and aims to have an industrial machine available within the next 12 months.
