Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 16, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Autodesk sees 3D printing democratically: The company not only sells the Ember 3D printer and has published the plans that allow anyone to build the printer themselves. The resin from which the 3D-printed models are built can now also be mixed yourself.
The recipe formula bears the simple name "PR48" and was published by Autodesk under the "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License". The Ember printer serves as demonstration hardware for Autodesk’s vision of collaborative 3D printing using the open-source Spark platform.
But of course it is not advisable for everyone to mix the resin from the ingredients in their kitchen. Everyone should carefully study the warnings and documentation for the recipe beforehand.
The components of the printing resin are:
- Photoinitiator: 2,4,6-Trimethylbenzoyl-diphenyl-phosphineoxide (TPO) 0.40%
- UV blocker: 2,2’-(2,5-thiophenediyl)bis(5-tert-butylbenzoxazole) (OB+) 0.16 %
- Reactive diluent: Genomer 1122 19.89%
- Oligomer: Ebecryl 8210 39.78%, Sartomer SR 494 39.77%
Eric Wilhelm, Head of the Autodesk Hardware Group, explains here why the resin recipe is now also open source and gives tips.
In addition, Autodesk will continue to sell PR48 resin as before for all hobby chemists who are not so proficient.
Here is a time-lapse recording of a 3D print with the Autodesk Ember 3D printer:
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