 | |
 From right to left: Ultimaker's most successful 3D printer, the Ultimaker 2+, the next generation version, the dual extrusion Ultimaker 3, and the stretched version of the Ultimaker 2+, the Ultimaker 2 Extended+ | |
| Industry | 3D printing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011; 14 years ago (2011) |
| Founders | Martijn Elserman Erik de Bruijn Siert Wijnia |
| Headquarters | , Netherlands |
Number of locations | The Netherlands, United States, Singapore |
| Products | 3D printers, filaments, and 3D printing software |
Number of employees | 400 (2019) |
| Website | ultimaker |
Ultimaker is a3D printer manufacturing company based in the Netherlands, with offices and assembly lines in the US.[1] They makefused filament fabrication 3D printers, develop 3D printing software, and sell branded 3D printing materials.[2] Their product line includes the Ultimaker S5 and S3, Ultimaker 3 series, Ultimaker 2+ series and Ultimaker Original+. These products are used by industries such as automotive, architecture, healthcare, education, and small scale manufacturing.
Ultimaker BV is a Dutch3D printer company that was founded in 2011 by Martijn Elserman, Erik de Bruijn, and Siert Wijnia.[3] Ultimaker started selling their products in May 2011. The company's foundation was laid atProtoSpace Utrecht where Wijnia organized two workshops to build the RepRap Darwin 3D printer. Two Beta-workshops were organized atProtoSpace Utrecht starting in September and December 2010, each consisting of 10 Monday evenings. Erik de Bruijn and Martijn Elserman assisted at those workshops. Frustration from their inability to get the Darwin design to work led to the inspiration to create their own design. Instead of sticking to the RepRap principle that their printer should be able to print its own parts, they designed their printer to be built mostly of laser cut plywood parts, that could be produced orders of magnitude faster than printed parts at the time. Their first prototypes bore the name "Ultimaker protobox" but newer prototypes were just titled "Ultimaker". In March 2011, Ultimaker ltd. released their first complete product, the "Ultimaker" (renamed in 2013 to "Ultimaker Original") under a Creative Commons BY-NC license. The Ultimaker Original was distributed as a Do It Yourself kit that hobbyists and technicians assembled themselves. It could print objects up to 210 mm x 210 mm x 205 mm at a maximum resolution of 20 microns.[citation needed]
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Their first software ran under a modified version of Replicator-G. They changed this later toCura because more and more users started using this software in favor of Replicator-G, which was originally produced withMakerbot in mind.[17] When the lead developer for Cura started working for Ultimaker, Ultimaker Cura became the lead software product for Ultimaker.[18] Cura rapidly became a favorite of 3D printing enthusiasts. A YouMagine Survey found that 58% of users surveyed used Cura, compared to 23% that used Slic3r.[19] On September 26, 2017 the company announced that Cura had achieved one million users. This announcement was made at the TCT show.[20][21] With the release of Cura 4.0, Ultimaker users were able to back up their files to the cloud.[22] As of 2020 the software was processing 1.4 million jobs per week.[11]
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The Ultimaker Original is the predecessor of the Ultimaker 2 and was released only a few months after the company was founded. The Ultimaker Original is sold as a kit containing laser-cut wood and technical components. The printer must be assembled by the user and is thus able to be tailored to the user's preference and modified to their will. In 2012, the Ultimaker Original was awarded Fastest and Most Accurate 3D printer available by MAKE Magazine.[23]
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The Ultimaker Original+ is the main successor to the Ultimaker Original. It has an upgraded 24V power supply and heated build plate, however, it is not compatible with dual extrusion due to the limitations of the power supply.
The Ultimaker 2 is Ultimaker's first out-of-the-box 3D printer. After transportation, the user must calibrate the build plate and insert filament before printing. The Ultimaker 2 was released in 2013 and laid the foundations for a further two printers to be added to the family before it was upgraded in 2015. Like the rest of the family, it uses anSD card to print and an LCD screen and rotary wheel to navigate through its menus. The Ultimaker 2 is also single extrusion only.[24][25]
The Ultimaker 2 Go is a compact and portable version of the Ultimaker 2. The printer has an exceptionally small build volume of just 120x120x115mm, allowing it to be moved from place to place in the special backpack provided. The Ultimaker 2 Go's smaller size does come at a cost, however as the build plate is not heated and it is thus highly recommended to apply masking tape to the build plate before printing.[26]
The Ultimaker 2 Extended is technically and physically identical to the Ultimaker 2, except for its 100mm higher build volume. It and the Ultimaker 2 Go were released simultaneously in April 2015.
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The Ultimaker 2+ is the upgraded successor to the Ultimaker 2. It features an improved feeder wheel and tensioning system, interchangeable nozzles, and a redesigned nozzle heating system and fan.
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The Ultimaker 2 Extended+ is a taller version of the Ultimaker 2+ and an upgraded version of the Ultimaker 2 Extended. Again, its print volume is 100mm higher but it is otherwise technically indifferent to its normal-sized version.
The Ultimaker 3 is the successor to the successful Ultimaker 2+ family. It features dual extrusion, and compatibility with various other Ultimaker materials including PVA, PC, ABS, Nylon, and Breakaway. It was released in October 2016. The LCD control screen is recolored from blue to white and the navigation of the menus has been updated. In addition to this, when an Ultimaker material is placed on the spool holder, the Ultimaker 3 will automatically detect the material and its color through NFC, along with an estimate of its remaining length.[27] In 2019, The Mediahq recognized the Ultimaker 3 as the Best 3D Printer of 2019 for Enthusiasts.[28]
The Ultimaker 3 Extended is a stretched version of the Ultimaker 3. Like the Ultimaker 2 Extended and 2 Extended+, the build volume is 100mm higher than on the Ultimaker 3.
The Ultimaker S5 is the first member of Ultimaker's "S-line" printer family. It has the biggest build volume of an Ultimaker printer to date by all dimensions and the build volume is consistent with both nozzles and dual extrusion. The Ultimaker S5 has a 4.7" color touchscreen replacing the older LCD screen and rotary wheel, a feeder system that pauses when material runs out and is compatible with glass and carbon fiber composites, among many other materials,[29] and a pair of hinged glass doors. Like the Ultimaker 3, the S5 prints from a USB drive, LAN, or Wi-Fi. However, unlike the Ultimaker 3, the S5 was developed for the professional market. It is certified by Materialise for FDA-approved medical applications.[30][29][31]
In September 2019, the S3 was introduced as a smaller alternative to the S5. Like the S5, it was developed for the professional market. The S3 occupies a smaller footprint than the S5 and offers a smaller build volume. The dual extruders print using almost any 2.85 filaments, including abrasive filaments.[32][33][34]
The Ultimaker 2+ Connect is the upgraded successor to the Ultimaker 2+. It features a new feeder design similar to that of the S3 and S5 printers, as well as a completely redesigned electronics system to add a 2.4" touchscreen, cloud integration, and support for the optional air manager accessory. The Ultimaker 2+ Connect was designed for makers, professionals, and the education market. Similarly to all previous Ultimakers, it uses Ultimaker Cura for slicing and 2.85mm filament for the material spools. Unlike all printers released by Ultimaker from 2016 to 2019, it lacked the dual extrusion and NFC chip support that the Ultimaker 3/3 Extended and S3/S5 had.[35]
In addition to making 3D printers, Ultimaker also manufacturers materials for their printers. These include:
A breakaway material was developed and released in 2017 to support multi-extrusion printing and reduce post-printing processing time.[37]
As the Ultimaker Original had to be assembled by the user, it was extensively modified and tinkered with. Many people added a second nozzle to the printer, allowing for dual extrusion. For a brief period of time, Ultimaker themselves sold a Dual Extrusion Pack, allowing users to have dual extrusion without having to experiment extensively.
The S5 Pro bundle was announced at the TCT Show in September 2019. The S5 Pro bundle is an upgrade of the Ultimaker S5. It includes the S5 air manager to provide a closed environment for printing to keep ultra-fine particles out of the air while printing and the S5 material station that can hold up to 6 spools of filament for continuous 24/7 printing and to keep fragile materials such as PVA in an ideal temperature- and humidity-controlled environment.[38][34][39] The company developed the setup as a bridge between industrial 3D printers and desktop printers.[40][39]
| Variant | Ultimaker Original | Ultimaker 2 | Ultimaker 2 Go | Ultimaker 2 Extended | Ultimaker 3 | Ultimaker 3 Extended | Ultimaker S5 | Ultimaker S3 | Ultimaker 2+ Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | March 2011 | September 2013 | April 2015 | April 2015 | October 2016 | October 2016 | April 2018 | September 2019 | November 2020 |
| Build volume | 210 mm × 210 mm × 205 mm | 223 mm × 223 mm × 205 mm | 120 mm × 120 mm × 115 mm | 223 mm × 223 mm × 305 mm | 215 mm x 215 mm x 200 mm | 215 mm x 215 mm x 300 mm | 330 mm x 240 mm x 300 mm | 230 mm x 190 mm x 200 mm | 223 x 220 x 205 mm |
| Dual extrusion build volume | Not supported | 197 mm x 215 mm x 200 mm | 197 mm x 215 mm x 300 mm | Not Supported | |||||
| Layer resolution | up to 20 microns | 0.25 mm nozzle 150 - 60 micron 0.4 mm nozzle 200 - 20 micron 0.8 mm nozzle 600 - 20 micron | 0.25 mm nozzle: 150 - 60 micron 0.4 mm nozzle: 200 - 20 micron 0.6 mm nozzle: 400 - 20 micron 0.8 mm nozzle: 600 - 20 micron | ||||||
| Print speed | 30 mm - 300 mm/s | < 24 mm³/s | |||||||
| Travel speed | 30 mm - 350 mm/s | ||||||||
| Filament diameter | 2.85 mm recommended | 2.85 mm | 2.85mm | ||||||
| Nozzle diameter | 0.4 mm swappable | 0.25 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.8 mm | 0.25 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm | 0.25 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm | |||||
| Operating nozzle temperature | 180 °C - 260 °C | 180 °C - 280 °C | 180 °C - 260 °C | ||||||
| Operating heated bed temperature | - | 50 °C – 100 °C | - | 50 °C - 100 °C | 20 °C - 100 °C | 20 °C - 140 °C | 20 °C - 110 °C | ||
| Frame dimensions | 357 mm × 342 mm × 388 mm | 258 mm × 250 mm × 287.5 mm | 493 mm × 342 mm × 688 mm | 342 mm x 380 mm x 389 mm | 342 mm x 380 mm x 489 mm | 495 mm x 457 mm x 520 mm | 394 mm x 489 mm x 637 mm | 342 mm x 460 mm x 580 mm | |
| Printer technology | Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) | ||||||||
| Software | Cura (supplied) | ||||||||
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