Ultimaker

Ultimaker is a 3D printer-manufacturing company based in the Netherlands, with offices and assembly line in the US.[1] They make FFF 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

Industry	3D printing
Founded	2011
Founder	Martijn Elserman Erik de Bruijn Siert Wijnia
Headquarters	Utrecht , Netherlands
Products	3D printers, filaments, and 3D printing software
Number of employees	400 (2019)
Website	ultimaker.com

History

Ultimaker BV is a Dutch 3D 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 at ProtoSpace Utrecht where Wijnia organized two workshops to build the RepRap Darwin 3D printer. Two Beta-workshops were organized at ProtoSpace 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.

Company Milestones

2013 - The Ultimaker 2 was released. The target market was home-users, schools, and libraries, small businesses, and industrial designers who used 3D printing for rapid prototyping and production.[4]

2015 - In 2015 Ultimaker's revenue doubled, with 35% of new customers coming from the North American market.[5]

2017 - Ultimaker's U.S. presence grew to include a network of 37 re-sellers.[6]

2018 - Partners with material manufacturers DSM, BASF, DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers, Owens Corning, Mitsubishi, Henkel, Kuraray, Solvay and Clariant to create material profiles for printing high-level engineering plastics and composites.[7] Opens facility in Singapore to service Asia, Pacific and China markets and expands manufacturing presence to three continents.[8][9]

2019 - Arkema joins material alliance program and releases FluorX filament.[10] The company moved its headquarters to Utrecht, The Netherlands.[11][12]

Software

Their first software ran under a modified version of Replicator-G. They changed this later to Cura because more and more users started using this software in favor of Replicator-G, which was originally produced with Makerbot in mind.[13] When the lead developer for Cura started working for Ultimaker, Ultimaker Cura became the lead software product for Ultimaker.[14] 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.[15] On September 26, 2017 the company announced that Cura had achieved one million users. This announcement was made at the TCT show.[16][17] With the release of Cura 4.0, Ultimaker users were able to back up their files to the cloud.[18] As of 2020 the software was processing 1.4 million jobs per week.[11]

Products

Unlike the RepRap project, Ultimaker is not focused on the end-goal of self-replication. Ultimaker printers are designed to make high quality prints easy and hassle free. Ultimaker sells the Ultimaker Original family as a DIY kit and the Ultimaker 2 and 3 family as pre-assembled machines. One of the distinctive properties of Ultimaker printers is that vertical movement is accomplished by moving the print platform, not the nozzle. The products are manufactured at three facilities: Netherlands, U.S. and Singapore.[19]

Ultimaker Original

Ultimaker 3D Printers

Ultimaker Original is a predecessor of Ultimaker 2 and was released a few months after the company was founded. Because the Ultimaker Original is sold as a kit it must be assembled by the user and can be modified to the user's preference. In 2012, the Ultimaker Original was awarded Fastest and Most Accurate 3D printer available by MAKE Magazine.[20]

Ultimaker 2

Ultimaker 3D printer printing an object

Ultimaker 2 is the successor to the Ultimaker Original and was released in September 2013. MAKE magazine classified the Ultimaker 2 as the "best open-architecture 3D printer of 2014" and named it runner-up in the category "Prosumer FFF".[21][22]

Ultimaker 2 Go

The Ultimaker 2 Go is a compact and portable design that comes with a travel case for easy transportation. Released date April 2015.[23] This printer along with the Ultimaker 2 Extended are the newest additions to the Ultimaker family of printers. Awarded 2nd place in the Most Portable category in MAKE Magazine's Digital Fabrication Shootout[24] 2015.

Ultimaker 2 Extended

Released date April 2015.[23] Awarded 1st place in the Best Large Format category in MAKE Magazine's Digital Fabrication Shootout[24] 2015. Rated as a top 5 3D printer by 3DForged.com.[25] Otherwise similar to normal Ultimaker 2 except for its 100 mm higher build volume and somewhat larger frame.

Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker 3 Extended

The Ultimaker 3 was released on 18 October 2016 and introduced professional dual extrusion 3D printing for the desktop.[26] It was named the best 3D printer for 2017 by All3DP.[27] In 2019, The Mediahq recognized the Ultimaker 3 as the Best 3D Printer of 2019 for Enthusiasts.[28]

Ultimaker S5

The Ultimaker S5 was introduced in April 2018. It increased the build area of the X axis while maintaining the build area of the Z axis and introduced a feeder system that pauses when material runs out and resumes when new material is loaded.[29] The filament system is compatible with glass and carbon fiber composites.[30] This is the only model made by Ultimaker that is certified by Materialise for FDA-approved medical applications.[31] In July 2019, this model was named Best Enthusiast 3D Printer by Tom's Guide in their annual rankings.[32]

Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle

The S5 Pro Bundle option was announced at the TCT Show in September 2019. The Pro Bundle is an upgrade of the S5. It includes the S5 Air Manager to provide a closed environment for printing to keep ultrafine particles from the air while printing and the S5 Material Station that can hold up to 6 spools of filament for continuous 24/7 printing.[33][34][35] The company developed the model as a bridge between industrial 3D printers and desktop printers.[36][35]

Ultimaker S3

In September 2019, the S3 was introduced as a smaller alternative to the S5. Like the S5, it was developed for the professional market and not the casual hobbyist. The S3 occupies a smaller footprint than the S5 and offers a smaller build volume. The dual extruders print using almost any 2.85 filament, including abrasive filaments.[37][38][34]

Ultimaker Materials

Ultimaker 3D printers currently print using either company branded filaments made from polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), Tough PLA,[29] Copolyester (CPE), Nylon, Polycarbonate, Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU 95A) and water-soluble PVA or third-party compatible materials. This includes certain composite materials.[39] A breakaway material was developed and released in 2017 to support multi-extrusion printing and reduce post-processing time.[40]

Specifications

Variant	Ultimaker Original	Ultimaker 2	Ultimaker 2 Go	Ultimaker 2 Extended	Ultimaker 3	Ultimaker 3 Extended	Ultimaker S5	Ultimaker S3
Release date	March 2011	September 2013	April 2015	April 2015	October 2016	October 2016	April 2018	September 2019
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
Dual extrusion build volume	Not supported				197 mm x 215 mm x 200 mm	197 mm x 215 mm x 300 mm
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 300 - 20 micron 0.8 mm nozzle 600 - 20 micron
Print speed	30 mm - 300 mm/s						24 cubic mm/s	< 24 mm³/s
Travel speed	30 mm - 350 mm/s							< 24 mm^3/s
Filament diameter	2.85 mm recommended				2.85 mm
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
Operating nozzle temperature	180°C - 260°C				180°C - 280°C
Operating heated bed temperature	-	50°C – 100°C	-	50°C - 100°C	20°C - 100°C		20°C - 140°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
Printer technology	Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)
Software	Cura (supplied)

References

1. Ultimaker. "Ultimaker, Leading 3D Printer Manufacturer, Sees 3.5x Increase in North American Channel Partnerships". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
2. Mueller, Andreas; Karevska, Stefana (March 21, 2018). "EY's Global 3D Printing Report 2016" (PDF).
3. "About Ultimaker - Ultimaker". Ultimaker.com. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
4. "Ultimaker 2+ Review: The Best Ultimaker So Far | All3DP". All3DP. 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
5. "Ultimaker Announces the Release of the Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2Extended+ 3D Printers | 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing". 3dprint.com. 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
6. "3D Printer Distribution: Ultimaker's North American Resellers Up By 350%, Nano Dimension Hits Q1 Beta Customer Goal | 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing". 3dprint.com. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
7. Langnau, Leslie (2018-05-07). "Ultimaker partners with global material companies". Design World. WTWH Media. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
8. Davies, Sam (2018-07-23). "Ultimaker opens office in Singapore to meet 3D printing demand in Asia Pacific". TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
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11. MANUFACTUR3D (2019-07-01). "Ultimaker Moves to New Headquarters as Company Expands on Global Scale". MANUFACTUR3D. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
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15. Halterman (2015-06-30). "YouMagine Survey Reveals 3D Printing Expert Wish List".
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19. "A Dutch Company in Boston—Ultimaker's 3D Printers are Transforming Design and Engineering | Architosh - Part 2". architosh.com. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
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21. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-26. Retrieved 2015-04-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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24. "The Winners from Make:'s Digital Fabrication Shootout | Make". Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
25. "The Best 3D Printers for 2016 | 3D Forged". 3D Forged. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
26. "Ultimaker 3 3D Printer Review: High-Quality Prints, for a Price". Tom's Guide. 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
27. Jennings, Alastair. "Ultimaker 3 Review: The Best 3D Printer 2017 | All3DP". All3DP. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
28. "Best Home 3D Printers 2019 - Reviews for Beginners and Enthusiasts". The Mediahq. 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
29. Davies, Sam (2018-04-23). "Ultimaker launches largest professional desktop 3D printer to date". TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
30. "Ultimaker S5: Powerful, reliable, versatile 3D printing". ultimaker.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
31. "Materialise greenlights Ultimaker S5 for medical 3D printing - 3D Printing Industry". 3dprintingindustry.com. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
32. "Best 3D Printers 2019". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
33. Davies, Sam (2019-09-24). "Ultimaker reveals S5 advancements and launches S3 3D printing platform at TCT Show". TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
34. "3D Printer Provider Ultimaker Targets Industrial Production with New Launches". www.ptonline.com. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
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37. "Ultimaker Announces S3 Professional 3D Printer". Fabbaloo. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
38. Dignan, Larry. "Ultimaker launches Ultimaker S3, Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle". ZDNet. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
39. "The Ultimaker Ecosystem, Composites and Owens Corning | 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing". 3dprint.com. October 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
40. "Ultimaker Rolls Out New Support Material Breakaway | All3DP". All3DP. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2018-03-23.