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Ultimaker Schooling - 3D printing
Sander van Geelen
Applications
We kicked off the schooling blog last month with a topic about maintenance. Looking forward we will cover the entire range of what’s involved with 3D printing, but for now we’ll focus on 3D printing in general.
Everyone who owns a 3D printer agrees there are certain ways of doing things to get the most out of your 3D printer. To help give you the lowdown on these best practices we’ve combined the knowledge of our local Ultimaker experts with our online knowledge base to regularly present a collection of tips. Sharing is caring people! If you follow along with these blogs you’ll become a specialist in no time. But just to be extra sure you don’t miss anything, make sure you register to our community.
When preparing a print, choosing the right 3D printing profile makes a really big difference. It’s why we put a lot of work into Cura to make it as intuitive as possible, with default profiles and the option to open the hood so you can get more in-depth when you’re ready. To help you get to that point, we’ll be covering subjects like: what guidelines are important to know, what are important settings, what do all those settings in your Tune menu mean, why do we use 2.85mm filament and how do you improve your overhangs? All will be revealed – just keep on reading!
Please note: most of the tips are demonstrated on an Ultimaker 2 but also apply to the Ultimaker 2 Extended and, except for the heated bed parts, also apply to the Ultimaker 2 Go.
Start of a print
A lot of things happen when your Ultimaker starts a print. Let’s start at the beginning. The first thing is that the third fan on the back of your printhead starts to spin. This fan is aimed at the PTFE coupler and at the end of your Bowden tube. The idea is to keep that part cool, so the heat can’t travel up the tube and cause trouble. It also helps to keep the molten plastic area as small as possible – the rule is that the less molten plastic there is, the more control you have, i.e. high-quality prints. Your printhead will move toward its starting position. From that position on it will calculate what the next steps are to complete your print.
The next step is heating.
Heating up the build-plate
The heated bed heats up first and when it’s reached the correct temperature, the printhead starts heating – the reason being you don’t want the printhead to heat up and sit idle for a few minutes. In fact, this is important for a couple of reasons; first you don’t want to risk the filament inside carbonizing and clogging the nozzle. Second, if the filament has heated up it will of course melt and your nozzle will slowly run empty. That’s not good as you need a full nozzle when your print starts to build pressure in the nozzle so can you start extruding with control.
The last step of the start up cycle is ‘priming’. Priming is what your Ultimaker does to make up for the filament that inevitably leaked out during heat up.
When it has primed 3mm of filament, the platform moves up and ‘the skirt’ is printed. The aim of the skirt is to wipe off any residue from the filament before moving onto the actual print.
Priming during start-up
Tune the settings on your Ultimaker
What do all the options in the Tune mean mean? Read on…
Abort
When you start a print and then decide to cancel it, just click 'Abort' and your Ultimaker 2 will discontinue its 3D print. Both the printhead and build-plate will start to cool down.
Speed
When slicing your model, Cura is set to a certain speed. Let’s say you sliced your model at 50mm/s. In that case speed (100%) means 50mm/s. With that logic, 200% speed would be 100mm/s and 50% would be 25mm/s. Cura will adjust the material flow by itself if you decide to change this speed. So you won’t have to worry about that. However, when speeding up or slowing down, it is recommended to adjust the temperature as well. This is something you have to do manually. We’ll go through this in more detail later.
Temperature
The default temperature on the Ultimaker 2 family is 210ºC for PLA. But when you’re in the temperature setting you can change this. Depending on your speed and resolution you may want to consider turning the heat up or down a little bit. For ABS the default temperature is set to 240ºC. You’ll see two temperatures displayed on your Ultimaker, the first one shows the actual temperature the sensor is reading that moment, the second one shows what temperature it’s working to.
Build-plate temperature
Just like the printhead, the build-plate has two default temperatures. For PLA it automatically goes to 60ºC, for ABS it is 90ºC. The representation of the temperature is similar to the printhead temperature. The first temperature is the actual reading, the second one is what it’s aiming for.
Fan speed
The value this setting represents will depend on when you check it. On the first layer the fans are turned off, but layer by layer they increase in speed. Cura influences when they will turn on and at what intensity. It’s all very clever stuff. Obviously, when you are more familiar with the ropes you can tweak these settings youself.
Material flow
By default, material flow is set to 100%. How much it extrudes is based on a few different values like the filament diameter. When you open up a new reel of filament, or try a different brand, make sure you double check that the diameter matches whatever value is entered into Cura.
Retraction
Length 4.50mm
This is the right length of filament needed to retract when traveling between two parts. In the previous schooling blog we told you how to make sure your Bowden tube is perfectly seated in the printhead. In this case 4.5mm is a great value – but if there’s some room for play, you can increase this value. However, if the value is increased too much, there’s risk of stripping your filament and allowing air to get into your nozzle. The result is an inconsistent extrusion. Therefor we recommend to be carefull changing this setting.
Speed 25mm/s
The most optimal speed for retracting is 25mm/s. Going faster could reduce the time spent retracting, but it also adds to the risk of grinding your filament.
Led
By default your Ultimaker’s LED lights are set to 100%. But if you want, you can turn them down all the way to 0%. Choose whatever you feel comfortable with.
Adhesion
A lot of the tips we’ll be sharing below are about improving your print, but before we can start improving we first need a solid foundation. One very crucial thing you have to get right is adhesion, because without adhesion all is lost.
The concept: The first layer of your 3D print needs to stick to the bed and stay there. It is the starting point of your print, and will be used as a reference for the entire continuation of your 3D print. If the adhesion fails, your 3D print will most likely be dragged along with your printhead and an abstract blob of plastic will start to form at the bottom of your printhead.
You’ll end up with a waste of time, a blob plastic and some cleaning work. So…let’s get that adhesion working! The first thing you need is a clean bed. Whether you’re using blue tape on your Ultimaker Original or a glass plate on your Ultimaker 2 (Go / Extended) – dirt or grease will undermine your adhesion. Blue tape should be replaced after a couple of runs and the glass plate should be cleaned with warm water when it looks like there is too much adhesive residue or dust/dirt.
Bad bed levelling, bad adhesion
Good bed levelling, good adhesion
Next step: Bed leveling. The best option is to use a feeler gauge but we don’t expect everyone to own a feeler gauge, so in that case use a regular sheet of 90gr paper. When leveling your bed there’s a wizard that will help you get it right, so I won’t focus on how to do this. But to help give you an idea, I’ve added a picture above of a bed that’s correctly leveled and one that isn’t. If there isn’t any extrusion halfway during the first layer, push the bed down for a second with your thumb. If you suddenly do see extrusion, your bed is probably too high and blocking off your nozzle. This can cause problems in your nozzle and in your attempt to remove your print when it is done.
Thirdly, when you have a clean bed and you’ve leveled it correctly, you’re all set to go with a ‘cold bed’ (Ultimaker Original and Ultimaker 2 Go). However, when you use a heated bed there is one more step to be taken. Find the right temperature! This mainly depends on what material you use.
PLA: 60ºC. You can choose to use a regular glue stick as an additional adhesive if your print has a very big footprint, but this isn’t mandatory.
ABS & CPE: 90ºC. We recommend that you use a glue stick to increase adhesion. Try to prevent draft from accessing your Ultimaker.
Since Ultimaker uses an open filament system, there are many other filaments to use like Woodfll, Bronzefill, Ninjaflex and Nylon. We recommend you get in touch with your supplier to find out what the best print settings are for these materials. Enjoy!
Exotic materials
Finding the balance
When you’re getting ready to start a 3D print, a crucial step in the process is selecting or creating an optimised printing profile in Cura. One important concept in all of this is to find the balance.
This goes for a lot of things, but what I’d like to focus on in this part is finding the balance in comparison to your speed. Your stock Ultimaker is capable of extruding approximately 8mm3/s. It’s the outcome of the following calculation:
speed × nozzle diameter × resolution
e.g. 100mm/s × 0.4 × 0.1 = 4mm3/s
In this example the outcome is 4mm3/s. If time is not on your side, lowering the resolution to 0.2 will probably give you a better result rather than doubling the speed. The calculation would be 100mm/s × 0.4 × 0.2 = 8mm3/s.
When deciding on a speed for your print a rule of thumb is to consider what shape your model is. For example, not every model can be printed at 100mm/s. For starters you need big surfaces for your printhead to even reach the desired 100mm/s with acceleration in mind. A dice is a relatively simple shape, but given its size, a printhead will most likely not make it to 100mm/s. For that reason there is no point increasing the speed when you want to save time. The other value you can change is your resolution. In this case you would save time printing at 60mm/s × 0.4 × 0.3, which results in a print time of 7 minutes.
The third thing you should consider is what resolution you find acceptable. Usually a model with walls going straight up are more forgiving towards a lower resolution. But with this small dice its engravings, 0.3mm (300 microns) may be too much.
In this example, you can choose 0.15 (150 microns) to reduce the optical lines on your print.
Making the equation: 60mm/s × 0.4 × 0.15.
The optimal compromise between speed and quality would then be a print of 13 minutes.
Besides size, the complexity of a model also comes into play when deciding on the speed. A small, simple model can be printed faster (in mm per second) than a normal sized, very complex model.
Dice at 150 and at 300 micron
Turns out, the Ultimaker is so awesome it even printed the dice perfect at 0.3mm.
Regardless, hopefully you’ll get the idea.
Overhangs
Difference in overhang between resolutions
One of the trickier challenges you can run into are models with overhangs. An overhang typically is a curve leaning outwards. The best way to deal with this is rotating the overhang towards the left. The fan on the left is aimed most efficiently at the nozzle and will cool your print better. Efficient cooling is super effective for overhangs. Your second weapon in combatting overhangs are high resolutions.
Thin layers weigh less and cool down faster. In the case of overhangs each layer is expected to slightly lean over the previous layer. Thicker layers are expected to lean further, are heavier and cool down slower. For example for each thick layer, you have five thin layers to cross the same distance. So to summarise, proper cooling and thin layers work best against overhangs.
2.85mm filament
At Ultimaker we work with a diameter of 2.85mm. The alternative on the market is a 1.75mm diameter, and we’re often asked why we chose to work with 2.85mm and if there are any advantages. The reason is pretty simple - allow me to explain. In the early days when 3D printing was starting to surface there was somewhat of a shortage of 3D printing material. Plastic welding filament was commonly available matching most of the requirements of 3D printing. Therefore it was frequently used because, well, it was available. These plastic welding filaments were, as you may have guessed, 3mm in diameter. Through time, 3mm filament evolved into 2.85mm.
Ultimaker is now almost 5 years old, and looking back we were one of the first companies starting this 3D printing revolution. If you combine the above with our decision to work with a Bowden tube set-up (the feeder motor is at the back; pushing the filament forward) it makes sense that we use 2.85mm filament.
A thicker 2.85mm filament provides more control during its travel than a thin diameter. This is emphasized when printing flexible materials. Saying that, the advantage of 1.75mm mainly comes into play when the feeder motor is mounted on the printhead. The length it has to travel is significantly smaller and therefore easier to control. And another advantage of 1.75mm is when you print very small, like under 10mm, the extrusion flow will be easier to control.
All tied up
The last tip for today is a quick tip, but can save you a lot of frustration. When unpacking a new reel of filament, or unloading it from your Ultimaker, make sure you hold on to the tip of your filament. If it gets loose and unwinds uncontrollably, it’s likely you’ll end up with tangled filament later down the road. There are several quick fixes available, but personally I like this one.
Filament clips
That was all for this schooling blog. Hopefully you have learned something new again. Next blog I’ll focus on materials!
And make sure to register on, or at the very least regularly visit the forum to become an expert yourself and get all the tips and tricks you can handle!
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Applications
Which 3D printing material should I use?
When it comes to 3D printing, the filament you use can have a big impact on your final product. Each material has different properties that you can choose to suit your specific needs. Here’s a handy guide to help you figure out which is which.
Applications
In the spotlight: Jorge Valle, 3D artist and product designer
We spoke to product designer Jorge Valle about how 3D printing helps him turn his ideas for new products into reality in next to no time, and how it fits into his 3D design workflow.
Applications
The five key 3D printing applications
Integrating a desktop 3D printer into your workflow can yield impressive results, from creating concepts and prototypes for products to small batches of tooling, or even medical models for surgeons. Here’s a look at five of the ways 3D printing can improv
Applications
Six reasons why every architect needs a 3D printer
From helping you present concepts to clients faster to allowing for more iterations during the process, 3D printing in architecture makes a lot of sense. Here are six reasons why you should consider one.
Applications
Reminiscing about RepRap: 10 years on
Today, May 29th, 2018, marks the 10 year anniversary of the RepRap project. 3D printing has undergone an immense journey – inspiring minds, encouraging collaboration, and influencing the way we think about production.
News
Alliances with leading material companies to deliver choice and quality
Ultimaker is forming collaborative alliances with global material companies to meet the growing demand for industrial-grade engineering materials compatible with Ultimaker 3D printers.
News
How to 3D print with PLA and which materials to choose
Thanks to its accuracy, reliability, and cost-effectiveness, PLA (polylactic acid) 3D printing material is a great choice for many industries.
Applications
Empowering locals in Sierra Leone with Ultimaker 3D printers
While aid initiatives involving 3D printed functional prosthetics in Sierra Leone already exist, they are not time and cost-efficient. Surgical resident Lars Brouwers believed that there must be a better way to get aid to those affected.
Applications
Jabil Auburn Hills sees 80% reduction in production time with Ultimaker
Jabil, one of the largest manufacturing service providers in the world, is overcoming production challenges with cost-efficient Ultimaker 3D printers.
Applications
Print detailed objects faster using adaptive layers in Ultimaker Cura
Most slicing software will assign a constant spacing between each layer–known as the layer height. Very fine layer height will result in a high-resolution model, but each extra layer will add time to the printing process. A thicker layer height will print
News
Firmware 4.3 available for the Ultimaker 3
Get the latest features and a better Cura Connect experience by upgrading your Ultimaker 3 to Firmware 4.3. The latest firmware release takes your hardware further with a new accessibility feature. Learn more here.
News
Bosch announces global investment in Ultimaker 3D printers
Electronics and engineering giant Bosch is investing in Ultimaker 3D printers for its global facilities to drive innovation while cutting manufacturing and design costs.
News
3D printing tips: How to store PVA material
Storing your PVA in optimal conditions is key to a high-quality 3D print. If stored improperly, PVA can absorb ambient moisture and cause failed prints. Follow our storage and care tips.
Applications
Ultimaker Cura 3D printing software - SolidWorks integration for a better workflow
One of the benefits of Ultimaker Cura is the ability for users to extend the core functionality of the software to streamline the 3D printing workflow. Users can experiment and deploy modifications to Ultimaker Cura to integrate different software, read c
News
Which 3D printing supports to use: PLA, PVA or Breakaway
With the launch of Ultimaker’s Breakaway support material, there are now even more options for supporting your 3D prints. But which one is right for your design? Let’s take a look at the different options and when to use each one.
Applications
Ultimaker Firmware 4.1 released
Ultimaker Firmware 4.1 release adds new functionality, features, and printing performance to your Ultimaker 3 and Cura Connect. Discover what's new in this blog post.
News
Recap: Siemens PLM Connection 2017
At the Siemens PLM event, Ultimaker exhibited innovations that aim to enhance manufacturing. We showcased several successful business cases, including custom-made jigs and fixtures developed by Volkswagen Autoeuropa.
News
Library Stories: Growing opportunities with 3D printing
Andrea Puglisi is a serials and reference librarian from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In this library story, she shares her experience of how 3D printers can be used as powerful educational outreach tools for the local community.
Applications
What’s an automotive minute worth?
To demonstrate the potential financial impact of the newfound efficiencies brought on by 3D printing, Ultimaker sought out to answer: what exactly is an automotive minute worth?
Trends
Company update: Ultimaker receives major funding to fuel global expansion
We are excited to announce an agreement for major funding from NPM Capital. With this new funding, we are able to accelerate product development and further grow the company.
News
Hardware designs for the Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker 3 Extended released
At Ultimaker, we believe in the value of openness, collaboration, and accessibility. That is why today, we are making the hardware designs for the Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker 3 Extended available.
News
Welcome to Ultimaker Cura 3.0
With a fresh new interface, Ultimaker Cura 3.0 offers the easiest and most accessible 3D print preparation experience for users, whether they are novices or professionals.
News
Beginner’s guide to 3D printing with PP
Despite being one of the most used plastics in the world, PP or polypropylene can be hard to use for 3D printing. With Ultimaker’s optimized PP filament and these helpful tips, you’ll be ready to start exploring the possibilities of this material.
Applications
Back to school round-up
Summer is over and school is starting again! Here is a collection of resources to inspire your students with 3D printing in the classroom.
Applications
Library stories: A librarian's journey of going from zero to maker
In this article, Jessica Lamarre, a librarian and makerspace coordinator, reflects on her experiences about how a 3D printer in a local community can be a powerful educational tool.
Applications
3D hatching: Grayscale printing on the Ultimaker 3
In collaboration with the Delft University of Technology, one of our engineers has developed a technique to achieve grayscale printing using an Ultimaker 3. This enables users to print an object with varying tones using two colors.
Applications
Library stories: A lot more is happening in the library than just borrowing books
In over two years of our 3D printing program at the Marin City Library, we've had great success. Our intention was to bring new technologies to a community that lacks access to resources that others take for granted.
Applications
Are you ready to build a 3D printed T. rex with your class?
If there’s one topic guaranteed to excite students, it’s dinosaurs. In tandem with Ultimaker, Naturalis Biodiversity Center has created an exhilarating, interactive lesson plan, showing you how to build a T. rex skeleton in the classroom.
Applications
Essential tools for every 3D printing professional
To get the best from your 3D printer, you need to be armed with the right tools for the job. From removing support material to improving build plate adhesion, here’s a list of must-have tools, all designed to make your life easier.
Applications
Company update: Ultimaker files first patents
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Understanding firmware
What is firmware? What does it do? In this article, we'll clear things up and explain how firmware operates inside your Ultimaker printer and how to update it. Let's get started.
Applications
Get started with Cura: Printing with two colors
Printing with two colors not only looks visually impressive but makes it easier to highlight aspects of your 3D printed model. Here’s a handy guide, explaining how to create a dual color print.
Applications
Start your 3D printing lab in school
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Applications
Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+ source files available
The Ultimaker brand is deeply rooted in our open source community. By sharing knowledge we will all ultimately have better products. The source files of the Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+ are now available on GitHub.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Jeffrey Wijkhuisen
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Jasper van Damme
Our Inside Ultimaker series is designed to provide a deeper look at our talent here at Ultimaker across a variety of different roles, teams, and experience levels. Today, the spotlight is on Jasper Van Damme.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Anouschka Wodrada
Ultimaker has a great team of people – who work together to make our company what it is: exciting, dynamic and forward-thinking. Our Inside Ultimaker series provides insight into our talented crew – across a range of different roles and skill-sets.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Marcel Buter
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Jacqueline Vulto
Our Inside Ultimaker series offers the chance to hear from our team members and find out what it’s like to work with us. If you phone Ultimaker HQ, you’re likely to be greeted by a friendly voice. That’s Jacqueline Vulto, our amazing receptionist.
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Lenneke de Penning
Our series, Inside Ultimaker, is designed to give you some insight into the people who work with us. Meet Lenneke de Penning, our assembly team leader, who leads our group of talented assembly operators; and ensures that our production line runs smoothly
News
Inside Ultimaker: Meet Layla Smid
Every company needs a great team behind it – which is why we feel very fortunate to have so many talented, passionate people working with us. Our Inside Ultimaker series gives you the chance to meet our team and discover what it’s like to work here.
News
Ultimaker wins print competition with SLA torture test
We're proud to announce that the Ultimaker 2 Go and Ultimaker 2+ won the first and second prize in the competition, proving that they're up to printing complex models originally designed for SLA printers.
News
Ultimaker Original upgrades
We owe a lot to our trusty Ultimaker Original. It’s where our journey into 3D printing began and we’ll continue to support it well into the future, just as we know our wonderful community will.
News
An introduction to the 3MF file format
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Trends
3D printed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) model
When we introduced the Ultimaker 2+ printers we asked popular modeler Jacky Wan, also known in the community as Valcrow, to create a model that would show off the new features of the Ultimaker 2+ line. He immediately came up with this beautiful model.
Applications
Designing, 3D printing and painting the Fallout 4 Mini Nuke
Do you love Fallout 4? In this detailed walkthrough, you will find out how to make your own Fallout 4 Mini Nuke. It covers everything from designing the 3D models to post processing.
Applications
Ultimaker Schooling - 3D printing
When preparing a print, choosing the right 3D printing profile makes a really big difference. To help give you the lowdown on 3D printing best practices we’ve combined the knowledge of our experts with our online knowledge base.
Applications
Releasing our source files: the Ultimaker 2 Go and Extended are now available
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Sharing the Ultimaker Original+ files
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
News
Transform your Ultimaker in a Pen Plotter
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Applications
3D Printed Ducati 1199 Superbike
If it’s happening in Ultimaker’s world, you can find out about it here. 3D printing stories about inspiring moments, original 3D printed projects and much much more.
Applications
Painting 3D-printed models
Painting 3D-printed models is a great way of adding detail and production value to your models, often making the difference between a ‘cool print’ and a real piece of art.
Applications
3D-printed lightsaber design philosophy and printing tips
For May the 4th, I designed a 3D printed lightsaber in commemoration of Star Wars day in collaboration with Ultimaker. In this guest blog I will explore some of the design nuances and share some tips.
