Ultimaker uses functional, analytical and tracking cookies. Tracking cookies enhance your experience on our website and may also collect your personal data outside of Ultimaker websites. If you agree with the use of tracking cookies, click “I agree, continue browsing”. You can withdraw your consent at any time. If you do not consent with the use of tracking cookies, click “Refuse”. You can find more information about cookies on our Privacy and Cookie Policy page.

marketplace-1m-hero

Ultimaker Marketplace hits 1 million downloads

Matt Jani
Matt Jani  
  • News

We’re much more than just a hardware company. We’re on a mission to accelerate digital manufacturing workflows all over the world. And it looks like it’s paying off: The Ultimaker Marketplace, our digital distribution platform, has just hit a major milestone of 1 million downloads for plugins and print profiles combined.

Ultimaker’s Senior VP of Product Management Paul Heiden had this to say: “This number of Marketplace downloads happening less than a year after launch is a real validation of the project and evidence that professional users are always looking for ways to accelerate their 3D printing workflow.”

Removing barriers

Thanks to the Marketplace, Ultimaker has the largest compatible material choice in the entire 3D printing market. It’s now easier than ever to 3D print composites with glass and carbon fibers, flame-retardant materials for ESD applications, materials that are resistant to chemicals, UV and wear, and materials to achieve extreme stiffness or flexibility.

But how did the Marketplace begin?

Software plugins are a powerful way to shape and adapt software features to suit a specific 3D printing workflow. For example, a plugin can integrate CAD software with Ultimaker Cura so that engineers and designers can push designs directly into the slicing environment, without wasting time with exchange file formats. The result? A streamlined workflow with less frustration, and more time to develop innovative concepts.

Discovering, downloading, and installing plugins was the hard part for users, so we developed a single, unified distribution platform within Ultimaker Cura to make it easy. Here, users can browse available plugins, install them, and contribute their own.

Plugins in the Ultimaker Marketplace
Plugins in the Ultimaker Marketplace

We recognized the potential of digital distribution for material compatibility, too. Our open filament system means that any 2.85 mm filament is compatible with Ultimaker hardware, but the correct slicing settings are still needed to guarantee a high print success rate. So we started working with third-party material manufacturers who developed and signed print profiles that work with our hardware.

The launch of the Ultimaker Marketplace coincided with Formnext 2018. Flagship profiles included print profiles from Owens Corning, a global producer of industrial composites, as well as DSM, BASF, Dupont, and Clariant, all leading manufacturers of industry-grade materials. Less than one year later, The Ultimaker Marketplace has contributions from over 30 well-known vendors and manufacturers of high-quality 3D printer filaments, and more than 80 different material types.

Owens Corning video preview
Owens Corning: Hassle-free 3D printing profiles for industrial composites

Help others innovate and succeed – contribute today

The success of the Ultimaker Marketplace depends on its contributors. By developing a plugin or print profile, catapult your brand by giving it exposure to millions of Ultimaker Cura users all over the world.

Help others turn a great idea into a great success. Material manufacturers can contribute print profiles for high-performance 3D printing filament. Enterprise users of Ultimaker Cura can develop plugins to align the functionality of our software to specific business needs, such as opening specific file formats, integrating third-party software, and more.

With a cloud platform and a single account to access everything, it’s easier than ever to streamline your 3D printing workflow.

Discover the Ultimaker Marketplace today. All you need is an Ultimaker account.

Get started

Read more blogs

3D printing materials: Filaments and filament production

3D printing materials: Filaments and filament production

In the final of our three-part series on 3D printing materials, we take a look at types of printing filament, additives and blends that give materials mechanical properties, as well as provide a brief overview as to filament production.

  • Applications
cura 4 5 OG

Introducing Ultimaker Cura 4.5

Ultimaker Cura 4.5 is officially live. The latest version of Ultimaker’s open-source slicing software offers useful new features, and coincides with the launch of the improved Ultimaker Marketplace.

  • News
materials-og

3D printing materials: Types, categories, and use cases

In part two of our three-part series on 3D printing materials, we take a look at material types, categories, and use cases – as well as a brief overview of composite and bio-based, biodegradable, and recycled materials.

  • Applications
webinar-recap-schubert-og

Webinar recap: Unlocking distributed manufacturing

Check out the recap of our latest webinar, to learn how well-known manufacturers such as Ford are using 3D printing – and how your business can gain a competitive advantage by doing the same.

  • News
cura-45-marketplace

The Ultimaker Marketplace is more accessible than ever

Thanks to a new intuitive web interface for the Ultimaker Marketplace, users can now simply browse, search, and subscribe. There's no need to open Ultimaker Cura beforehand – downloaded plugins and print profiles will automatically be associated with your Ultimaker account upon logging in.

  • News
webinar-composites-og

Webinar recap: How to choose the right composite material

In the recap of our first webinar, "The 3D printing mindset: How to choose the right composite material", we're offering an overview of what was covered, what was asked, and what's to come.

  • News