Ultimaker S3
Overview
The Ultimaker S3 is a high-end FDM (fused deposition modeling) 3D printer with dual extruders.
Fusion Deposition Modeling works by placing layers of melted material in a certain path over and over. Soon after the material is placed down, it hardens, allowing the next layer to be placed and stick on top. The path is determined by slicing an object and splitting it up into predetermined sized layers based on a setting in the editing software.
The Ultimaker's base software for converting 3D Models into printable commands is Cura.
The 3 Ultimaker S3 printers in Sandbox are operated on a first-come-first-serve basis. This means that there is no queue to get in line for having your print started. The only way to ensure that you get your print done is to be at the printer when another print finishes and start your print then. The best we can do to help you if you talk to one of the managers is if they know how to work the printer they can start your print at the end of the current one if they would still be present. This is not a guarantee. Managers reserve the right to restart or cancel prints if they look misconfigured (like forgetting support) or are failing. If a print is failing because it was incorrectly sliced, we will cancel it but will not be able to restart it until you correct the problem, re-slice in Cura, and restart the print.
Manufacturer Specifications
- Print head
- Dual-extrusion print head with an auto-nozzle lifting system and swappable print cores
- Build volume XYZ
- 230 x 190 x 200 mm (9 x 7.4 x 7.9 inches)
- Filament diameter
- 2.85 mm
- Layer resolution
0.25 mm nozzle: 150 - 60 micron- 0.4 mm nozzle: 200 - 20 micron
- 0.8 mm nozzle: 600 - 20 micron
- (Sandbox has only 0.4mm and 0.8mm nozzles)
- XYZ resolution
- 6.9, 6.9, 2.5 micron
- Build speed
- < 24 mm3/s
- Build plate
- Heated glass build plate
- Build plate temperature
- 20 - 140 °C
- Build plate leveling
- Active leveling
- Preferred
- Supported materials Optimized for
- PLA, Tough PLA, Nylon, ABS, CPE, CPE+, PC,
TPU 95A, PP, PVA, Breakaway (Also supports third-party materials) In the box: Ultimaker Tough PLA Black 750 g, Ultimaker PVA 750 g
Training
You can complete the training for the ultimaker on the canvas course under modules and Ultimaker or here
Trained Managers
The managers that have adopted this tool and can help you with using. Keep in mind these are not the only managers that know how to use this tool, feel free to ask any. Full list of adopted tools can be found here here.
| Manager |
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Running a print
These are the very simple steps to be able to print on the Ultimaker after completing the training on elms.
- Having an idea for a print
- Create a 3D design of your idea using CAD software such as Fusion 360, SolidWorks, or even TinkerCAD.
- Using Cura to create a gcode file out of an STL or other applicable file (See Cura flow for more information)
- Make sure if you need support you used it!
- After saving the gcode to a USB, plug in USB into the Ultimaker
- Change out the material as needed
- Using the touchscreen menu on the Ultimaker go to Print and find your print
- Make sure you have enough material left in the current spool to finish your print
- Click on your print to start it
- Hang around the sandbox at least until the first layer is done to make sure your print doesn't fail (Most of prints fail within the first layer)
- If your print fails then take it off and reprint it. If this continues to happen then ask a manager for help or try another print (Please don't waste materials failing the same print over and over)
- Come back whenever your print is done and find it in the Prototype Room and enjoy!
About Cura
- Cura can be found for free on Ultimaker's website: Cura Download
- More Cura Help
- Cura allows 3D file formats: 3MF, OBJ, STL or 2D file formats: bmp, gif, jpg, png.
- You can download Cura and prepare a print on you own computer and load it onto a flash drive for the Ultimaker
- Possible ways of getting objects to print:
- Finding and downloaded STL files from Thingiverse
- Create your own CAD files using a program like Solidworks, Siemens NX, Autodesk, or anything that will create the accepted file formats.
Different Nozzles
BE CAREFUL! If the printer was recently used, the nozzle will be VERY hot.
The nozzles for an Ultimaker are available in several sizes (0.25mm, 0.40mm, 0.60mm, and 0.80mm) and with different nozzle geometry for different material types. (note that Sandbox has only 0.4mm and 0.8mm nozzles). The different sizes will effect the properties of your print. A larger nozzle will allow you to output more material which could make your print go faster. a general guideline is you can print with a layer thickness up to around 50%-75% of the nozzle size. But this also means the higher nozzle size will mean lower-quality prints, so it is a trade-off.
There are also a few different types of nozzles for the ultimaker. The difference between the nozzles is the internal geometry of how the filament is extruded. The AA core is the basic core used for most materials, however the BB core is the only one capable of printing PVA. You should NOT try and print PVA on an AA core or it will clog and possibly ruin the nozzle! You can technically print anything on a BB nozzle, but you would need to override Cura saying you shouldn't. With this said, you still might find some problems with things like printing PLA on a BB; you might find quite a bit of oozing. In general, if you are printing anything but PVA, you can use the AA nozzle.
Changing the Nozzle
If you want to change the print core, ask a manager for assistance.
Sometimes the nozzle might get clogged. This might present itself by the nozzle no longer extruding anything. If you feel this might be what is wrong with the printer and don't feel comfortable checking yourself, you can ask a manager to verify.
Manuals
For more general information you can visit their learn page
For help getting started with Cura and Ultimaker S5 you can visit here