Ultimaker Unveils New Ultimaker 3

[Clare S]

Ultimaker is well known for their highly accurate printers, which are very accurate and as such are very much in demand by designers, architects, engineers and other professionals. Though the Ultimaker 2+ series was introduced earlier this year, Ultimaker has unveiled their next generation 3D printer line, the Ultimaker 3, available today, October 18th. According to Ultimaker, they've "created the most industrial-grade desktop 3D printer ever" -- as the Ultimaker 3’s advanced capability to print complex geometries using industrial-grade materials right from the desktop empowers users with a freedom of design never before accessible in the professional environment. Fully integrated hardware, software and materials configuration, as well as full settings alignment, ensures both efficient workflow and precision in print results. Prices start at $3,495. Read more at 3DPrint.com: https://3dprint.com/152758/ultimaker...nter-unveiled/

[ralphzoontjens]

It's a great machine with removable print cores, filament recognition, dual extrusion and an integrated webcam. With the reliability we know from Ultimaker, though a bit steep in price and similar build volume as the previous versions, this one is recommended.

[curious aardvark]

not sure how they can call it an industrial printer when it still doesn't have an enclosed, heated print volume.

Also for the money you can get some really amazing properly industrial machines these days.

Hope it's not the case, but looks like they might be heading down the same rabbit hole as makerbot.

No real practical improvements, just a bunch of unnecessary gimmicks, but huge price hikes.
Filament recognition ? look at the label on the reel. Webcam, if you're that worried about a long print - don't go on holiday and leave it printing.
Or buy a cheap ip camera and point that at it - it'll save money and give you more off site camera versatility.

The extruder looks good, but is it worth an extra $1000 ?
Also only goes to 280c - so you'll struggle with some of the higher end and tougher industrial materials.
And for the money the print volume is one of the smallest in it's class.
And you simply cannot call it an industrial machine without an enclosed and heated print volume. Most of the new industrial filaments really need that - pretty much all the taulman filaments just don't work without a heated PV.

It's definitely looking more like the makerbot style over substance approach than any significant improvement.
And under no circumstances can they justifiably claim it's the best industrial printer available. Which they are doing in their adverts.
I wouldn't even call it an industrial printer - just an expensive desktop with an average sized print volume.

[Sebastian Finke]

not sure how they can call it an industrial printer when it still doesn't have an enclosed, heated print volume.

Also for the money you can get some really amazing properly industrial machines these days.

Hope it's not the case, but looks like they might be heading down the same rabbit hole as makerbot.

No real practical improvements, just a bunch of unnecessary gimmicks, but huge price hikes.
Filament recognition ? look at the label on the reel. Webcam, if you're that worried about a long print - don't go on holiday and leave it printing.
Or buy a cheap ip camera and point that at it - it'll save money and give you more off site camera versatility.

The extruder looks good, but is it worth an extra $1000 ?
Also only goes to 280c - so you'll struggle with some of the higher end and tougher industrial materials.
And for the money the print volume is one of the smallest in it's class.
And you simply cannot call it an industrial machine without an enclosed and heated print volume. Most of the new industrial filaments really need that - pretty much all the taulman filaments just don't work without a heated PV.

It's definitely looking more like the makerbot style over substance approach than any significant improvement.
And under no circumstances can they justifiably claim it's the best industrial printer available. Which they are doing in their adverts.
I wouldn't even call it an industrial printer - just an expensive desktop with an average sized print volume.

Agree 100%

[ralphzoontjens]

I agree, it will still be a very good machine though, very reliable and with the best support.
What Ultimaker can improve on as well is availability of all the spare parts so the entire hardware is open source.
I like the dual extrusion kit but if I can get mine to work properly on the UMO+ it will have no significant practical advantages.
For filament settings you can also use the preset profiles on Cura which have to be adjusted per print anyway if you want to do it right.
I do like the integrated webcam but it will have to come with an automatic failure recognition software, especially at that price - and that is not that difficult to program.
Best would be if it would be self-learning so some settings will be adjusted automatically for the next print.

I recommend the machine especially for businesses.

[curious aardvark]

I recommend the machine especially for businesses.

After agreeing it's NOT an industrial grade machine ?
Have you looked recently for what you can get for £3000 ? 11 replicator clones for one :-)
Some amazing machines out there in that price range.

This isn't even close to being a good buy.

[ralphzoontjens]

After agreeing it's NOT an industrial grade machine ?
Have you looked recently for what you can get for £3000 ? 11 replicator clones for one :-)
Some amazing machines out there in that price range.

This isn't even close to being a good buy.

Well I agree that it's too expensive and it is mostly innovation through featurism, in essence being not much more than the next improved version of the Ultimaker. With that philosophy in mind the aim should be to keep the price point the same relative to the current market compared to the last version.

I wouldn't call it an industrial machine before it will have a larger build volume, enclosed box and superior printing speeds but it is a good machine for professional use because of the reliability - failed prints and repairs can be major bottlenecks for a business. Thumbs up from me for the Ultimaker 3.

[Eddie]

I've seen a lot about how Ultimaker is marketing their 3D printers to industry by putting the printers together on the same network and using them to print multiple parts at once. For the price it can be a lot more efficient than some of the super expensive machines that many companies are using for prototyping. It seems like Ultimaker is moving a bit in this direction.

[Sebastian Finke]

I saw Ultimakers up close at the TCT show. While their prints are nice they aren't miles ahead of the pack either and I wasn't impressed by the build quality of the printer. As CA says £3000 is a lot for what you're actually getting. They do appear to be riding on a name. My two pence...

[curious aardvark]

but it is a good machine for professional use because of the reliability - failed prints and repairs can be major bottlenecks for a business.

I don't get those either on my £500 flashforge.
That is more down to best practice than any particular machine.

As fas as the linking many machines together goes, that's down to software - you can stack any 3d printers as long as you've got the right software.
For multi printing there are a number of really clever machines doing this much better. Bnc3d have sub £3000 printers with dual independant printheads. Two different things at once right out of the box.
Then there are several companies using multi feed single nozzle mixing systems, again available for under £3000.

I'm not saying ultimakers aren't good printers - they are. But this new one, just doesn't justify either the price point or the ridiculous advertising statements.