Ultimaker 3 Installation and user manual Original manual v1.
Disclaimer Please read and understand the contents of this installation and user manual carefully. Failure to read the manual may lead to personal injury, inferior results or damage to the Ultimaker 3. Always make sure that anyone who uses the 3D printer knows and understand the contents of the manual and makes the most out of the Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended.
Table of Contents 1. Safety and compliance............................................................................................................................................. 6 Safety messages Hazards 7 8 2. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Main components Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended Specifications 10 11 3. Unpack and install the hardware...........
Preface This is the installation and user manual for your Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended. This manual contains chapters about the installation and use of the 3D printer. The manual contains important information and instructions on safety, installation and use. Please read all information and follow the instructions and guidelines in this manual carefully. This ensures that you will obtain great quality prints and that possible accidents and injuries will be prevented.
Certifications 5
1 Safety and compliance It is very important to work safely with your Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended. This chapter is about safety and hazards. Please read all information carefully to prevent possible accidents and injuries.
Safety messages This manual contains warnings and safety notices. Provides additional information that is helpful to do a task or to avoid problems. Warns of a situation that may cause material damage or injuries if one does not follow the safety instructions. General Safety Information The Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended generates high temperatures and has hot moving parts that can cause injury. Never reach inside of the Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended while it is in operation.
Hazards Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
2 Introduction Meet your Ultimaker 3 and learn what the possibilities of this 3D printer are.
Main components Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended 3 1 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 7 2 6 Build plate Dual print head Build plate screws Build plate clamps Push/rotate button Display USB socket 8 3 5 14 4 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 9 9 13 12 10 11 Feeder 2 Bowden tubes Feeder 1 Ethernet port Cable cover Double spool holder with NFC cable Power cable The model exposed is the Ultimaker 3. The main components of the Ultimaker 3 Extended are the same and on the exact same position.
Specifications Printer and printing properties Ultimaker 3 Ultimaker 3 Extended When no value is listed, it is equal to Ultimaker 3 Technology Print head Build volume Filament diameter Layer resolution XYZ accuracy Print head travel speed Build speed Build plate Build plate temperature Build plate leveling Supported materials Nozzle diameter Nozzle temperature Nozzle heat up time Build plate heat up time Operating sound Material recognition Connectivity Monitoring Physical dimensions Dimensions Dimensi
3 Unpack and install the hardware Carefully unpack your Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended and set up the hardware according to the instructions in this chapter.
Unboxing The Ultimaker comes in reusable, durable packaging, specially designed to protect your Ultimaker 3. Unpacking Follow the steps below properly to unpack your Ultimaker 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Take the Ultimaker 3 out of the cardboard box. Loosen the strap by opening the buckle. Remove the top part of the styrofoam packaging with the two spools of filament and factory test print in it. Take out the accessory box.
This in the box The Ultimaker 3 is supplied with several hardware accessories. Check if all these accessories are included before continuing. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 14 Print core AA 0.4 (in print head slot 1 of the Ultimaker) Print core AA 0.4 Print core BB 0.
Install the hardware accessories Placing and connecting the NFC spool holder 1. Gently place the printer on its right side. 2. Insert the spool holder into the back panel. First place the top part in the hole and push down until it snaps into place. 3. Connect the NFC cable to the NFC socket. The flat side of the connector faces away from the bottom panel. 4. Guide the NFC cable through the slot in the back panel. 5. Insert the cable cover into the back panel to keep the cable in place. 6.
Connecting the power supply 1. Connect the power cable to the power brick. 2. Plug the power cable into the wall socket. 3. Connect the other side of the power supply to the Ultimaker 3. The flat side of the connector needs to point downwards. Before you push the cable firmly into the port, you have to pull the sliding mechanism back. When the cord is in the printer you can let go to lock it into place.
4 Set up for first use After installing the accessories, you have to set up the printer for the first use. In this chapter you find the steps to be taken for print core installation, loading the materials, setting up WiFi, updating the firmware and installing Cura software.
Print core installation To perform the setup steps, turn on the printer with the power switch at the back. The welcome wizard appears in the display. Rotate the button to navigate through the menus and press the button to confirm your selection. Installing print cores The Ultimaker 3 has two print cores in the print head, which are interchangeable.
Loading materials Before you can start printing on the Ultimaker 3, you need to load materials into the printer. Material 2 will be loaded first, because this is the material that must be placed closest to the back side of the printer. Loading material 2 1. Place the spool with the material on the spool holder. Make sure to put it with the material in clockwise direction, so that the material can enter feeder 2 from the bottom. Straighten the material a bit so it can easily enter the feeder. 2.
Loading material 1 1. Take the material guide and hold it with the outer part towards you. 2. Place the material spool on the material guide with the material in counter-clockwise direction. 3. Guide the end of the material through the hole in the material guide. When you have done this, select continue. 4. Place the material guide - with material 1 on it - on the spool holder, behind material 2 and wait until it is detected by the printer. 5.
Installing WiFi and firmware The Ultimaker 3 allows for printing wireless over a network. Therefore the next step is to connect your Ultimaker 3 to a network. Setting up WiFi 1. Wait until your Ultimaker 3 has created a WiFi hotspot. This can take a minute. 2. Move to your computer and connect it to the wireless network of the printer. The name of the network is shown on the display of the Ultimaker 3. 3. A pop-up will appear on the display of your computer.
Cura software For the Ultimaker 3, we recommend our free Cura software to prepare your 3D print files. Cura quickly and accurately converts 3D models into 3D print files within seconds, showing you a preview of the print so you can be sure everything is as you would like it to be. For the Ultimaker 3 you must use Cura 2.3 or higher. System requirements Accepted platforms • Windows Vista or newer • Mac OSX 10.7 or newer • Linux Ubuntu 15.04, Fedora 23, OpenSuse 13.
5 Operation After installation, it is time to start printing with your Ultimaker 3. This chapter provides information about the display, using Cura, starting a print, materials that can be used, changing and calibrating the print cores and calibrating the build plate.
Display and control button The display at the front side of the Ultimaker 3 shows all the necessary information for setting up and using your Ultimaker 3. You can navigate through menus by rotating and/or pushing the button at the right side of the display. Rotate to select or control an action; push to confirm an action. When pushing the button you will hear a “beeping” sound to confirm the action. A blinking button means the Ultimaker 3 is waiting for user input.
Using Cura Cura allows you to prepare dual material prints using support material or printing with two colors and single extrusion prints for the Ultimaker 3. When preparing a model, you always need to make sure that the print core and material configuration match with the configuration on your Ultimaker 3. If you are using the network you can allow Cura to automatically transfer the configuration from your Ultimaker 3 to Cura. Slicing a dual extrusion print with a support material 1.
Starting a print Network printing The Ultimaker 3 offers the possibility to print over a network, either via WiFi or Ethernet. To start printing via WiFi: 1. Install WiFi (if not done yet) by going to System g Network g Run WiFi setup and follow the steps on the display. 2. Enable WiFi in the network menu. 3. In Cura go to Settings g Printers g Manage printers. 4. Click on the “Connect via network” button. 5. Select your Ultimaker from the list of printers that are shown and click “Connect”.
Printing with USB When it is not possible to print via a network, 3D print files can still be transferred to your Ultimaker 3 with a USB stick. 1. Place the USB stick in your computer. 2. Slice your 3D model in Cura. Ensure that the print core and material configuration in Cura match the configuration on your Ultimaker 3 or change the configuration on your printer to match the settings in Cura. 3. Save the print file (.gcode) via the “Save to removable drive” button to the USB stick. 4.
Materials Printing with two materials As explained in chapter Set up, the Ultimaker 3 comes with two print cores for build material (AA) and one print core for support material (BB). The AA print cores can be used for printing PLA, ABS, CPE and Nylon. The BB print core can be used for PVA.
Build plate adhesion Although the heat of the heated build plate already helps with a good adhesion of the material to the glass plate, you will need an adhesive in some cases. In the accessory box of your Ultimaker 3 is one glue stick, of which a thin, even layer can be applied to the glass plate to let the first layer of the print stick better. Below you can find an overview on the use of glue per material. PLA Ultimaker PLA usually adheres well to the glass plate.
Removing support material (PVA) Prints for which PVA has been used as support material require some post-processing to remove the PVA support material. This can be done by dissolving the PVA in water. 1. 2. 3. 4. Submerge the print in water By putting a print with PVA in water the PVA will slowly dissolve. You can however speed up this process in a few ways: • By using warmer water a slight decrease in dissolving time can be reached.
Print cores Changing print cores Print cores can be changed easily on the Ultimaker 3 by using the procedure from the menu. Besides changing a print core you also have the option to only load or unload a print core. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Go to the menu Material/PrintCore g PrintCore 1 or 2 g Change. Wait for the print core to heat up, reverse material and cool down again. Open the print head fan bracket.
Build plate calibration While using your Ultimaker it is necessary to periodically calibrate the build plate for good adhesion of the print to the build plate. If the distance between the nozzles and build plate is too big, your print won’t stick properly to the glass plate. On the other hand, if the nozzles are too close to the build plate, it can prevent the material extruding from the nozzles. The Ultimaker 3 offers two ways of calibration the build plate: active leveling and manual leveling.
After calibrating the build plate with the first nozzle, the second nozzle needs to be aligned as well, to ensure the heights of both nozzles are set correctly. For this it is only necessary to set the correct height by using the calibration card. 1. Place the calibration card between the second nozzle and build plate. 2. Rotate the button at the front of the Ultimaker 3 until it touches the calibration card and fine-tune it until you feel slight friction/resistance when moving the card.
6 Maintenance In order to have a smoothly working Ultimaker 3 it is important to maintain it correctly. In this chapter the most important maintenance tips are described. Read them carefully in order to achieve the best results with your Ultimaker 3.
Updating firmware Periodically, a new version of the Ultimaker 3 firmware is released. To keep your Ultimaker 3 up to date it is therefore recommended to update the firmware regularly. This can be done on the Ultimaker 3 (when connected to the network) or via USB. Updating on the printer 1. Connect the printer to the network via WiFi or Ethernet. 2. Go to System g Maintenance g Update firmware. The Ultimaker 3 will now get the latest firmware from the network and install it. This will take several minutes.
Lubricating the axles To maintain your Ultimaker 3 correctly and keep it running smoothly, it is advised to lubricate the axles periodically. In the accessory box of your Ultimaker 3 you can find Unilube for the X and Y axles and Magnalube for the Z axle. Especially in countries with a high humidity or in very dry countries the axles must be lubricated regularly.
Keeping the printer clean For the best print results it is important to keep the Ultimaker 3 clean while using it. Therefore it is advised to not use the Ultimaker 3 in a room where it can easily be covered with dust and to remove small pieces of material that might be in the printer. Besides this, there are a few parts in the Ultimaker 3 that might require more regular cleaning. Instructions on this are described below.
Maintaining the BB print core To keep the BB print core in optimal condition it is necessary to clean it once every 250 hours of printing. This will prevent the BB print core to get clogged because of degrading PVA material. Cleaning the BB print core will be done by doing a hot pull and cold pull with PLA material. Make sure there is no material in the print core when you start this procedure. Preparing 1.
5. Check the color and the shape of the tip of the material that you have pulled out. Compare it with the pictures below to see if it looks correct. If not, repeat this process. Cold pull 1. Take a new piece of PLA and insert it into the print head by hand until you feel some resistance. 2. Hold the piece of PLA with pliers and gently apply pressure to extrude some material. 3. Lower the temperature of the print core to 75 °C.
7 Help & support There are a few printer specific issues that could occur while using your Ultimaker 3. In you run into one of these issues, you can troubleshoot the issue yourself with the help of the information on the next pages.
Troubleshooting In this chapter the most common issues that can occur on an Ultimaker 3 are described. For a complete description of each issue and information on how to troubleshoot them, please take a look at the Ultimaker website. Material is not extruding from the print head In case of a long unattended print job where material runs out or material gets jammed, the print core may run for a long time without any material flow.
Error messages This is the complete list of error messages that can show up on the Ultimaker 3. For more information on troubleshooting these error messages please go to the error specific page on the Ultimaker website. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 42 An unspecified error has occurred. Restart the printer or go to ultimaker.com/ER11. Max temp. error on PrintCore {display_hotend_nr}. Go to ultimaker.com/ER12. Min temp. error on PrintCore {display_hotend_nr}. Go to ultimaker.com/ER13. Max temp.
