Introduction
Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
Q4 3D PRINTING | Q3-1| Ultimaker 2+ | Ultimaker 2 family DESIGN SOFTWARES (OPEN SOURCE | LICENCES) : Cura ( https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-cura-software) PLATFORMS: FAB FOUNDATION REFERENCES: Pending
MACHINE DESCRIPTION Ultimaker is a 3D printer manufacturing company, they make 3D printers, develop 3D printing softwares, and sell bounded 3D printing materials. Their product line includes the Ultimaker 3 series, Ultimaker 2+ series and Ultimaker Original+. These printers are used by industries such as automotive, architecture, healthcare, education, and small-scale manufacturing. What is available in QBIC Fablab is the Ultimaker 2+ printer, and after this tutorial you will be able to use the machine easily without any problem. Read more: Ultimaker printer: https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-2-plus. Ultimaker software: https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-cura-software. Ultimaker printing materials: https://ultimaker.com/en/products/materials.
INTRODUCTION TO: Ultimaker 2+ The Ultimaker 2+ is a powerful 3D printer that uses filament (such as PLA, Nylon, and ABS) to print the object. The idea is basically that we have a solid material (filament), and we are reshaping it to our own 3D model. This is done by melting the filament to become liquid, and then we start to build the model by constructing layer by layer until we get the final shape. The idea is similar to when we build a house, we align bricks layer by layer until we have our own house in its final shape. Before start explaining about how to use Ultimaker 2+ printer, let’s first go through the name of every structure of Ultimaker 2+ .
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Rania Zarandah| Electronics lab engineer intern 06 | 04 | 2018
1 2 3
Build plate Print head Bowden tube
4 5 6
Print head cable Build plate clamps Push/rotate button
7 8 9
Display SD card slot Build plate screws
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Rania Zarandah| Electronics lab engineer intern 06 | 04 | 2018
1 2 3
Bowden tube Print head cable Feeder
4 5 6
Power switch USB connector Power connector
7
Spool holder
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Safety and Hazard
Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
The Ultimaker 2+ generates high temperatures and has hot moving parts that can cause injury. Never reach inside the Ultimaker 2+ while it is in operation. Always control the Ultimaker 2+ with the button at the front or the power switch at the back. Allow the Ultimaker 2+ to cool down for 5 minutes before reaching inside. Do not change or adjust anything on the Ultimaker 2+ unless the change is authorized by the manufacturer. Do not store items in the Ultimaker 2+. The Ultimaker 2+ is not intended for use by persons (including children) with reduced physical and/or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless they have been given supervision or instruction concerning the use of the appliance by a person responsible for their safety. Children should be under constant supervision when using the Ultimaker 2+. 1. Electrical Safety: The Ultimaker 2+ operates on 24 volts (Extra-low-voltage) and is therefore outside the scope of the low voltage directive. The power supply meets all CE mark regulations and is protected against short-circuit, overload, overvoltage and overtemperature. For more information concerning electrical safety aspects, please refer to the Mean Well EC-Conformity Declaration for the GS220AX power adapters. Only use the Ultimaker 2+ with power supplies and cables supplied by Ultimaker B.V. 2. Mechanical Safety: The Ultimaker 2+ contains many moving parts, but the stepper motors do not have enough power to cause serious injuries and the moving gears have been covered. Still, it is advised to only reach in the machine when it is turned off. 3. Risk of Burns: There is a potential risk of burns, as the print head can reach temperatures of up to 260°C and the heated bed can reach temperatures of up to 120°C. The nozzle of the print head is mostly surrounded by an aluminum cover to prevent contact, but we still advise against reaching into the machine when the print head and/or heated bed are hot. 4. Health: The Ultimaker 2+ is designed to print with PLA and ABS filaments. The use of other materials is at your own risk. When printing with ABS, small concentrations of Styrene vapor can be released. In some cases, this can cause headaches, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, malaise, difficulty in concentrating, and a feeling of intoxication. Therefore, good ventilation is required, and long-term exposure should be avoided. It is advisable to use a fume hood with active carbon filtering for ductless extraction. Fume extraction is mandatory for use in offices, classrooms, etc. Printing with pure PLA is considered safe, although good ventilation is still advised for possible unknown vapors released from coloring dyes in colored PLA.
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Prepare your Ultimaker 2+
Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
Start by plugging in your Ultimaker 2+, and then switch it on using the power switch
Before starting the operation, you need to check whether your printer has enough ďŹ lament for you to print your object, or you need to insert a new ďŹ lament for your printer. The small screen shown in the printer has three options; print, material, and maintenance. Choose the material option.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
After choosing the material option, another screen will pop up with the options; change, settings, and returns. Choose the change option
The filament will start flow back from the Bowden tube.
Then you can remove the filament spool from the printer spool holder.
When you choose the “change” option the printhead will start heating up in order to remove the filament from the filament Bowden tube.
Until the filament comes out completely from the Bowden tube.
After changing the filament, the printer will indicate that the material has been removed, and whether you are ready to add new material. Press Ready!
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
After pressing ready, the printer will ask you to choose the type of material you want to print with. Choose your printing material!
Insert new filament in the spool holder.
Make sure that you insert the filament spool very well to not cause any problem while pulling the filament into the tube during printing procedure.
Keep in mind the flow of the filament into the tube, therefore to insure smooth flow, please oriented as shown in the picture above.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
From the hall shown in the picture above insert the ďŹ lament starting point.
At the beginning you need to insert the ďŹ lament manually into the printer.
You have to feel that the printer is pulling the ďŹ lament upward!
Then you have to go back and press ready from the printer screen.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
You will start notice that the filament will start to flow into the tube.
Then it will start to flow out from the print head nozzle.
The screen will show a message indicating that you need to wait until the material gets out the nozzle. Since it did press Ready!
Finally, your printer is ready and now you can prepare your file to 3D print your model!
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Prepare your 3D model
Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
For the Ultimaker 2+, it is recommend to use 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.
Installation The Cura software can be found at www.ultimaker.com/software. After downloading, open the installer and run the installation wizard to complete the installation. When opening Cura for the first time, you will be asked to select your 3D printer, the Ultimaker 2+. No other configuration is required and you can directly start using Cura. You can also return back to Introduction to Ultimaker 2+ section and download the software from the link provided in the description area. Note that you cannot use the software for designing purposes, you can only upload your design there and adjust the printing parameters to as preparation for the printing procedure. From the coming pages you will learn how to open file in Cura, and how to prepare you 3D model for 3D printing by learning how to
adjust few parameters.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
This is the front view of Cura, we will go section by section to introduce you to every tool you need to use to prepare your 3D model for 3D printing.
There are two ways to insert an object into Cura, go to file!
Then open!
Find your file in wherever you save it and click open! And the other way is to drag your model into Cura front view, and it will be inserted directly.
Keep in mind that your model should be saved as one of the following formats, and preferably in either STL, OBJ, DAE or AMF file.
There two important windows you need to use to adjust your 3D model to prepare it for the 3D printing procedure.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
For the first window there is five main key parameters you can adjust! Move, in this icon you can move the object over the x, y, and z axis.
Scale, from this icon you can maximize or minimize the size of your 3D object from x, y, and z axis.
Rotate, from this icon you can rotate your object over the x, y, and z axis, manually using the circle that indicate each rotation axis.
Mirror, the mirror icon will allow you to mirror image your 3D model over the x, y, and z axis. And the final icon is similar to the second window.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
For the second window there are three important parameters that need to be adjusted; material, nozzle, and print setups.
Material, As we mentioned above, Ultimaker 2+ uses different materials for the printing procedure like; PLA, ABS, and CPE.
The nozzle is the round spout at the end of the print head used to control the flow of the filament. Keep the default option (0.4 mm) for the nozzle.
In printer setups there two options; recommended, and custom. For recommended, the software will recommend specific setups for your print.
For the custom, you can customize your own setup, by changing the parameters to go with your own print setups, like quality, shell, and infill, etc.
These setups will control the printing speed, solidness of the print, and whether the print require support and build plate adhesion.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
The infill section gives you the ability to play with the infill density of your 3D model, the percentage can change to make it less solid or completely filled.
Generate support to support parts of your model which have overhangs. Without these support, such parts would collapse during printing procedure.
Build plate adhesion type is a different option that help to improve both priming your extrusion and adhesion to the build plate.
Brim adds a single layer flat area around the base of your model to prevent warping.
Rafts adds a thick grid with a roof below the model.
Skirt is a line printed around the model but connected to the model.
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Print your 3D model
Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
To start printing your 3D model, go back to the Ultimaker 2+ printer and reach for the SD card attached to the printer.
Push the SD card into the printer!
You will ďŹ nd the SD card at the left down corner of the printer.
After pushing the SD card will come out of the printer. Take it and go back to your computer.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
Put the SD card into the SD card port in your computer.
Make sure that is placed correctly and that your computer can now read and write the SD card, then go back to Cura!
In the far-right corner of the software view you can see the save to ďŹ le bottom. Click on it!
Save it to the SD card you insert into your computer as gcode extension, and your job will be done from the Cura software and the computer.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
Insert back the SD card into the printer following the previous procedure.
Then from the small screen in the printer you have three different choices; print, material, and maintenance. Choose Print!
Then the SD card file will open and will show you all the file saved in the SD card. Go and find your file and then click on it!
Printing order will start once the machine finishes heating up, and by this your done with placing your printing order and now all you need to do is to wait!
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How to cancel your 3D print order?
Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
During the printer procedure the screen will indicates the time required to ďŹ nish the printing job.
Together with two choices; Tune and pause. Choose the pause option!
Other choices will pop up; resume print, change material, or tune. Choose the Tune option!
When choose tune a menu will appear with different choices. Choose abort!
A massage will pop up asking you whether you want to abort the printing job or not. Choose yes!
And by this you successfully aborted the print job, and the printer will start to cool down.
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References
Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
1. Material used for 3D printing using Ultimaker 2+: When you select a print material, it is important to consider the characteristics of the object you want to print and the environment in which it will be used. Ideally, to select your print material based on material characteristics such as: a. Technical properties. b. Aesthetic qualities. c. Processing abilities. The following material description will help you select the right material for your 3D printing application. 1.1
PLA (polylactic acid)
PLA is a biodegradable polymer that is ideal for 3D models with pleasing aesthetics. It has good surface quality, is somewhat glossy, and prints details with high resolution. PLA is a reliable and easy to print material that can be printed at low temperatures. It has a low shrinkage factor and does not require the use of heated build plate. It is the perfect choice for creating concept models, visualization aids, or for use of education. Overall, PLA is not as strong as more technical material but does have a high tensile strength. It is not recommended for functional and mechanical parts. Items printed with PLA can lose their mechanical properties and may become brittle over time. 1.2
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)
ABS is well-known material used by professionals for mechanical and technical applications. It has excellent mechanical properties and can be used for objects that require toughness and durability. With a thermal resistance of up to 85 , ABS can be used in warm environments. These properties make ABS a good choice for prototyping and fit testing. Ultimaker ABS is specially formulated to minimize wrapping and ensure consistent interlayer adhesion. This makes it easier to use that standard ABS filaments. Ultimaker ABS has pleasing aesthetics and results in a matte finish when printed. However, ABS is adversely affected by exposure to UV light, so it is strongly recommended not use ABS for applications that are exposed to UV light for extended periods. 1.3
CPE (co-polyester)
CPE is a popular material for mechanical application. It has the same strength as ABS but also has high tensile strength, dimensional stability, and chemical resistance. This means that CPE can be used in combination with most industrial oils and chemicals without adverse effects. CPE is odorless and emits few UFPs (ultrafine particles) and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) during printing. This makes it safer choice than any other material. However, CPE should not be used for parts exposed to high temperature as it may deform at temperature above 70. 1.4
CPE+ (co-polyester)
CPE+ is stronger that CPE, which makes it suitable for applications where the strength of the object is key. CPE+ is primarily used for functional prototyping and modeling. It has greater thermal resistance than CPE, and therefore parts printed in CPE+ can be used at temperature up to 100 without deforming. However, printing in CPE+ is more challenging than CPE because of the high temperature requires to print. 1.5
PC (polycarbonate)
PC can be used for various engineering applications. It’s one of the toughest print materials, making it a perfect choice for printing strong objects. PC has high mechanical strength, good UV stability, and high thermal resistance. It retains its form at temperature up to 110. In addition, PC has a good dimensional stability, is chemical resistance, and has flame-retardant characteristics. These properties make it suitable for lighting molds, engineering parts, tools, functional prototyping, and short-run manufacturing. However, printing in PC can be challenging due to high temperature required to print.
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
1.6
Nylon (polyamide)
Nylon is well-known material used for printing tools, functional prototyping, and end-use parts. It combines strength, impact resistance, and flexibility. Nylon 3D prints are both strong and slightly flexible. Ultimaker nylon is very durable due to its abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance to alkalis and organic chemicals. Unlike standard nylon filaments, Ultimaker nylon is considerable easy to use- it features reduced humidity absorption for easy and reliable printing. 1.7
TPU 95A (thermoplastic polyurethane)
TPU 95A is a semi-flexible material for use in application that demand qualities of rubber and plastic. TPU 95A has a score of 95 on the Shore A Hardness Scale, with an elongation break of up to 580%. TPU 95A is flexible, strong, and can withstand high impacts deforming or breaking. It is also resistant to many common industrial oils and chemical and easily resists normal wear and tear. Unlike other semi-flexible materials, Ultimaker TPU 95A is easy to use, print quickly, and does not require a high level of expertise to use effectively. TPU 95A is not recommended for applications that will be exposed to UV light, moisture, or high temperature for extended periods. 1.8
PP (polypropylene)
As the second used polymer worldwide, PP offers many possibilities for both prototypes and end-use parts. Ultimaker PP is durable with a high toughness and fatigue resistance. This means that PP retains its shape after torsion, bending, or flexing. It has very low friction, allowing parts that are in contact with each other to move smoothly over each other. PP is also semi-flexible. While it’s not as flexible as TPU 95A, it can still be a good option if you’re looking for material with slight flexibility. Besides this, it has a good chemical resistance and high electrical resistance, so it is ideal as an electrical insulator. Another key advantage of PP is that it has a low density, making it perfect for creation of lightweight parts. Furthermore, it has a good translucent properties. 1.9
PVA (polyvinyl alcohol)
Although PVA is typically used for printed objects, it is an ideal material to choose if you’re looking for removable support structures. Ultimaker PVA is biodegradable, has a good thermal stability, and is less moisture sensitive than other PVA filaments. After printing in combination with other material, PVA support structures can easily be removed by dissolving in water. This makes PVA a good support material and allows you to print models with large overhangs and complex geometries. However, PVA is only supported on the Ultimaker 3 and is currently optimized to serve as support structure for either PLA or Nylon. To read more about the material used for 3D printing in Ultimaker 2+: https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/manuals/materials
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
2. Choosing the right nozzle: There is no clear or direct way to choose the right size of nozzle, but you should keep in mind that you need to play with the printing setups (layer height, printing speed, material choice, and printing temperature) to ensure perfect printing results same as the one you get from using the 0.4 mm nozzle. Therefore, there is no way to do comprehensive guide as what would be preferred to have for the using different size of nozzles, and even we cannot recommend a certain temperature for each nozzle size as this varies even just by the color of the ďŹ lament. However, there are some guidelines that can be helpful from other users regarding; layer height, volume, speed, and temperature. 2.1
Layer height:
Printing up to around 50% to 75%-layer thickness of the nozzle size is usually ďŹ ne so for 0.4mm nozzle up to around 0.2mm or 0.3mm layers. For 0.8mm that would be around 0.6mm thick max (it is better to stick to 0.4mm), and so on. e.g. you cannot go over 0.12mm layer height with 0.25mm nozzle.
Layer Resolution
2.2
Nozzle
150 to 60 micro
0.25 mm
200 to 20 micro
0.4 mm
400 to 20 micro
0.6 mm
600 to 20 micro
0.8 mm
Volume:
The area is the square of the diameter and resistance goes down linearly by the area so you can print faster (volume of plastic per second) on the "square law". Cura shows the volume if you hover over the speed (at least some versions do). So that means for example if you normally print 0.2mm layer using 0.4mm nozzle 50mm/sec you can multiply those 3 numbers to get a volume of 4 . But with the 0.8mm nozzle you can do 4 times as fast no problem. So, if you should be able to print 16 easily (e.g. 0.4-layer height using 0.8 nozzle 50mm/sec). and of course, you need to print so much slower for the 0.25mm nozzle (or 0.15mm or 0.1mm nozzles) 2.3
Speed:
For very good dimensional accuracy (corners not blobby) it's best to keep the speed low. For really beautiful parts you want to go no faster than around 25 mm/sec regardless of layer height and nozzle size. This has to do with speed changes at corners. The printer has to slow down to 14 mm/sec on a right-angle corner so only slowing by about 2 times is barely a problem but if you are at 50mm/sec or faster the corners are noticeably bulging. This is regardless of nozzle size or layer height. That's why it's so great to print with a bigger nozzle instead of just printing faster. Extrusion speed
Nozzle
Up to 8 (mm^3/s)
0.25 mm
Up to 16 (mm^3/s)
0.4 mm
Up to 23 (mm^3/s)
0.6 mm
Up to 24 (mm^3/s)
0.8 mm
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Rania Zarandah | Electronic lab Engineer Intern 06 | 04 | 2018
2.4
Temperature:
You will get consistently better quality at lower printing temperatures but this means you also have to slow down as it's harder to get ďŹ lament through the nozzle. For high quality 210-220 is a good compromise. For extra high-quality print extra slow (10mm/sec?) and at 190. That way the ďŹ lament is more like cement and is better at not moving in the second before it cools. For the 0.8mm nozzle and larger it's best to print hotter as it is hard for the heat to penetrate to the center and so Ultimaker recommends printing a bit hotter with 0.8mm and larger nozzles.
3. Useful software and platforms for 3D modeling:
Software (unlicensed)
Software (licensed)
Platforms
Sculptris
SolidWorks
Thingiverse
Rhino
Instructurables
SketchUp
Sketchfab
AutoCAD
Tinkercad
Inventor
OnShape
Fusion 360 Cinema 4D 3DS Max Alias Maya
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