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Ultimaker 3 Installation And User Manual
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Ultimaker 3 Installation And User Manual

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Ultimaker 3
Installation and user manual
Original manual v1.0
2016

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Summary of Contents for Ultimaker 3

  • Page 1 Ultimaker 3 Installation and user manual Original manual v1.0 2016...
  • Page 2 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.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents 1. Safety and compliance ............................6 Safety messages Hazards 2. Introduction................................9 Main components Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended Specifications 3. Unpack and install the hardware ......................... 12 Unboxing Install the hardware accessories 4. Set up for first use ..............................17...
  • Page 4 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.
  • Page 5 Certifications...

  • Page 6: Safety And Compliance

    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.
  • Page 7 Never reach inside of the Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended while it is in operation. Always control the printer with the button at the front or the power switch at the back. Allow the Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker 3 Extended to cool down for 5 minutes before reaching inside.

  • Page 8: Hazards

    Mechanical Safety The Ultimaker 3 contains moving parts. No damage to the user will be expected from the drive belts. The force of the build plate is big enough to give some damage, so keep hands out of the reach of the build plate during operation.

  • Page 9: Introduction

    Introduction Meet your Ultimaker 3 and learn what the possibilities of this 3D printer are.

  • Page 10: Main Components Ultimaker 3 Or Ultimaker 3 Extended

    14. 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. The only difference between the two printers is the height of the housing. See Specifications...

  • Page 11: Specifications

    Specifications Printer and printing properties Ultimaker 3 Ultimaker 3 Extended When no value is listed, it is equal to Ultimaker 3 Technology Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Print head Dual extrusion print head with a unique auto-nozzle lifting system and swappable...

  • Page 12: Unpack And Install The Hardware

    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.

  • Page 13: Unboxing

    Remove the styrofoam part that is placed at the front bottom side of the Ultimaker 3. Take the Ultimaker 3, remove the bottom styrofoam part and place the Ultimaker 3 on a flat surface. Manually lift the build plate and remove the packaging material under the build plate.
  • Page 14 This in the box The Ultimaker 3 is supplied with several hardware accessories. Check if all these accessories are included before continuing. Print core AA 0.4 (in print head slot 1 of the Ultimaker) Print core AA 0.4 Print core BB 0.4...

  • Page 15: Install The Hardware Accessories

    Guide the NFC cable through the slot in the back panel. Insert the cable cover into the back panel to keep the cable in place. Gently place the Ultimaker upright. Placing the glass plate Open the two build plate clamps at the front of the build plate.
  • Page 16 Plug the power cable into the wall socket. 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...

  • Page 17: Set Up For First Use

    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.

  • Page 18: Print Core Installation

    Type BB: for printing support material (PVA) Each Ultimaker 3 comes with two AA print cores - of which one is already installed in print head slot 1 - and one BB print core. This means that it is possible to make prints with two build materials or with a build and support material.

  • Page 19: Loading Materials

    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.
  • Page 20 Insert the end of the material into feeder 1 and gently push it until the material is grabbed by the feeder and is visible in the bowden tube. Wait for the Ultimaker 3 to heat up print core 1 and to load the material into the print head. Confirm when the new material extrudes from the print head.

  • Page 21: Installing Wifi And Firmware

    If you skip this process you can always re-do the WiFi setup by going to System g Network g Run WiFi setup. Updating the firmware As a last step the Ultimaker 3 will check if the latest firmware is installed. If not, it will get the latest firmware from the network and install it. This will take several minutes.

  • Page 22: Cura Software

    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.

  • Page 23: Operation

    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.

  • Page 24: Display And Control Button

    A blinking button means the Ultimaker 3 is waiting for user input. When turning on your Ultimaker 3 after the first use, you will always see the Ultimaker logo first after which the main menu appears. The main menu offers three options: Print, Material/PrintCore and System.

  • Page 25: 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.

  • Page 26: Starting A Print

    Select “Add” in this screen to configure an Ultimaker 3 by IP address manually. Cura will ask if you want to transfer configuration from your Ultimaker 3 to Cura. Select “yes” to automatically transfer them. When selecting “no” , make sure you select the correct settings manually.
  • Page 27 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. Place the USB stick in your computer. 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.

  • Page 28: 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.
  • Page 29 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.
  • Page 30 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. 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: •...

  • Page 31: Print Cores

    This calibration must only be done once; after this, the information is stored on the printer. The AA print core that was installed on receipt of the Ultimaker 3 has already been calibrated with the other two print cores and does not require calibration.

  • Page 32: Build Plate Calibration

    If the level of the build plate is off too much (and active leveling cannot compensate for this), manual leveling can be done. Go to System g Build plate g Manual leveling. Wait for the Ultimaker 3 to do its homing procedure and continue when the print head is in the center at the back of the build plate.
  • Page 33 For this it is only necessary to set the correct height by using the calibration card. Place the calibration card between the second nozzle and build plate. 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.

  • Page 34: Maintenance

    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.

  • Page 35: Updating Firmware

    Place the USB stick in the Ultimaker 3. Go to System g Maintenance g Update firmware. The Ultimaker 3 will detect it if there is a firmware file on the USB stick. Select the file to start the firmware update.

  • Page 36: 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.

  • Page 37: Keeping The Printer Clean

    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.

  • Page 38: Maintaining The Bb Print Core

    The use of pliers is required to prevent injuries on your hands in case the material breaks. Applying too much pressure to the material is almost impossible, the Ultimaker 3 will not get damaged. If there is no extrusion, apply more pressure.
  • Page 39 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 Take a new piece of PLA and insert it into the print head by hand until you feel some resistance. Hold the piece of PLA with pliers and gently apply pressure to extrude some material.

  • Page 40: Help & Support

    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.

  • Page 41: Troubleshooting

    Print core not recognized If a print core is not recognized by the Ultimaker 3, the printer will inform you about this. The main reason for this are dirty contact points on the chip at the back side of the print core. When this happens, clean the contact points with a cotton swab...
  • Page 42 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. • An unspecified error has occurred. Restart the printer or go to ultimaker.com/ER11.