somerwil

When I tried to print that part my coupling popped out again :-)

Which version of Marlin do you use? I had some layer shifting on Marlin build 1 (rather old now...). These problems were solved on Marlin build 2 (which is also pretty old now ;-)).

I will need this wire as well and I don't want to mess it up... I found the "Vin" connection so that's great. The other side of the wire is less clear. Do you mean the "+" right above the output text on the right bottom side of the picture? The soldering is not a problem but electronics is my blind spot ;-)

I tried the cable tie but that didn't work out. I drilled some extra holes to attach the ties to but they didn't hold... I'm thinking of a little aluminium block now which I can produce at work. The drawing is already on paper, can't wait to make it tomorrow and test it! A little adjustment in the design is probably an easy and quick solution for new Ultimakers. A little bit of extra wood/ tighter fit for the coupling will do.

I didn't see anything about different print temperatures for different PLA's in this topic. Do you guys print all your PLAs at the same temperature? I change print temperature in the gcode since I feel the 'solid' colors need a higher temperature than the (semi) transparent colors. This means going to lower temps also depends on the material you're about to print. My Ultimaker white and silver for example needed some 20 degrees more than my light blue PLA to get a good extrusion. Nevertheless I also feel getting the temperature as low as possible is not the best way to reduce stringing because it also results in other problems like a lack of adhesion. I personally try to get to the 'just cool enough' temp for my material and add some 5 degrees to it so the layers stick better. With the Ultipanel I have now attached to my UM, I manually bring temp up a little to make the first layers stick to the platform better. After the first layers are printed correctly I bring the temperature down again, even though it's just for about 5-10 degrees. Controlling the temperature on the go is really a nice feature of the panel!

Hi guys, it took a while to get this far but now my "quick fit coupling" as in the Ultimaker wiki ( http://wiki.ultimaker.com/Ultimaker_rev ... _mechanism ) finally popped out of the wood. :-) It's the plastic part on this picture making a (new) way through the wood upwards. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ultimaker/5447118287/ I know this is a common issue and I know there are a few printable upgrades. Since I cannot print now these printable upgrades are not an option. Any tips on an easy solution for this? This one ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:12125 ) looks pretty strong but my wooden pieces look different from the one on the picture. When I dremel the wood bits to fit this military grade part I won't have enough wood left. Thanks, Michael

Hi, I also had problems with my temperature control lately. The problems I had were a little different but it resulted in sudden stops in the print... With the printer attached to RepG26 and ticking on the printer head with my finger I saw the temperature jumping from 20 (room temp), up to 60, back to 5 degrees and back to normal temperature again in the end. During a print it will take some vibrations too which resulted in a failed print. Newer firmwares react differently on temperature changes. Older firmwares only cool down the head when a strange temperature was measured, newer firmwares stop printing at the point where the (too) high or low temp was measured. I replaced my sensor two days ago and it shows good temperatures again. I'm able to print again!

After some testing and rewiring I decided to replace my temperature sensor this week. This appeared to be the problem since I didn't have these problems since replacing it.

I solved the problem and I can get some prints out again. It was a bad sensor resulting in the problems so it was NOT firmware related. Will try the different versions soon.

Hi Reza, I don't know if you have found answers for your questions but here's a response ;-) As far as I know, the documentation can be found on the Netfabb wiki, http://wiki.netfabb.com/Version#Ultimaker_Engine . It's not up to date as we speak and no up to date 4.9 manual is available. I used the Florian's introduction to Netfabb to get myself underway. It is available on the Ultimaker wiki, http://wiki.ultimaker.com/NetFabb_Setup ... troduction This information is also not up-to-date as we speak. IMPORTANT things you should know: Don't calibrate things yourself. Paul and Florian already did this resulting in the print profiles Match material with build style. i.e. select PLA - Standard material setting with Standard, HOLLOW for example. Never print rafts! Start without printing support structures. It takes some experience Get you platform level (pretty hard to do this correctly though! Spend some love with the platform and it will help getting nice first layers) I feel pretty happy with the results with Netfabb and particularly with printing Netfabb gcode through RepG26 and Marlin Build 2 firmware. I'm testing newer firmware (Erik's build) and the Netfabb connection today. It turns out to work properly so far. Main problem I have is an unstable temperature causing my prints to stop. This is probably sensor related (loose wire somewhere so I'll need to replace it) AND NOT Ultimaker connection, firmware of software related. The no firmware or software able to compensate for a bad sensor ;-) To make other people happy and improving their print results with Netfabb I thought of making a video on my settings and the things I've done to get some nice prints. I hope to do that tommorrow but it takes a lot of time... If you just want to get the Ultimaker going and printing nice stuff, my advice would be (as of 20 april 2012) Firmware: Marlin build 2 (available through Replicator G) Software for sending gcode: Replicator G 26 (for either Windows and Mac) Software for slicing: Netfabb Studio 4.9 ( for either Windows and Mac) These things may change within a few days though. I would NOT recommend to go with the latest firmwares yet and the latest Replicator G version seems to be fine but you might encounter a few bugs. Please notice it's just an advice! If you can get your machine to work with other firmwares and gcode senders please feel free to add it here! Happy printing, Michael

Hi, My PCB fan is also pretty loud at startup. After a few minutes and a few kind knocks on the bottom of the Ultimaker it gets quiet again. I received a replacement fan for testing goals but this fan was basically a lot noisier so my first fan is back on my machine again. I cannot give you a solution but I know there are more people out there with this problem.

Hi guys, I tried both Cura RC2 with the integrated firmware and the new Ultimaker firmware (Erik's build from 2012-04-18.2) with my new Ultipanel connected. Both firmware appear to work fine, also with the panel which is really a nice add-on. I have good control of the machine with the panel and I can change the things I like during a print (with both firmwares as far as I tested them). I don't have a jumper on my PCB since it is not the latest spec PCB. I need to connect the UM with my PC still to print/ start up (which is related to the juper issue). So far so good. Only known 'problems', I will need to add the jumper on the board. I tried to print something however starting with Cura first. The installation was pretty smooth, and I was able to get it running without too much problems and got the machine going to print a part. Startup was really nice and the first couple of layers were printed nicely. After approximately half an hour though the machine suddenly stopped. I took a look at the display and saw a new temperature was set at 0 degrees... The extrusion stopped but also the X and Y axes didn't move any more. After this I decided to try the latest firmware from Erik, which is available through RepG. I installed this firmware (2012-04-18.2) to the machine without any problem. Had to redo some port settings but that's OK. I sliced a thing in Netfabb, added the M92 E14 code in the header of the gcode and started to print. After a few layers the machine suddenly stopped again. No movement on X and Y and 0 degrees temperature setting. On the Ultipanel it said "DWELL...". Honestly I don't know it that warning (or whatever it means) was on my Ultipanel with the Cura firmware but the output and result are pretty much the same: A big blob at the point were it stopped printing. Everything appeared to be working just fine seconds before stopping since I can't see any other failures in the prints up to the blob. Is this a bug in the firmware or is this related to my machine? I wa able to do some (good-looking) printing before trying these firmwares and programs. Any help/ suggestion/ updated firmware is really appreciated. Thanks, Michael

Hi coofercat, some pictures of your results would indeed be helpful to help you improve your print quality. A thing I'd suggest is having a look at Netfabb. Even though it has its flaws it improved my quality a lot. It takes another €150 but compared to the machine it's not too bad. Besides a better print quality it also adds to the fun because of the nice user interface and the calculation time (compared to Skeinforge 37). Good progression has been made with Cura and RepG lately so please do not forget about these programs too! cheers, Michael

did you download the diamond model from Thingiverse? I'd like to give it a try!

Hi mate, here's my experience ;-) Before I start with my story I'd like to say I'm related to or paid by Ultimaker in any way. You can say I'm an Ultimaker fanboy. I decided to go with the Ultimaker in september last year and to be honest it took some time before I decided the Ultimaker is my machine! Other machines I had a look at were the UP! printer, Makerbot's TOM en the BfB3000. The TOM has been replaced with the Replicator and the BfB3000 is now called a "Touch".The pricing of the UP printer is low now. Back in september these things still cost 2600 USD excl. shipping... So a few things have changed since I decided to go with Ultimaker. Nevertheless I choose the Ultimaker because of: Large build volume Small footprint of the machine (compared to print volume) Relatively cheap (back then, also since I live in the Netherlands, shippingwise) Fast printing capabilities Dutch design (which makes me proud as well :-)) Very good mechanical design (as a mechanical engineer I love this machine) Good prints available at Thingiverse On the other hand I felt the other machines I looked at were already built (UP! printer. I love to simply print, not particularly assemble it) Multiple print heads (on the BfB machine) Debugged software (BfB's Axon and particularly the UP software appear to work just fine and easy) In the end I had to choose between the Up! and Ultimaker. I choose the Ultimaker for it's better price (back in september, gap is closed now), build volume and for it being a Dutch product. That last one is particularly handy if you have a broken part or questions. The Ulti-evenings are awesome and a ot of people join these evenings (yesterday some 40-50 people there!) After a few months of printing I must say I'm really happy with the machine mechanical wise. It's just a brilliant machine which didn't let me down. Obviously improvements can be made but my machine is just standard really. I added some parts just because of the bling but it doesn't add to print quality ;-) Software wise things can be improved (still). The print quality is 95% related to good software and firmware. Due to an enormous amount of software and firmware guru's loads of (un)stable, experimental version can be found. Some good progress is made the last weeks but the latest versions are still under development. A thing that helped me get my personal print quality up is slicing program Netfabb. It added to the fun I have with my machine. I think Netfabb is awesome also despite its flaws (direct connection is not all that great and some bugs are still there). Netfabb is easy to use, also because of the perfect print profiles by Paul Candler and Florian Horsch. It they were girls... ;-) I print nearly all my prints with Netfabb gcode. Have a look at my prints at Thingiverse (Maak Mijn Idee and somerwil is both me). Also have a look at Dave Durant's quality print article on his blog. It's great! When I should decide which printer to buy today my preferences will still be the Ultimaker and the Up 3D printer. I saw that last one on RapidPro last year and good reviews can be found. Since it's price tag is a lot better now it became a (much) better option. Nevertheless I'd still go with the Ultimaker without too much doubt. I like the Ultimaker community and I love it's enormous print volume (particularly compared to the Up). Netfabb finishes the battle. Ultimaker wins. Pricewise some other option are available now. The Sumpod looks OK but I don't see anyone with awesome print quality anywhere. They're not even close (yet?) The Printrbot also looks nice but is really tiny (I love monster prints). A RepRap Mendel or any sort of look-a-like is really not for me. It looks like a never ending prototype to be honest. I'd recommend Ultimaker to improve the software (make it more accessible for a bigger audience), come up with prebuilt machines and make the machine look better (like the alloy Sumpod). I think this will further improve sales. Just my $0,02. Gr, Michael

I bought and installed mine last night at the Ulti-evening. It works with Marlin firmwares and looks really nice! For me the panel has these advantages: No need to worry about a stable connection from PC to UM anymore with the SD card It makes my UM more mobile so I can print anywhere without moving my 24" iMac. Also no need to take your laptop every time. The LCD screen shows helpful information and with the jog dial you can adjust print settings on the go if you like. I can imagine it is not a necessary upgrade for all the UM users but for me these function where worth buying. It's nice everyone can choose if he/she needs this. The machine is still brilliant without it!

A new, tested and stable (?) version of the Ultimaker's firmware is available since yesterday. I have it on my machine since yesterday evening so I honestly have no personal experiences with it yet... Easiest way to update your firmware to this firmware is to open RepG (any will version will do) and update the firmware from the list in the dialog box. If you don't know how to do that, have a look at the wiki. It's not difficult although it may sound like it! Also please feel free to download RepG's latest version for Ultimaker from software.ultimaker.com. The Ultimaker team put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making this version of RepG and the firmware more stable and add functionality to it.

Hi Antiklesys, I print most of my parts @ Netfabb's 'Standard' setting so I select the Material setting "Standard" and Build Style to my Duplicate of Standard Hollow. I changed two things from standard Netfabb profile: 1) print 4 contour 'shells' instead of 2 2) Disable Downskin

At the Ulti-evening yesterday both Julius and David gave a presentation on the progress that has been made with the software. Julius spoke about RepG 34 with integrated Skeinforge 47+ and stable, new Marlin version RepG34 (with integrated Skeinforge) are available at http://software.ultimaker.com/ The new Marlin firmware can be updated through any version of RepG and is available in the "Update new firmware" dialog David (Daid) spoke about Cura which is also a very, very impressive package and definately worth trying! Cura RC2 is the newest version. Hopefully he can give the link to download it from. Cura ia basically an all-in-one solution with some added functionality and nice user-interface. Both programs are worth trying! RepG 34 is tested by Julius and debugged as well. I assume it will be a pretty stable program in combination with the recommended firmware. Cura is under development but the RC2 release seems to be working fine and Daid does an awesome job in troubleshooting! This is no garantee everything will be working properly but it's very good there are now 2 new, stable and up to date options available. Please feel free to play around with either program

I print all my things with gcode generated by Netfabb and I think it's brilliant. I save the gcode Netfabb makes, open it in RepG26 and start printing. It gives me some nice results and quality so far. My main challenge was to get the first layer right... Calibration? I honestly feel there's no need for that. Volumetric? Don't even know exactly what it means. Don't really miss it with standard Netfabb. Direct connection from Netfabb? Working, still not great. Cura probably better? I have no idea since I had some trouble installing Cura. Daid helped me right away pointing me towards a Windows 7 administration issue. Due to the good experiences so far I'll have a look into Cura again. Besides: Daid does a very good job in developing Cura and giving people good support for it! It's something Netfabb can learn from.

OK, some months later but here's a little update. I tried several programs as a trial version. I ended up with Sculptris as a sculpting program and I decided to go with Rhino even though it was quite an investment... I also had a look at Blender, ZBrush and Cinema 4D. Out of these I liked ZBrush the most but Sculptris has some of the features and is free (both programs by Pixologic). Must say I really like Sculptris. It's a nice, free, easy to understand program. I would recommend it to anyone! I also recommend a tablet (for example one of the Wacoms) for drawing in Sculptris. Pretty expensive both worth the money. I go with Sketchup for my more technical objects and draw in a professional 3D modeller at work (PTC Creo Direct) for the more complex technical objects. I also tried Alibre. It felt very good and is also a good option if you don't have the opportunity to draw professionally at work. It's interface feels quite good and everything I tried to draw worked fine. No need for me to go with it since it overlaps Sketchup/ PTC Creo Direct too much.

I have the same problem with the transparant PLA on my Ultimaker and haven't found a solution yet (not searching very hard for it as well though...). I think it's head-speed related. I also have this when printing other PLAs and particularly at rounded surfaces. Don't know if it has anything to do with is but it seems like the mechanical system (incl. belt/ belt tension) can't keep up with the printing speed making a turn in which a lot of meshes pass the path of the extruder. It's not a grounded suggestion but just one of my thougths. In case it is the problem, you can try to get the speed down. If you find some time, try it at 50% of the original speed and let's see what happens. Also look after your belts tension. It's hard to say what a good tension should look like but I needed to get quite a bit extra tension in them to get the print quality up.

I'm pretty sure it's either a temperature problem or the bolt not being tight enough. Netfabb tries to print on very low print temperatures. This has some advantages but also some downsides. I suggest you try to get the temperature up. On High quality setting generally 225 degrees is a good start. You can go down from there if you have a lot of stringing. There's no such thing as a best temperature. It depends in your PLA/ ABS and also varies per color and layer thickness. My white PLA from Ultimaker uses the highest temperatures to print @ 220-225 at standard quality, probably 5 degrees lower for high quality settings and 10 degrees lower for Ultra prints. I'll look into the temperatures first since I think that is the most obvious reason to loose extrusion. Also check the bolt on the extruder gear part which puts pressure on the material. It should be really tight! Hope this helps, Michael

I know about that Daid! ;-) You should indeed apply for it. Don't know how long it takes you to get to Geldermalsen, the Netherlands every day ;-) From my reply one may read it as if I don't like my Ultimaker. That's not true, I love it! I just feel there's so much room for making the software stuff in particular more accessible for beginners. Hardware-wise I know some of the latest developments and ideas. It's rather difficult to implement and test these ideas and takes (a lot of) time before everything works flawlessly. Nevertheless there's also a huge opportunity for Ultimaker to get some upgrade kits out (like a ready-to-go LCD display, heated bed, upgraded extruder, upgraded frame/ whatever they develop).

Hi, I was worried about the electric bits and the software before I decided to go for it. The electronic bits were really easy afterwards but the software/ firmware was rather difficult to understand. There are just too many options. Not the number of available programs that are out there but the compatiblity of hardware, software and firmware versions could be (a lot) better. Not every version of the software works with every version of firmware. This results in a hard to understand workflow. For example: Marlin build 2 works fine. With RepG 26 that is... No connection possible with Netfabb though which needed Marlin 1... Daid does a fantastic job in writing easy-to-install firmware/softwares. Quite honestly I feel the Ultimaker team must improve the ease of use of the software in particular. Besides that, it will also help when some versions of the software get to a V1.0 status instead of being a alpha or beta status... I understand the Ultimaker project is a RepRap derivative with an open source basis as is the software. This leads to quick and free developments by the community but also in a million versions. I think it's the Ultimaker's team decision to come up with a very stable version of firm- and software every 3 months or so. Even if the latest features are not included... If you want to get yourself a stable connection with the Ultimaker, go with RepG 26 from the Ultimaker's software site. Upload Marlin build 2 firmware through RepG26 (easy to do!) and get yourself a copy of Netfabb. It adds another 150 Euros to the price tag but this software is easy to understand and needs little configuration thanks to Paul Candler's print profiles. Print the Netfabb gcode through RepG (better options than through Netfabb, also better than the new 4.9) and you have a wonderfully working combination!