New machines this year!

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

Also an interesting part of the interview on not selling at "boxmovers".

They do sell at "coolblue.nl" which is an online boxmover imho.

 

In Switzerland it's microspot.ch and Digitec... boxmovers par excellence... sometimes I have the impression Ultimaker doesn't know where their machines go to. Does their view really end with the distributors? I can't believe that...

Edited January 18, 2016 by Guest

[das_enginer 2]

The plot thickens! I'm now VERY curious about the price of the kit to upgrade my UM2 to a UM2+. Before this, I wouldn't have blinked an eye at something around $300 USD for the upgrade kit, but I would hate to spend that amount to upgrade only to have a UM2+ Dual come out afterwards which would allow me soluble supports...

[Nicolinux 288]

I am sure the new machines will be Delta style printers!

Ok ok, or maybe not

But I welcome the fact that UM is very committed to its user base and listens to feedback. From our perspective it might have taken a really long time for the upcoming UM2 +kit but when you deal with manufacturing and delivery on an international level, I imagine these things take a long time. And it wouldn't make sense to release an upgrade just to tackle a single issue - there must be a long term plan behind it.

If I had to guess about the next big focus, I'd put my finger on new materials. It is no surprise that the new geared feeder will be able to handle a wide range of materials. If dual extrusion is to come, then I think it will be geared towards improvements like printing infill with a second, bigger nozzle and/or some kind of dissolvable support material. And when I say new materials, I do not only mean filament. Bio printing and food printing are imho huge markets and just because they aren't as sexy as the latest Stormtrooper helmet made of ivory filament, doesn't mean that they should be ignored.

Regarding filament, I think they will also improve on areas such as print failure recovery (this is mostly a software thing) and maybe filament flow detection.

They already have great hardware and it makes sense to improve the heck out of it instead of going for new fancy (delta) printers

[korneel 176]

I hope the new printer can print money.. that would help with the 3d printing projects..

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

I think @Nicolinux is on a good track. Materials is certainly a major topic for UM this year; they also mentioned the two-material prints in the interview. But we all know that Marlin is very limited about supporting prints with two completely different materials as it has e.g. only one setting for the extruder step size.

In the interview they mention that their software branch is growing. But I think they don't work all on Cura. I guess we will see a new - non-Marlin - firmware basis this year for both the new machines and at least the UM2 family.

@iroberti: I hope, you still have pop-corn...

Edited January 19, 2016 by Guest

[jameshs 42]

two nozzle sizes on one machine would produce a solution that could be really fast at prototyping.

I have always longed for something with a bigger bed size (height not to important to me) but understand that the UM mechanism is operating at it's limits at the moment.

Lots of chat about core xy on other print boards and this does allow a bit of growth (I would love A3 paper size!)

The talk about software does get me thinking about 'dual' or 'multi' and I think that some changes in Cura structuring have already started to make this possible?

I hope they don't go down the path of 'scanning' 'cutting' multi-use - even having my shapeoko in the same room is a bad idea for the machine, and there are other products (like the othermill) that do clever little things like circuit boards.

A material that could do lost wax casting - in your microwave, now that would be cool

[nallath 1,120]

I would hate to spend that amount to upgrade only to have a UM2+ Dual come out afterwards which would allow me soluble supports...

As we said before; Don't expect an official release for a dual kit for the 2. There are too much problems to fix (fixing them would require massive redesign of the machine, which is simply not feasible for a kit).

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

 

@nallath: Well, it would maybe not be much more than one has to do for upgrading an UM2 to an UM2+... In both cases we are talking about a new print head. But it's ok that UM is not bringing an upgrade kit for dual extrusion. This leaves space for other people...

Edited January 19, 2016 by Guest

[Nicolinux 288]

 

@nallath I know it has been asked a few times before... But people are giddy about the +kit. When will it be available?

[nallath 1,120]

@nallath I know it has been asked a few times before... But people are giddy about the +kit. When will it be available?

 

I have no idea. The time when I was able to track everything that was going on in Ultimaker is long passed I expect that Sander will be able to give you a date.

 

@nallath: Well, it would maybe not be much more than one has to do for upgrading an UM2 to an UM2+... In both cases we are talking about a new print head. But it's ok that UM is not bringing an upgrade kit for dual extrusion. This leaves space for other people...

 

This is why I said that there won't be an official one. People are always free (and welcome to!) make / release / sell upgrades.

[Edel 5]

@nallath I know it has been asked a few times before... But people are giddy about the +kit. When will it be available?

 

End of January they told me

[das_enginer 2]

 

I would hate to spend that amount to upgrade only to have a UM2+ Dual come out afterwards which would allow me soluble supports...

 

As we said before; Don't expect an official release for a dual kit for the 2. There are too much problems to fix (fixing them would require massive redesign of the machine, which is simply not feasible for a kit).

 

Absolutely! I was intending to say that I wouldn't want to spend $X00 on an upgrade kit if there was a $X000 new machine that I would want to purchase instead. The line of logic that follows 'why would I upgrade my old machine if I was to just replace it entirely'.

[Broome 3]

I was actually thinking of buying a new Ultimaker 2+ this month (I already have a Ultimaker 2 extended). But as so many has said it seems to be a bad idea with these rumors of a new machine floating around.

[nallath 1,120]

I was actually thinking of buying a new Ultimaker 2+ this month (I already have a Ultimaker 2 extended). But as so many has said it seems to be a bad idea with these rumors of a new machine floating around.

 

There are always rumours of a new machine If the 2+ does what you need it to do, waiting doesn't make sense (eg; you will be waiting forever, as there will always be something 'better' on the horizon)

[neotko 1,417]

 

@Broome well this, as far as anyone knows, isn't a rumour since it was the CEO the one that said that there will be new machines this very year. But read all the interview, it might be a bigger (wider) machine, that by all means sounds like a more expensive machine. So think about what you need to print and when you need to print it. There will be always new machines in a future. Also think that Ultimaker it's the last person/company interested on making obsolete their just upgraded um2 models.

[niyoki 21]

I can imagine coming Printers will be more expensive (like 10-20% more). If coming Systems promise better print quality they all need closed filament cartridges (to keep filament away from temperature, dust, humidity or priming better before printing). When I read Forum I'm sorting in mine mind problems from users and it is looking like this:

5% 3d Printer Manifacturer/Reseller can offer free of charge local courses

15% User fault (Speed settings vs temperature)

10% Cura (I mean Cura can improve only "Quickprint Profile"'s the rest needs nobody)

15% Hardware issues (pulleys, belts, clogged nozzle, electronics)

5% Bed Level issues (Until now nobody has a good recipe for it)

50% Filament

please give also Feedback, if I'm thinking not so right way.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Guest

[korneel 176]

 

I was actually thinking of buying a new Ultimaker 2+ this month (I already have a Ultimaker 2 extended). But as so many has said it seems to be a bad idea with these rumors of a new machine floating around.

 

There are always rumours of a new machine ;)If the 2+ does what you need it to do, waiting doesn't make sense (eg; you will be waiting forever, as there will always be something 'better' on the horizon)

 

what Nallath said.. if the Um2+ works for you.. buy it.. because I'll let you in on a secret.. in 2017.. there will me more new machines

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

Also think that Ultimaker it's the last person/company interested on making obsolete their just upgraded um2 models.

 

I'm not so sure about that in this specific case. If you have a look at the parts that were changed, you realise the following:

- the new feeder can be used on a future FFF machine

- same goes for the new heater cartridge, PT100 and glass clips

- maybe the same goes for the Olsson block, anyway, they could take an existing design so almost no design costs and it needs no specific tools

- the new fan duct is most probably cut by water jetting or laser cutting; no tooling costs there as well

So there were no new tools necessary for the upgrade which they could not use for a new machine. To me, the UM2+ is a bit like an 'iPhone Xs'. So, I see no significant costs which would prevent UM to drop the UM2 model in half a year or so. And believe me, in the end it's the costs which decide about new models or model changes (sorry to destroy some illusions...).

[neotko 1,417]

You are right... But also think that Ultimaker, specially since they can't get a hold on angel capital, that means that they can't venture on a revolutionary product just like that.

From the interview

 

It’s easy to get some Angel investors for the first one, two, three hundred thousand Euros, but if you are looking for Series A funding, the funnel narrows very quickly.

They must be also having to answer to the current investors, and as a company you can't just rebuild the basics without killing the old product.

They have a current machine that, with the small improvements they released, now it's more stable to get newb users (users that don't know how to disassemble stuff), that's like going to the laptop market (the one that xyz printers are going to and even when they are horrible, had one and I still regret it).

Today a machine of 2k it's just like a pro computer, not super pro, just pro. They have their low end umo+ for guys with guts, they have a pro version um2, and a taller um2.

Now, they can try to get a hold on the big companies that need more production, bigger prints (not taller, but wider). Also because the 20x20 wide limit (more or less) they might be losing market from movie prop makers, or just people that wan't to print ipad pro cases...

What a new printer needs to get a hold of that markets, imo...

- Bigger table?

- Faster prints, but not just dropping mm/s numbers, but actually delivering quality at higher speeds.

- Better cpu to be able to calculate and compensate for the speed errors.

- Higher temperatures. 260C to print don't allows to print 'fast' on some materials.

Multiple materials, so far for the current customers ain't a must, so they might focus on doing what they had, but better, faster, stronger... wider..

[Labern 774]

It depends on if the new machine meets a different market. If it's bigger with different features, it maybe in a different price bracket with a different consumer base and therefore they may keep the UM2+ for quite some time.

For example a lot of people still only have a need for a single extruder machine so why would they buy a more costly dual extruder machine (if it will be)

[ultiarjan 1,223]

And believe me, in the end it's the costs which decide about new models or model changes (sorry to destroy some illusions...).

 

I have this gut feeling in this case we have no UM3 yet because UM is simply not ready with any kind of technology improvement that would justify the "3" ... looking at the CEO statement they must be close enough to be confident to state "this year".

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

... looking at the CEO statement they must be close enough to be confident to state "this year".

 

I would not take this statement for written in stone. If they see that postponing an announcement date makes sense they certainly will. Example: UM2 dual extrusion was postponed more than once before it was cancelled.

[foehnsturm 969]

I don't see the new machine as a successor model of the UM2. Instead, I suppose it'll aim at a prosumer / professional grade segment right above the UM2 (at least the first version, when new technology is expensive). Would be a standard marketing strategy.

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

 

@foehnsturm: In general you're absolutely right. But keep in mind that Ultimaker still claims 'we are makers at heart'. Focussing on an even more pro user market would somehow not fit that slogan. But maybe they will drop it this year.

[foehnsturm 969]

Well, the price target might be close enough and the message could be like "within reasonable time this will be affordable for you all". So no one feels betrayed.