Ultimaker S5 | impressions & opinions

[gr5 2,172]

8 hours ago, KennethKenneth said:

Will this machine or the machines before get a simulation processing options.

@KennethKenneth I don't understand what you are asking and I'm not sure that uncle_bob understands either.  What does that mean?  Maybe a specific example?

 

[KennethKenneth 0]

Hi

Simulation mode.

Will one be able to run in simulation mode to see what your print is going to look like before you actually do the proper print.In simulation mode you can see layer for layer what is going on, fill gaps and so forth. This way one can save on unwanted prints and time.

This buttons as a feature in cura would be advantageous.

Thanking you kindly

Kenneth Kenneth.

[drayson 75]

1 hour ago, KennethKenneth said:

Hi

Simulation mode.

Will one be able to run in simulation mode to see what your print is going to look like before you actually do the proper print.In simulation mode you can see layer for layer what is going on, fill gaps and so forth. This way one can save on unwanted prints and time.

This buttons as a feature in cura would be advantageous.

Thanking you kindly

Kenneth Kenneth.

 

That's already there - just go into Layer view and use the sliders or just the "play" button to get a preview of the nozzle runnin' around...

[KennethKenneth 0]

Hi

Thank you,much appreciated.

[Makena 1]

I am looking forward to getting this printer.  I preordered it a couple weeks ago and can't wait to start using it.  It will be my first Ultimaker printer.

[uncle_bob 21]

Hi

 

A few things to research / ponder while you are waiting for your cool new printer:

 

1) The build surface is glass. If you drop it on a concrete floor, it can indeed break. At least for the earlier printers a genuine UM spare was relatively cheap. It's worth having an extra "just in case".

 

2) If you didn't get a bundle of filament with the printer, order some now. You will burn through what comes with the machine pretty fast.

 

3) Big prints can take a *long* time to complete. A couple of days is not unusually long. If there is any chance of a power outage happening where you will run the printer - get a UPS to run it on. Compared to the printer .... not a lot of money. Compared to the frustration of a three day print getting nuked ... money well spent. 

 

4) Prints are done from models. Models come from CAD software. If you don't already have CAD experience, now is a fine time to start messing around. There are several free programs out there which seem to work for a lot of people. If this is a commercial venture, there are "paid for" versions to look at. 

 

5) It's a big printer and yes you want to print *BIG* stuff. Resist the urge for at least the first few prints. Start small. Small prints run fast and give you a good idea how things all work. Yes, your cube collection will probably get tossed in the trash ... live with it ?  Far better to make mistakes in 15 minutes and correct them in 20 minutes that to do it with a cycle measured in days.

 

6) To me one of the great things about the UM3 ( and the UM5) is the easy swap print cores. I have a few spares "in stock". There are a lot of people who ( rightly ) might say that's overkill. 

 

Have fun !!!!

 

Bob

[kmanstudios 1,120]

1 hour ago, uncle_bob said:

1) The build surface is glass. If you drop it on a concrete floor, it can indeed break. At least for the earlier printers a genuine UM spare was relatively cheap. It's worth having an extra "just in case".

It is also coming with an aluminum buildplate. But the glass statement is true otherwise. Just wanted to clarify the apparent limitation.

 

1 hour ago, uncle_bob said:

get a UPS to run it on.

Absolutely!! I had to do that with the UM3Es I have, but also to protect the investment...do not wanna fry electronics or cause issues with brownouts, especially now that summer is here soon and the NYC electricity is notable for being dirty as all get out.

 

1 hour ago, uncle_bob said:

If you don't already have CAD experience, now is a fine time to start messing around.

Again, completely behind this. Mainly because I figure if you are only going to be a tech, go to work for someone else. But if you are doing this for yourself, you are severely limiting yourself if you do not know how to make your own things, or even fix the gazillion crappy models you will come across.

 

1 hour ago, uncle_bob said:

It's a big printer and yes you want to print *BIG* stuff. Resist the urge for at least the first few prints. Start small. Small prints run fast and give you a good idea how things all work. Yes, your cube collection will probably get tossed in the trash ... live with it ?  Far better to make mistakes in 15 minutes and correct them in 20 minutes that to do it with a cycle measured in days

Dead on. I cannot tell you how many stress tests, cubes, oven boxes, tubes, cylinders, etc I printed for exactly this reason: "...Far better to make mistakes in 15 minutes and correct them in 20 minutes..."

 

1 hour ago, uncle_bob said:

I have a few spares "in stock". There are a lot of people who ( rightly ) might say that's overkill. 

Bah and phooey on those people. They probably have not had a core go south and still need to get that job done. Spares are one thing, 20 may be overkill for one printer though LOL ?

 

[uncle_bob 21]

Hi

 

Isn't the aluminum build plate coming out this fall? Everybody who *buys* an S5 will get one. They just will not get it with the early printer shipments. .... or am I confused yet again ? ?

 

Bob

[kmanstudios 1,120]

No, you are correct, but the way it was written, it gave the impression the glass was all one would get. At least that is what I thought, so I thought I would make sure is all....

 

[yyh1002 60]

On 4/23/2018 at 8:48 PM, Daid said:

Double the theoretical resolution on X/Y by changing the belt pulley sizes. With the heavier construction, this also gave us the plus of having more torque.

 

To be specific, is it 16/32 teeth ratio for the pulley?

[ShaunP 4]

Hi all!  New to this forum and Ultimaker.  Our first printer was the Monoprice UItimate (Wanhao Duplicator 6) and now we just received the S5 and I am already impressed with the first print!  Set up was very easy and I cannot wait to print more, especially now that I have dual extruders.  

 

One question I do have is the aluminum plate.  I know this is coming later in the year, but I'm curious as to how I Ultimaker will send it to me as I don't see a place to register the printer.  

[starbuck 25]

@ShaunP there is a paper inside the UMS5 box that says go to http://ultimaker.com/alu-plate and enter your info to get shipped the aluminum build plate.

[ShaunP 4]

59 minutes ago, starbuck said:

@ShaunP there is a paper inside the UMS5 box that says go to http://ultimaker.com/alu-plate and enter your info to get shipped the aluminum build plate.

Oh that large 14" x 11" heavy card that I some how missed during my excitement of setting this up?  Thank you.

[Makena 1]

20 hours ago, ShaunP said:

Hi all!  New to this forum and Ultimaker.  Our first printer was the Monoprice UItimate (Wanhao Duplicator 6) and now we just received the S5 and I am already impressed with the first print!  Set up was very easy and I cannot wait to print more, especially now that I have dual extruders.  

 

Congrats on your new printer.  I hope to have mine delivered later this week.

 

What sort of stuff will you be printing with the dual extruders?

Edited June 13, 2018 by Makena

[SandervG 1,521]

exciting times! Looking forward hearing about your unboxing experiences and first prints! @ShaunP , sounds like a big step up! What do you plan to use the Ultimaker S5 for mostly?

[ShaunP 4]

@Makena, @SandervG I'm an Engineer and I plan on using it for printing our design concepts for my team.  The main purpose for the dual extrusion is for use with the PVA for better support in the build.  The single extruder printer we had printed OK, when it worked, with supports but it tended to require a fair amount of cleaning up.  With the PVA, I'm expecting a much easier time for removing the supports since it is water soluble.  Has anyone tried dissolving the PVA in a different solution to quicken the removal process?

 

I also plan on using the dual extruders for multi-colored prints and whatever else I can think of.  I would like to experiment with printing a part with PVA and a flexible material.

 

I've only printed a few things since setting up the printer and so far I'm impressed with the quality!  The interface on the printer is nice and easy to use but coming from an Octopi setup, I like the web interface even better.  I look forward to seeing what improvements come with that.  Will the ability to record the print jobs via the camera be an option in the future?

[SandervG 1,521]

Interesting, in what industry are you active?

 

4 minutes ago, ShaunP said:

With the PVA, I'm expecting a much easier time for removing the supports since it is water soluble.  Has anyone tried dissolving the PVA in a different solution to quicken the removal process?

 

What build material will you be using, PLA? If you use warm circulating water that is probably the best you can do. You could speed up the process by manually breaking away strands of PVA before you put it in water, if your model allows it. If your model allows it, you can even print regular support made out of PLA, and only the support interface (a few layers separating the support from the model) from PVA. Only a few layers will need to dissolve then. This is probably only possible with external support structures though.

 

 

[ShaunP 4]

I develop accessories that work with 2-way radios.

 

8 hours ago, SandervG said:

What build material will you be using, PLA? If you use warm circulating water that is probably the best you can do. You could speed up the process by manually breaking away strands of PVA before you put it in water, if your model allows it. If your model allows it, you can even print regular support made out of PLA, and only the support interface (a few layers separating the support from the model) from PVA. Only a few layers will need to dissolve then. This is probably only possible with external support structures though.

 

 

 

Right now I'm planning on printing using Tough PLA as the results I am seeing now look pretty good.  In fact, I printed some samples for a pull test we performed and the results match what you state in the spec sheet.  The material is pretty impressive!  

 

Removing the supports by hand makes sense where it can be done.  I will plan on doing that and then using warm water to remove the rest.  I am currently printing the USS Enterprise-D with supports.  I do have a question about what I am seeing during the support build, but I will check to see if it's best to post that in another section on this forum.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

31 minutes ago, ShaunP said:

I am currently printing the USS Enterprise-D

Oh man..... I know where you can get a 1 meter TOS Enterprise. >wink wink< >nudge nudge> :P

[gr5 2,172]

17 hours ago, ShaunP said:

printed some samples for a pull test we performed and the results match what you state in the spec sheet.  The material is pretty impressive!  

TPLA should be weaker than regular PLA on a pull test according to UM specs and I trust those specs mostly.  It should be tougher if you step on it or drop it or try to use it for a quadcopter arm or a bridge but if you use it for a chain in a chain link it should be weaker.  

 

If you measure tension alone it is weaker but it's more flexible and stretches just enough that it spreads the load when used for something like a beam.  And if you drop it it will bounce a bit more before it breaks than regular PLA.

 

correction added later:

Actually it will be weaker as a beam as well.  I just spent an hour re-reading how to measure beam flex and beam strength and all about something called "flexural stress".  So TPLA is definitely weaker (just a little) than PLA but if you drop it or step on it or hit it with a hammer it will bend a bit and is less likely to break.

 

[Brulti 177]

11 hours ago, kmanstudios said:

Oh man..... I know where you can get a 1 meter TOS Enterprise. >wink wink< >nudge nudge> :P

I've only seen of that model printed once. Quite a task...

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I have it printed....just not finished. I made sure it would print before I put it up. It is in a lot of collections though.....

[Fauxmaha 0]

Newbie here with a newbie question:

 

The short version of the question is: If the UM3 build volume is sufficient for our needs, is there any reason to consider the S5?

 

The longer version goes like this: I am working on a project that will include making 3D prints that are roughly disk shaped and about 7" in diameter. The convex side of the disk will have decorative elements on them. (Sort of along the lines of a bas relief sculptures.) The prints will then be investment cast in aluminum.

 

Our current line of testing is based on printing using some sort of "burn out able" filament (eg, PolyCast from Polymaker, or equivalent). We want to minimize the amount of hand work/finishing required on the prints, as this project is targeting medium scale production and unit cost is a factor. With that in mind, our primary objective is maximum surface finish quality.

 

So, another way of asking the question is: Does the S5 offer any benefits in terms of either surface finish quality or print speed that would justify the additional cost relative to a UM3 for our application?

 

Thanks in advance for any information/guidance you might be able to offer.

 

 

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi @Fauxmaha , thank you for your question. 

The Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker S5 share more or less similar speed and quality. We quantify speed in build speed, which is an equation of print speed * layer height * nozzle diameter. With good quality, both can do around 24mm3/s. 

 

Depending what quality you are looking for, that may be a little bit subjective. It may also depend on the level of details in your model. When they're very intricate, a 0.25mm nozzle would probably give you the best details, but if you want to print something large this will take multiple days probably. 

 

Another thing to consider, the Ultimaker S5 currently has a lead time of a couple of weeks. Do you have this time to spare for your project? If not, that may make the choice even easier ?

[robinmdh 100]

14 hours ago, Fauxmaha said:

So, another way of asking the question is: Does the S5 offer any benefits in terms of either surface finish quality or print speed that would justify the additional cost relative to a UM3 for our application?

I think the only advantage for your prints that the S5 has is filament flow sensor and multi point bed leveling, which seriously increases buildplate adhesion, though I still recommend using (uhu or pritt) glue on a hot buildplate spread out with a wet sponge for PLA.

The S5 has a heavier print head and thus accelerates slightly slower. there is lower throughput that affects surface quality in extremely highly detailed models in the UM3 which we've improved in the S5 and not yet ported to the UM3, don't worry though it's not bad and we will port it to the UM3.

 

There is also future add-ons to consider, as Sander said:

On 4/23/2018 at 3:37 PM, SandervG said:

The Ultimaker S5 is also labeled as future ready, which means you should expect both software, material and hardware 'accessories' in the future.

 

So you can count on some accessories/add-ons that will require that hardware.l

Edited June 27, 2018 by robinmdh