UMO+ Frame Materials

[brentwerder 13]

Hey there!

 

I've been hoping to laser cut a custom Ultimaker Original Plus frame with the dimensions of an UM2 Extended, but I'm having issues sourcing the right materials.  I'm in the US, and finding the right metric stuff is difficult.  I think I may be able to get away with 1/4" thickness instead of 6mm, but I can't seem to find anything that's the right quality.  The closest that I can find is some MDF, and I'd really prefer not to go down that route (moisture, not structurally great, etc).  I'd also like to avoid acrylic, though I am making the side panels in frosted acrylic to look somewhat like newer Ultimakers.

 

Here are the files that I'm basing this project on:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2275125

 

So far, I have checked Lowe's, Home Depot, ACE Hardware, various local laser cutters, laser suppliers online, Amazon, and Michaels.  None of these places have the right grade of birch plywood I'm after.  I emailed Ultimaker support, and they just linked me back to the Github page which only lists "Birch plywood" at 6mm thickness as the material.  Further digging has led me to find that this type of material is Baltic birch - that's about all I know.

 

I checked out a few more forum posts to see if anyone is in a similar situation as me, but didn't find them to be that helpful.  I did see that someone used "dibond aluminum" which could be an interesting choice.

 

So, long story short: Does anyone know of a US supplier of the material used to make the Ultimaker Original Plus frame?  If I have to import from overseas, that's not ideal, but possible.

 

P.S.:  I am also considering modifying the front panel of the Original Plus to use the UM2 screen.  No real reason, just for aesthetics and maybe quicker response time.  Thought I'd throw this in to see if anyone has suggestions.

 

Thank you so much!

-Brent

[minivipers 25]

On 2/29/2020 at 4:24 AM, brentwerder said:

Hey there!

 

I've been hoping to laser cut a custom Ultimaker Original Plus frame with the dimensions of an UM2 Extended, but I'm having issues sourcing the right materials.  I'm in the US, and finding the right metric stuff is difficult.  I think I may be able to get away with 1/4" thickness instead of 6mm, but I can't seem to find anything that's the right quality.  The closest that I can find is some MDF, and I'd really prefer not to go down that route (moisture, not structurally great, etc).  I'd also like to avoid acrylic, though I am making the side panels in frosted acrylic to look somewhat like newer Ultimakers.

 

Here are the files that I'm basing this project on:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2275125

 

So far, I have checked Lowe's, Home Depot, ACE Hardware, various local laser cutters, laser suppliers online, Amazon, and Michaels.  None of these places have the right grade of birch plywood I'm after.  I emailed Ultimaker support, and they just linked me back to the Github page which only lists "Birch plywood" at 6mm thickness as the material.  Further digging has led me to find that this type of material is Baltic birch - that's about all I know.

 

I checked out a few more forum posts to see if anyone is in a similar situation as me, but didn't find them to be that helpful.  I did see that someone used "dibond aluminum" which could be an interesting choice.

 

So, long story short: Does anyone know of a US supplier of the material used to make the Ultimaker Original Plus frame?  If I have to import from overseas, that's not ideal, but possible.

 

P.S.:  I am also considering modifying the front panel of the Original Plus to use the UM2 screen.  No real reason, just for aesthetics and maybe quicker response time.  Thought I'd throw this in to see if anyone has suggestions.

 

Thank you so much!

-Brent

 

[minivipers 25]

I cut them 5 years ago i think... I laminated two 3mm thick dibond and cut my industrial CNC...if you stick with wood I also cut many of 6mm Plywood and its rigid...dont use MDF...