Ultimaker 2 vs the Original

[don 0]

I'm looking to buy a 3D printer, and I'm not clear on the difference in print quality between the Ultimaker 2 and the Original.

The Ultimaker 2 is obviously newer and shinier, but does it make the Original Ultimaker obsolete?

The Ultimaker 2 (from the MakerShed) is $900 more than the original. I'm not sure how much of this is the assembly vs the newer components and improvements in the UM2.

For home use, for me and kids, is the original Ultimaker still a good choice?

Is the Ultimaker 2 going to significantly improve my print quality, ease of printing, etc?

Thanks for your help!

 

[gr5 2,192]

I personally think it's too early to say. I suspect the UM2 extruder drive isn't as powerful as the UM Original. Quality and speed of prints is going to be similar - identical maybe even. However...

The UM2 is much more beautiful.

Probably much more reliable - especially - well everything from electronics to clogs (um original more likely to clog).

I suspect it can print hotter.

It has slightly larger build volume

It is quieter.

It is easier to use (the leveling part - almost everything else is about the same but levelling is a pain so this is sooo much better on the UM2). Also extruder is easier.

And you can print more materials than just PLA. UM Original is pretty much pla. But if you wait 6 months their (hopefuly/likely) upcoming heated bed for UM Original will fix that.

UM 1 is much more hackable. And if it breaks it's less scary for most people to just fix it (not that it's easier but who cares if you have to add a wire tie or drill a hole in the UM Original).

 

[illuminarti 18]

The original Ultimaker is far from obsolete. In my experience, the UM2 is definitely a step up in terms of print quality. The heated bed provides for more flexibility in materials, and better first layers with mirror-smooth bottoms. The extruder is incredibly reliable in my testing, and the retraction works excellently, making for really good, clean prints even when printing complicated and detailed shapes.

But, all of that said, the UM1 isn't too far behind in terms of print quality, and I expect that Ultimaker will release upgrades before too long that make the UM1 more like the UM2 - definitely a heated bed is in in the works, and I suspect the UM2's direct drive extruder assembly, or something inspired by it, may get ported to the UM1 as well, and be available for existing users as an upgrade kit.

So... the UM1 is still a really good printer, and it's going to keep getting better. And it does have one huge advantage over the UM2 - it comes as a kit. So you can not only save money, but you can actually get some experience putting the kit together, and learning how the mechanisms work. It's not very hard to do, and it's really educational. Depending on the age of your kids, they might get a kick out of helping assemble the kit too. My daughter was 10 when I got my UM1 kit, and she was thoroughly involved in the building and testing, and before long she was able to manage the full process from design to slicing to printing by herself. It's a great way to get kids - perhaps especially girls - interested in STEM fields in a hands-on way. :-)

 

[valcrow 145]

I was pretty convinced the print quality was pretty similar from UM1 to 2 until Illuminarti's most recent http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/467-post-your-latest-print/page-42. I'm quite sure my UM1 will grind the filament down into a fine powder before getting that kind of result, or at least blobs and microstrings will be everywhere.

That said, I'm still very happy with my UM1, I don't think it's quite enough for me to upgrade to the 2 anytime soon.

I would recommend, if you wish to learn/save money, get the UM1 Kit and build it. If you want the ease of use, and can afford it, get the UM2.

Print quality is definitely good enough for home use for both printers.

 

[illuminarti 18]

[Valcrow: I edited your post because once again the abysmal URL-handling code on here took the link and extended it out to the end of the paragraph, resulting in both a broken link, and a missing sentence). Once I did that and re-saved the post, it actually chewed it up even worse. I think I put everything back the way it was, finally, but apologies if I truncated or reordered any part of your post. Please feel free to correct it if so.]

 

[valcrow 145]

All good. I think that's what I wrote... I probably shouldn't have put a huge URL in there by itself.

 

[karabas 1]

Please help me wuth info about your UM2!

What is the mechanical difference between UM1 and UM2. I want to build UM1 and cannot find info about UM2 improvements.

Same smooth rods diameters (4 x 8mm 2 x 6mm and 2 x 12mm) ?

lenth?

belt width 6mm?

if I build Um1 with more rigit Z-stage and box will I get UM2 in fact?

 

[IRobertI 520]

No, a rigid z-stage is not what makes the UM2 what it is. There are LOTS of differences, new z-stage, heated bed, completely re-designed print head, new electronics, completely redone extruder, new blocks, integrated ulticontroller with new interface, different z-screw etc.

 

[karabas 1]

Ok let's consider only mechanical aspect. What does it mean "new z-stage" except rigitness and no slope/vibration?

Heated bed/electronics/extruder/ulticontroller do not mean anything special for me as they are used with any printer and there are plenty info about so I can buy or build myself.

About redesigned print head. What is redesigned? All I can see from the pics that it has exactly the same hotend plus shield.

 

[IRobertI 520]

You asked if adding a new stable bed to the original UM would in essence make it an UM2. I answered by saying that no, that is just one of many differences. Detailing the exact differences would take quite a while (full design specs will get published in time by Ultimaker).

What pictures have you been looking at? It's very obvious if you look at an UM and an UM2 side by side that the print heads are completely different. They don't use the same hotend at all.

 

[gr5 2,192]

The UM1 is an excellent machine. I'd stick with that.

 

[karabas 1]

Can you measure rod diameter with caliper?

 

[gr5 2,192]

I just measured the rods on the UM Original and UM 2. They are all the same. 6mm rods got through the head. 8mm rods - four of them - go in the top 4 corners of the machine and are connected together by the long belts. The two vertical bars are 12mm. The z screw is much smaller on the UM2.

edit: Here's the thing - I measured them all and verified they were the same and memorized the sizes but then my dog distracted me and we went outside in the deep snow which he loves to death. So I may have memorized one of the above measurements wrong. I'll double check later today. But the point is that the UM1 and UM2 rods are the same.

 

[karabas 1]

I just measured the rods on the UM Original and UM 2. They are all the same. 6mm rods got through the head. 8mm rods - four of them - go in the top 4 corners of the machine and are connected together by the long belts. The two vertical bars are 12mm. The z screw is much smaller on the UM2.

edit: Here's the thing - I measured them all and verified they were the same and memorized the sizes but then my dog distracted me and we went outside in the deep snow which he loves to death. So I may have memorized one of the above measurements wrong. I'll double check later today. But the point is that the UM1 and UM2 rods are the same.

 

Thank you very much! What is the thickness of dibond(alumocomposite) panels? It seems like 6mm.

 

[karabas 1]

What is the Z-plate made of?

 

[gr5 2,192]

Aluminum with glass on top. Aluminum is very good at spreading the heat. Glass is very flat and resistant to scratches. There are lots of pictures - I recommend you use images.google.com and search for ultimaker2 bed: