Ultimaker - Black Edition

[jonnybischof 60]

Hi community

I NEED MOAR PRINTING CAPACITY!!

No, seriously, I'll get myself a second UM1 kit next month because I want to be able to print more stuff in less time.

So, now that I already have a 3D printer, I can throw in all the nice upgrades for the new kit right from the start.

Why no UM2? Just because I want to build the printer myself, and because I'm perfectly satisfied with the printing quality the UM1 has. Oh, and it's cheaper...

I painted my first UM1 in white, so the new one will obiously need to be black, hence I call it "THE BLACK EDITION".

Also, the black Basalt HBP will integrate nicely into a black printer.

Anyways, there are hundreds of UM1 upgrades on Thingiverse and Youmagine, the range goes from "truly awesome" to "just obsolete".

So, I want to collect a list of all the Upgrades that "need to be in my printer", and I hope some of you care to help me with that

Some guidelines: I'm looking for any functional modification that will actually improve anything.

I will stick to a single extruder (at least for now) as I'm usually making functional parts, not art.

Please share your experiences with the parts you suggest, if you have any.

I'll continually update the list below until it's complete. Hopefully we'll come up with a really nice upgraded printer that may inspire others who don't know which fan duct or which extruder drive to take...

Okay, here's the list, which is VERY INCOMPLETE AT THE MOMENT! (gotta get back to work...)

Also, there's some parts that are double-mentioned (slider blocks) or won't go with another part in the list. That's alright for now, it means I'll sort it out by actually printing the stuff and do comparisons.

/29.01.14: The list is very NOT up to date at the moment. Lots of basic stuff in discussion right now...

/09.12.14: WOW, a lot of time has passed... I'm ditching the list below as the UMBE project has quietly grown waay bigger than what it started with...

I'll leave it there for your reference, but note that I'm not working on this anymore. By now, 99% of the parts have been redesigned, and when I'm finished, it'll be 100%.

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Basic parts from UM

- UM1 original kit

- Ulticontroller

Assembly helpers

- Ultimaker nut holder cap by AnthonyT https://www.youmagine.com/designs/ultimaker-nut-holder-cap

Heated build plate upgrade

- Basalt HBP & silicone heater from qu-bd.com

- MosFET Relay board for switching (custom - tbd)

- 12V industrial PSU, 200W

- Ultimaker Cable Chain by drayson http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:247573

Heated chamber upgrade

- Need one, suggestions?

Z-stage upgrades

- Z-axis end-switch fine-adjuster by GeneralRulofDumb http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:11033

- Probably going to redesign the entire Z-stage

- 3-point levelling

Motion upgrades

- Improved pulleys by foehnsturm (never put them in my first machine o.O)

- Reptar XY V2 slider blocks by nhfoley http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:154859

- TwisterBlocks by chopmeister https://www.youmagine.com/designs/twisterblocks

- Microwave belt tensioners by chopmeister https://www.youmagine.com/designs/microwave

Hotend upgrades

- Ultimaker Minimum Printhead by nhfoley http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:154845

- 40mm Fanducts by 3dcase https://www.youmagine.com/designs/40mm-fanducts-for-dual-extruder

- 2x Noiseblocker BlackSilent 40mm fans

Extruder drive upgrades

- Ultimaker Extruder Gear Grip by Elwin http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:38311

- Replace Delrin wheel with steel bearing http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/1676-modification-of-upgraded-extruder-drive/?hl=%2Breplace+%2Bdelrin

- I want to replace the extruder drive, the standard drive mounts poorly to the frame...

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Tools needed

- Momentive RTV106 silicone adhesive (for glueing the silicone heater to the Basalt plate, buy @ Amazon.com)

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Open questions:

- Belt tensioners?

- Different belts needed? (I don't think so) - Must go with the Pulleys by foehnsturm

- Does it make sense to switch to a completely different Hotend, like the E3D? I'm quite pleased with the UM hotend, never gave me any headache until now...

btw, everything that's in the list already may be questioned and improved, if you think you have a better option!

 

[SandervG 1,521]

I would add some belt tensioners on the long belts.

From the beginning I have used the iron part from a cloths pin, always worked perfect for me.

Dual fan.

Add a second fan to your print head, and solder it on the same header as your current fan.

That way you have 2 fans connected and run simultaneously.

And a heated bed.

For me that would be it I think. (btw, mentioned in no specific order)

 

[jonnybischof 60]

I agree it doesn't take much more than that. On the other hand, I guess that for example Nick Foley's Minimum Printhead has a notable advantage over the standard one because it's lighter. This should make up for the two fans that I'll use over the standard single fan.

And the Reptar sliding blocks look awesome, plus they're easier to assemble which is also an advantage.

Just realised that the 40mm fan ducts in the list will probably not fit that one - gotta think that over...

I've seen some printed "wave" clips somewhere, these looked interesting, too.

I prefer printable upgrades over metal hardware because printing a piece is pretty much no effort at all. But of course the printed upgrades must be long-term stable. That's something I'm not sure about on these wave tensioners...

Last but not least, I'll print all the parts in red ABS which will look awesome on the black frame

/edit:

found and added the wave belt tensioners.

 

[Dim3nsioneer 558]

You may consider a direct drive. I just switched one axis to direct drive (I would have changed both axis but the other new rod is a banana... :sad: ) and I must say it's much easier to get smooth results with the direct drive. However as the mass-to-vibration ration is changed, I got some additional sounds...

 

[SandervG 1,521]

'Last but not least, I'll print all the parts in red ABS which will look awesome on the black frame;

You do know those are MBI-colors?

 

[SandervG 1,521]

You may consider a direct drive. I just switched one axis to direct drive (I would have changed both axis but the other new rod is a banana... :sad: ) and I must say it's much easier to get smooth results with the direct drive. However as the mass-to-vibration ration is changed, I got some additional sounds...

 

Good point, didn't think of that one.

Is a bit of a bigger hack, but I think that would probably also be a good enhancement.

At least to make it more reliable / consistent.

 

[jonnybischof 60]

Definetly worth considering

 

'Last but not least, I'll print all the parts in red ABS which will look awesome on the black frame;

You do know those are MBI-colors?

 

What are MBI colors?

Direct drive is definetly worth considering, especially because this also keeps the motors out of the hot zone. Haven't looked that much into it yet, which one is the best implementation yet? I guess you need some kind of bracket for direct drive?

/edit:

Also on the list:

Something to improve bed levelling. Maybe with an optical or inductive sensor. I think there is already someone toying with such a thing?

Also I might have to reinforce the whole build plate because the Basalt HBP is really heavy. Worked well so far, but it can be improved (which is the goal of the Black Edition UM!).

/edit:

Interesting:

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/db-three-point-magnetic-ball-joint-levelling

 

[kitwashere 1]

I would drill the hole in the Z platform to set up a 3 point bed leveling system. Been meaning to do that on mine but I'm lazy. Wish I did it before I assembled the machine

[SandervG 1,521]

Definetly worth considering

What are MBI colors?

 

Makerbot Industries :ph34r:

 

[SandervG 1,521]

If you have a heated bed, you may want to reconsider the entire Z-stage.

So bed leveling doesn't have to be an issue, depends what you end up with.

However, if you keep it stock-model I have good experience with this easy upgrade:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:19912 or http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:126716

Same idea.

For direct drive I would try to get in touch with snowygrouch.

I believe he is rather experienced on this matter.

 

[IRobertI 521]

When it comes to the Z-adjuster I'm a fan of this one: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:11033

I wouldn't mind an upgraded z-stage either. It's one of the things I like most about the UM2, it just feels so much more solid.

 

[jonnybischof 60]

When it comes to the Z-adjuster I'm a fan of this one: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:11033

I wouldn't mind an upgraded z-stage either. It's one of the things I like most about the UM2, it just feels so much more solid.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I prefer the one above because it's inside the machine and doesn't hurt the optical beauty of the Ultimaker

Added to the list!

 

[mastory 44]

Some other hot end. Clogs have been reduced with V2, but still has too many of reported clogs. UBIS looks very exciting.

Still running the geohagen extruder. It doesnt get much press anymore, but i have never had a stripped filament since i installed it 2yrs ago. It never needs to be adjusted.

3 point leveling for the printbed.

[jonnybischof 60]

Makerbot Industries :ph34r:

 

Aww man :(

But black does look nice :( :( :(

Open to suggestions for better color options...

 

[jonnybischof 60]

Some other hot end. Clogs have been reduced with V2, but still has too many of reported clogs. UBIS looks very exciting.

Still running the geohagen extruder. It doesnt get much press anymore, but i have never had a stripped filament since i installed it 2yrs ago. It never needs to be adjusted.

3 point leveling for the printbed.

 

Mine never clogged, except one time when I didn't notice that the bed levelling was way off, nozzle sat flush on the Basalt bed... o.O

I'd prefer not to have to replace the core of the hotend because I think it's a waste of material and money to buy a new and well working (at least for me) hotend just to throw it away... But if there is something which gives a significant benefit I'm open to have a look at it. I'm going to check out UBIS now.

/edit:

It does look interesting, mainly because of the tiny size and weight. But it seems Printrbot is only selling 1.75mm versions??? I don't want to switch to 1.75mm because I don't want to have different filament diameters around...

The crossflow cooling fan (UBIS has no fan mounts) was also something I'm curious about. But I need the UBIS for 3mm filament.

/edit: Ok, read some more (http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/3786-ubis-hotend-on-an-ultimaker/). So there is no more 3mm UBIS -> no go.

 

[Dim3nsioneer 558]

Direct drive: There is an update of the original Calum bracket which is more stable. With this bracket it's also not a disadvantage to make the new rods about 2mm longer than defined in Calum's excellent description. And find a source which sells straight rods and not bananas...

Actually changing to a direct drive is relatively easy compare to the implementation of e.g. a heated bed...very few new parts are needed.

 

[nick-foley 5]

The direct drive mount I designed continues to work well:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:208343

Having performed most of the upgrades described here myself, I would say that the biggest remaining problem for me is the Z-stage - the thing just flexes and gets knocked out of level way too easily. Doing a UM2 style Z stage would be cool.

 

[illuminarti 18]

Regarding belt tensioners - the other option is just to buy belts with slightly fewer teeth, so that additional tensioning is not needed. The standard belts are 300MXL; I've heard 298MXL (two fewer teeth) should work well; not sure about 297 - I think I saw someone say that they found that just slightly too tight.

 

[nick-foley 5]

Yeah, I think this is a more sustainable solution than constantly worrying about belt tension adjustments. With 303 tooth GT2 belts, no tensioners have been needed, even after 6 months of near constant use.

 

[owen 19]

I like MoonCactus' original sliding blocks http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:45236.

I prefer the included banana belt tensioning compared to ones that hang on the belt.

I like the direct drive too mainly because you don't have to worry about short belt tensioning anymore.

Also look here http://www.thingiverse.com/tag:ultimaker for the more popular things, they are usually the best I think.

 

[hieronymus 0]

Aww man :(

But black does look nice :( :( :(

Open to suggestions for better color options...

 

I've always been a fan of combining any dark grey / black with very vibrant yellow accents.

It always remainds me of those industrial looking safety rails with the slanted black and yellow bands but in this case it also has a 'BumbleBee-thingy' look going for it, which should work well since it's going to be buzzing with productivity like any good worker-bee should :-P

(I appologise if I come of as rambling, I just recieved some very happy news :

Dear Customer,

Your order has been shipped

==============================

Shipment Summary

============================================================

ultimaker-2-eu Ultimaker 2 Power cord: EU

9030 PLA Silver-Grey PLA Silver-Grey

============================================================

Thank you for your business.

I'm afraid I won't be able to wipe this grin of my face for the rest of the night :grin: )

 

[jhertzberg 19]

Regarding 3-point leveling, I get very good results with Murat's design http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:84754, plus adding thumbwheels to the screw heads. I just superglue washers to the right spots on the bottoms to my various print beds; acrylic, glass, plywood, Garolite. The magnets hold very well, but make it a breeze to pop the beds out for removing prints, painting with PVA glue slurry, etc.

 

I also strongly recommend Owen's hot end bowden clamp http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:11864.You get a positive grip on the tube, but can remove it easily if you have to get to a clog from above, or if you sometimes swap in an oversized ID bowden for oversized PLA or swollen Nylon. I made the slight mod of cutting a short section of bowden that runs the length of the wooden hot end cage. I hold it in place with a M4 washer captured between the top of the wood cage and the bottom of the base-and-riser part.

 

You may also want to pick up some lights (eg. Ikea Dioder) and hang them, with printed clips, pointing at the bed. It may sound like eye candy, but late at night it makes it easier to see minor print problems before they become a big mess. This is extra good if you also intend to mount a camera.

[jonnybischof 60]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll try to keep up with everything:

1. Colors

I have black and "white" (natural smart ABS by Orbi-Tech) ABS, plus clear BendLay as well as access to red ABS. I'd like to stick to one of these because I don't intend to have a big variety of ABS colors. I don't like ABS and will only use it when necessary, so I don't want to have too much of it laying around.

So, my next approach would be red frame with black printed parts. Is that far enough away from the company-we-don't-mention color scheme?

2. Direct drive

Okay, so I want direct drive. I'd really like to be able to stick to the standard rods if possible. I want to stick to a "swap out as little original material as possible, with maximum effect" policy if possible. I'm located in Switzerland, so every part I have to buy will come at a high transportation cost (be it in the EU or overseas...).

But if that poses a serious problem - sigh

General rule: It should be printable. Having to buy flex couplers is OK, I can probably get them from qu-bd.com where I'll buy stuff anyways.

So, I prefer Nick Foley's motor corner http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:208343 which looks very nice and clean (great job!), but needs longer rods.

Just had a closer look on my machine to figure out why exactly you need longer rods. So the problem is that the bearings are in the way, and in order to stick to the standard rods you need to relocate the bearings. I fear that any modification like this would have a negative impact on print quality because the positioning of the rods is not that good anymore.

Comments on that part?

3. Belt tensioners / Belts

I agree that belt tensioners should be avoided if possible - I want to make the motion system as lightweight and simple as possible.

298MXL Belts sounds interesting, but where do I get these? Switching to GT2 belts & pulleys (or maybe HTD) is another option, but I already have foehnsturm's pulleys which I don't want to go to waste - they were expensive and look very promising.

Will look for a source for 298MXL belts on my lunch break...

4. Levelling / Z-stage

I might give it a shot to make a complete custom Z-stage. With my Basalt HBP there is some need of modification anyways, so I might just as well make it a more thorough modification.

Levelling should be 3-point, I agree with that. Also, I need stronger springs (already have these on my first machine, major quality increase...) and bigger washers but that's unimportant details for now.

5. Extruder drive

I don't want to swap out the actual extruder drive, I'm happy with the standard (I guess they made some improvements over time, the one I got in August 2013 works perfectly...). But the mounting bracket has a lot of room for improvement. I guess I'll see to that myself, I already have some ideas on how to address that.

/edit:

6. Vibration dampening

I want to address this as well. My printer should be as silent as possible because it operates in an office building with people working on the floor above it. The printer will run most of the time so it must not disturb anyone.

I know about the physics of vibration, but don't know how to use the formulae in practice. In short, vibrations have a certain frequency (probably with harmonics). In order to cancel them out, a means of dampening should be used which works on the same frequency.

Does anyone know more about that or cares to measure what kind of vibrations the UM generates?

I think I'll just try addressing that issue the KISS way: I notiecd there is some actual vibration as well as a much slower shaking. That's two different kinds of vibrations which should be countered with a two-stage dampening system.

Now, what would be most useful for a "vibration" and a "shaking" dampener?

Note that I need to rise the Ultimaker about 5cm from the ground anyways because I want to get rid of the standard electronics cooling fan - it sucks. Using a standard axial fan means needing some more headroom in front of it ( = printer bottom to ground clearance). Plus I want to put the PSUs under the machine to have them tucked away.

 

[Dim3nsioneer 558]

Direct drive:

As I maybe will have to work with the original rod for the second axis I'm currently thinking about a printed part for shifting the bearing. But it has to be shifted quite some distance for the Calum-solution. So you get in conflict with the crossing rod. The space in between them is kept as low as possible meaning the pulleys just don't touch each other. The pulleys have an outer diameter of 17mm. The bearing has an outer diameter of 16mm. That leaves you with a wall thickness of 0.5mm for an adaptor. Delicate but not impossible.

Vibrations:

I've put my Ultimaker on a stone slab and put some rubber feet underneath the slab. It's far from perfect but a great improvement. I did some very quick and dirty analysis with a mobile phone app analysing the sound spectrum. There are very view distinct lines at certain frequencies. Most of the noise is quite broad band... Air springs (or pressure springs) might be something to try, but they are quite expensive. There are also some elastomeres which should be suitable to put under my slab, but there more than expensive...

The main problem is that all the motors are hard-coupled to the wooden frame. I plan to design a de-coupling part for the extruders. Taking away a running extruder from the frame during printing shows how large the excitation is.

The very low frequencies mainly come from hard direction changes of the print head. You can eliminate them at least partially by reducing the xy-acceleration to 1000mm/s^2.

 

[jonnybischof 60]

Direct drive:

As I maybe will have to work with the original rod for the second axis I'm currently thinking about a printed part for shifting the bearing. But it has to be shifted quite some distance for the Calum-solution. So you get in conflict with the crossing rod. The space in between them is kept as low as possible meaning the pulleys just don't touch each other. The pulleys have an outer diameter of 17mm. The bearing has an outer diameter of 16mm. That leaves you with a wall thickness of 0.5mm for an adaptor. Delicate but not impossible.

...

 

I think you might run into trouble with the exactness of the rod positioning if you weaken their mechanical support (meaning the mounting of the bearings). The standard solution with the bearings firmly in place inside the precision-cut frame walls is probably hard to match with printed parts that are somehow attached to the frame.

But please prove me wrong! I'd love to have a solution with the stock rods.

I know a Swiss metal trader (metall-laden.ch) who does have stainless steel rods with 5mm,8mm and more diameters. But I don't think these are precision "shaft" rods. I'll have to check though; will visit them when I have time.