What Would You Like To See In An Ultimaker 3?

[phil-t 0]

Some good ideas already!

For me, I'll echo some points already discussed, plus my own.

1. Improved filament guide, there are a few more enclosed filament guides that don't allow the filament to pop off like the original one (e.g. https://www.youmagine.com/designs/ultimaker-2-filament-guide)

2. Bearing'd spool holder with conical retaining nut (e.g. https://www.youmagine.com/designs/low-friction-um2-spoolholder)

3. I would love a flex3drive feeder or similar to print more materials easily. Or improved feeder that has a door mechanism that makes changing filament less prone to straggly bits getting stuck in it.

4. Improved hotend with no PTFE coupler issues, I'm still scared to even go near ABS and know it's a case of when not if my current coupler starts having issues

5. four post main bed mechanism, maybe with 2 drive screws etc, but something to make it 'solid', the cantilever design works quite well, but definitely one area that causes some precision issues

6. Ethernet connection so we can have a web-interface to control/monitor prints remotely

7. Built in camera, and you can monitor it from the web-interface.

8. Feed detection and other simple detection mechanisms added to help detect and stop bad-prints for unattended use, and also stop catastrophic issues if the head gets impeded.

9. Dual extruder's - one for de-solvable supports

That's about it!

I think the main usability issue for me would be cured with an ethernet interface, I contemplated using my Pi 2 with OctoPi, but I want full UltGCode, so perhaps some collaboration with OctoPi or similar would help?

And points 1 and 2 are in response to me getting work and friends to buy UM2's recently, and it's the same 'essential' first few improvements they've all ended up printing, so you do think it'd be great if UM improved those simple aspects.

 

[Jrrifffinn 0]

I would like to see it have a slightly bigger build radius, fully enclosed heated build chamber with a air filtration system to remove harmful particles.

[gr5 2,227]

What harmful particles? Are we talking about carbon fiber filaments? I don't think those filaments are any stronger so I'm not familiar with any harmful particles.

[Dim3nsioneer 558]

@gr5: Some materials emit nano particles which penetrate even the alveole. E.g. ABS. You might remember a discussion about a bit more than a year ago. There was a scientific publication about it. It's somewhere in the forum (probably buried under a pile of blank spaces and fancy widgets... ).

@Jrrifffinn: Such a filtration system would have to include a HEPA filter or even better an electrostatic precipitator.

[rigs 735]

There was a scientific publication about it. It's somewhere in the forum (probably buried under a pile of blank spaces and fancy widgets... ).

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231013005086

[gr5 2,227]

If I remember right that paper said the particles were very similar to the particles you get when you fry foods. If you can cook a single hamburger indoors without ventilation you should be able to print 24 hours a day on a single printer. Last I heard frying food isn't particularly bad for your lungs or body (as long as you don't eat it).

[falc 6]

- Touch screen or wifi

- ability to quickly change print heads so you can add a laser or other extruders (chocolate, dough, ceramics)

- higher temperatures

[jnoun11 40]

hi

it will be great to have a function in cura for the oversizes prints that will automatically cut the print according the building size of the machine. instead to losing so much time trying to slice prints in some other software and calculating with the caliper and some calculator.

[gr5 2,227]

and calculating with the caliper and some calculator.

 

Doesn't cura already do this? When you scale an object in cura you can set the distance or scale factor. Try distance next time. Just change the largest number to 200mm.

[chrisw 70]

1) For the three bed level adjuster screws: A limiter to show where the end of tightening should be. This matters most for the back screw. If someone, like me when I first bought my UM2, is unaware of the heated bed's wire connection being sandwiched in between the bed and the supporting plate, the screw can be tightened enough to put pressure on that connection. Immediate effects: It makes the bed not level. Long term effects: it can cause the soldered joints to fail (that's what I think caused mine to break... I needed to re-solder those connections a few weeks ago).

btw: I'm not in favor of having an auto-leveling bed, if it's anything like the Lulzbot mini that stayed in my house for 3 days last week before I returned it. That bed would go through its slow leveling process at the start of every print. I only need to level my UM2 manually once every few weeks. After a few weeks that's gotta be hours saved compared to using an auto level script.

2) LCD screen and control switch relocated to the top front of the frame, It makes sense for ease of access, and it should be fairly simple

3) An audible alarm function that can be sounded using G-code for times such as when the system Paused... so I can wake up and do whatever needs to be done, and at end of a print so I know to start the next one. Maybe this is doable somehow on the UM2 already?

4) Easily changeable nozzles, such as Olsson block style.

5) A feeder like |Robert|'s. Easily disengaged, open for cleaning without need for dis-assembly, and not known for grinding.

All these requests are fairly minor btw. The UM2 is pretty awesome as-is. I tried a Lulzbot mini last week because I need a second printer, and after reading so many glowing reviews of the mini, I figured it would be a good backup. Overall it was well designed and easy to operate, but wow the print quality at medium to high speeds was poor. I got spoiled by my UM2's accuracy, So I shipped the mini back and ordered another UM2.

[chrisw 70]

One more thing I want on my UM3: A direct communication device (text or audio is fine) going straight to @GR5. That way if I ever have issues, I don't need to walk to my PC anymore. Problem solved in a few seconds. What do you think?

[xisle 34]

3) An audible alarm function that can be sounded using G-code for times such as when the system Paused... so I can wake up and do whatever needs to be done,  and at end of a print so I know to start the next one.  Maybe this is doable somehow on the UM2 already?

 

M300 generates a 1 second tone on my UMO.

[jnoun11 40]

 

and calculating with the caliper and some calculator.

 

Doesn't cura already do this?  When you scale an object in cura you can set the distance or scale factor.  Try distance next time.  Just change the largest number to 200mm.

 

hi gr5

i didnt want to changed the scale of big object, too big for the building area, i hope some slicer that can automaticly cut the oversized object in parts without changing the scale of original .

[chrisw 70]

 

3) An audible alarm function that can be sounded using G-code for times such as when the system Paused... so I can wake up and do whatever needs to be done,  and at end of a print so I know to start the next one.  Maybe this is doable somehow on the UM2 already?

 

M300 generates a 1 second tone on my UMO.

 

I tried putting this code into the print that is currently running on my UM2, but no sound was emitted yet. I put these lines in a few places.. one copy at the very beginning of the print, and 3 more at pause positions that should happen over the next few hours. We'll see if any of them sound

M300 S300 P1500

M300 S600 P1500

Maybe a simple M300 with no parameters would have been a better initial attempt

[LePaul 331]

My wish list...

Wider and taller build volume Think Iron Man helmet sized capacity like the Lulzbots, etc.

Auto calibration. Many threads about it. Would be wonderful to have, or the ability to do manually.

Improved print head. Again, lot's of good threads about Olsson blocks and other setups

Built in Wifi.

Better feeder.

Coffee scented filament to make the house smell great

[meduza 191]

A Printhead without disposable parts (or at the very least) cheap and easily replaced disposable parts)

A better and stronger feeder, preferably geared with dual-wheel drive

A fast 32bit ARM processor instead of the horribly low-powered 8-bit atmega, preferably with built-in ethernet, maybe Atmel SAMV7x?

Edited August 28, 2015 by Guest

[BrayChristopher 36]

Better feeder. There seem to be several good options out there.

Sensor that detects if the filament has stopped moving.

Filament guides with bearings.

Free spinning spool holder.

Optional enclosure for ABS.

Mount the motors outside of the print volume so that enclosing it doesn't pose as much risk to overheating the motors.

Easy to remove nozzle.

Better control knob.

Some way to track how much filament you still have on a spool.

Filament cleaner/lubricator.

Auto-OFF feature that will turn off the machine when prints are done and the hot end is cooled off.

Quick change PTFE Isolator Coupler.

I can live with out WiFi.

[nigel 2]

Bigger build volume is a must 400x400x400 easy to outgrow the UM. 300mm is not a big change.

A complete revamp on support, biggest let down with the current UM2 is any overhanging surface turns ugly. Need a water soluble support so it can build a complete surface that can support the print. Not just lines or grids ( grid is near impossible to remove )

Dont expect to have any kind of working surface from areas with overhang.

Dual 3,4 or more extrusion points, largest print to date took 143hrs, way to long.

LCD screen much bigger one then current. You should be able to see a rotating 3D model of the part, as when you have many parts on the SD card you cant remember them all by name. Current screen you cant even read all the wording of the part if long.

Fully in closed climate controlled cabinet. Cant see any other way to ensure ABS can print without wanting to warp off the bed on big prints. The bed is warm but all the other material is cold and will pull the base material up.

Dont feed the material from the outside and over the top, have the material inside the machine so it can be enclosed. A little bigger who cares, i want great prints. Think Fortus 3D printer packaging.

UM2 is a great machine, but we can take it to the likes of Fortus with some more work and not blow the budget.

Filament measurement, but not just a number on the screen. Auto stop of print to change wire. Email alert that wire is out.

Live video feed to internet/phone app.

Temperature Alerts via email or phone app for safety

quick bed release, the metal tabs are not the best.

[mackan77 0]

The ONLY thing preventing my company from buying the Ultimaker 2 is the 223mm limit in the x-direction. We need near 300mm extrusion capability for the x-axis to make components for our product www.forceboard.com. Maybe this will be addressed in a future Ultimaker? If so it would be good to know when it will be released.

Thanks,

Marcus

[BrayChristopher 36]

Current screen you cant even read all the wording of the part if long.

 

Too true!

I wonder if they could fix this with a firmware change. What if the highlighted file name scrolled horizontally if it was too long to fit on the screen?

This at least would help with the current generation hardware.

[meduza 191]

@nigel: heated chamber is surrounded by a lot of Stratasys patents tough... so dont expect that one... there is a reason for why virtually no printer manufacturers other than stratasys make that.

Same thing with the soluble supports since the materials that is known to work well is patented and heavily protected by Stratasys, PVA is not that promising since it has a huge amount of problems. You have to hope for some filament manufacturer investing a lot of money in R&D to make some kind of new plastic here...

I do not think the size will be much bigger, since it would not fit the "desktop" segment anymore if you grew it that large.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Guest

[LePaul 331]

I wondered how much of the 3D printing changes we would like to see might run into patent issues. Stratasys has been around for a long time and patented up a lot of stuff while the technology was little known to most.

I completely agree with the screen comments. Bigger, more details, more customization too.

Big build volume, please.

[mendells 55]

 

• All metal hot end for higher temp plastics.
  
• Easily changeable nozzles (sizes).
  
• Auto Leveling.
  
• Stronger extruder/better drive mechanism (geared or otherwise).
  
• Single nozzle multi material extrusion.
  
• Printing over Wifi would be awesome.
  
• Camera to monitor prints (over Wifi).
  
• Touch screen controls would be nice.
  

 

[IRobertI 521]

I wonder if they could fix this with a firmware change. What if the highlighted file name scrolled horizontally if it was too long to fit on the screen?

 

Just changing the font would make it possible to fit a lot more in there. The downside to doing this is that the top row or two will be harder to read since the screen is recessed so far in. I tried coming up with a different layout almost 2 years ago now but I never did anything with it.

edit: That was supposed to be a thumbnail...

tinkergnome has an alternative firmware that shows more information as well:

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/view/7436-more-information-during-print?page=8

Edited September 28, 2015 by Guest

[BrayChristopher 36]

@nigel: heated chamber is surrounded by a lot of Stratasys patents tough... so dont expect that one... there is a reason for why virtually no printer manufacturers other than stratasys make that.

 

I wonder how close they can skirt those laws. What if it was designed in such a way that it was just stupidly simple to add on an after market enclosure.

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good enclosure designs out there for the UM2.

Moving the motors to the outside or giving them breathing holes.

Extending the height of the walls so that you can simply put a piece of plexi on top and on the front. https://ultimaker.com/en/community/view/5663-troublemaker-3d-printer-ultimaker-original-derivative

That sort of thing. Don't enclose it, just make it REALLY easy for the user finish the job.