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Ultimaker Debuts Ultimaker 2 3D Printer With Open Source Cura Software

Posted by timothy on from the spit-out-the-knobs dept.

MojoKid writes "3D Printing start-up Ultimaker announced its second generation printer, the Ultimaker 2. The new printer features significant redesigns from the first iteration of the Ultimaker. The company says that the new machine is more accurate, more efficient, and it's even quieter at 49dB. Specifically, the Ultimaker 2 has a new CNC-milled case (that's all white with glowing sidewalls) with an OLED display, and its glass and aluminum build platform is designed to cool quickly so you can peel completed projects off more easily. The Ultimaker 2 can print with multiple materials, including PLA, ABS, and PVA, and is WiFi-compatible so you can print from a mobile device or computer. Ultimaker is also launching its Cura open source software, which the company claims can pre-process 3D files some 60 times faster than other open source applications and makes it easy to load and work with 3D files."

13 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Slashvertisement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    How I have missed thee

  2. Amazing by Reliable+Windmill · · Score: 2

    Since I first heard about 3D-printing I've dismissed it all as some fringe-tech in development, not practically usable, and just ignored every article on 3D-printing, but this machine here seems mature and amazingly useful. I'm curious about the toxicology of it all and how much the plastic materials cost, and how durable they are.

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    1. Re:Amazing by quetwo · · Score: 2

      They still are a fringe technology. They are only used in industry to do simple prototypes. They are used by consumers to make.... toys? I've only seen them print giveaways and demos, not a whole lot useful.

      The real game is still with CNCs and milling CAD/CAM devices. Hell, even DYI laser cutters are slightly more useful than most 3D printers. With those you can make things out of metal, wood, plastic, acrylic, etc. They aren't nearly as hipster as 3D printers, but you know -- you can do something useful with them.

    2. Re:Amazing by Thantik · · Score: 2

      The things that 3D printers excel at are really anything close to Robotics. There's the OpenRC project which is a fully open source RC car, there's the InMoov which is a full upper torso of a humanoid robot (http://inmoov.blogspot.com/). They have a fully articulated GLaDoS ceiling robot. Tons of stuff like this. Also, almost anything you can do with a hobby laser cutter, you can extrude out to act like a laser cut piece of acrylic at whatever thickness you want and have it snap together just like something laser cut.

    3. Re:Amazing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      While you might be able to do some laser cutting stuff on a 3d printer by changing the head, CNC is a different ball game as it involves a lot higher forces on the head, and needs rigidity to do things with any precision. I've seen a lot of home built CNC machines fail to make the transition from wood to metal just because of such issues, and they were built much stronger than a 3d printer (not that it is impossible to make a home built CNC machine for metal, just takes some combination of experience, forethought, or luck). A 3D printer that was built strong enough to do such things would be over-engineered and likely increase the price beyond what many would pay if they are just looking for a 3D printer. A combination device would be nice for a particularly narrow market, although it would likely make sacrifices to do both (on the slow side for 3D printing, and lack of power and mass for CNC work).

  3. Price? by BenJeremy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    No price listed, so I guess it costs $45,000?

    Wake me when I can buy a 3D printer off the shelf for less than $300, because as a consumer, price is far more important in adopting cutting-edge "new" technology than enhanced features.

    Advancements in capabilities will come when these things are stocked and selling at WalMart and Target.

    1. Re:Price? by Dexter+Herbivore · · Score: 2

      Economies of scale will drop the price, and then the major way to differentiate the product will be innovation.

    2. Re:Price? by gmuslera · · Score: 2

      $2500, but add $42 for each "cartridge". Like with 2d printers, thats where the money is. You can print anything, as long as you buy supplies from me (or whoever paid the relevant patents too)

    3. Re:Price? by moteyalpha · · Score: 2

      The price point is self replication and that is the thing which first interested me 2 years ago. I have a device that has taken me a year to design and nearly a year to perfect and I started working with a local group at a maker space because of this. I have not finished some critical tests. My interest was to make a device which was scalable, operable to near a nanometer, and most of all could print itself ( in metal -and- other materials ) with sufficient accuracy to make self replication reliable. The one part that has not been achieved is the electronics and as a person who worked in semiconductor fabrication as well as SCADA, that is a thing which can be achieved in any number of ways, and currently I am testing a method that would combine a bio-molecule to serve for control as well as a substrate that might be suitable for space.
      It should be obvious that no company interested in profit would ever deliver a self-replicating device. That is why it has to be done by a person who believes in open source hardware. A lathe can fabricate a lathe, a robot can manufacture a robot, and a -good- 3D printer can print itself. The bigger issue is the data base of construction information which might be automated by OpenCV like capture.
      I worked in control applications of robots like pick and place, as well as many other applications, and many of the techniques can be applied here. It is a composite effect where a product that is advantageous can only be manufactured with a 3D printer.
      The next thing I will focus on is collection of raw materials. Mining or recovery.

    4. Re:Price? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      You are absolutely wrong.

      It uses a standard filament on a spool. You can buy it from anyone. Invest in a filabot (http://www.filabot.com/) and you extrude your own filament for $10/kg.

      There are printers where this is the case (IIRC the Cube), but this is not one of them.

  4. $2,500? by drainbramage · · Score: 3, Informative

    From TFA:
    The Ultimaker 2 will retail for $2,500.

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  5. Re:Price?... Here's one for $100 by mspohr · · Score: 2

    I just came across this 3D printer on Kickstarter. It uses resin rather than melting solid plastic and also has a uniquely simple method of aiming the laser (which solidifies the resin), leading to a very inexpensive design.
    It's a Kickstarter project so long lead time and no guarantee of success but I think I may back it since it definitely represents "thinking different" and has a reasonable chance of success. Also at $100 it's low risk.
    It uses Blender for 3D modeling. It also has a scanner attachment so you can scan a print. All open source software. (Actually, the hardware is simple enough that I could probably build it myself.)
    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/117421627/the-peachy-printer-the-first-100-3d-printer-and-sc

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  6. Reporting from Ultimaker. So much mis-information! by daid303 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ok, there are a few major things WRONG in this article.

    First of. Cura. Cura is my project, I started development 2 years ago. I started in my free time, and after a few months of development Ultimaker hired me to continue development. As every user was switching towards it. It has been open source, free, and released for 2 years now. (It is a perfect success story for Open Source and I think Slashdot totally missed the opportunity here to properly see this)
    Thanks to Ultimaker Cura has seen a HUGE development boost and really became awesome for Ultimaker AND RepRap users.

    Next, WiFi is not in the machine out of the box. It is an add-on.

    The UM2 is a professional looking version of our already very successful Ultimaker-Original kit. It has great printing quality for a nice price tag. Yes, you can do cheaper, but not if you want the same print quality. If you want cheaper then the UM2, buy the UM-Original kit.