The Ultimaker 2 has a nice, well-thought out design and a large print platform for its compact physical size, promising to be a great printer for 3D enthusiasts who don't have lots of office space.
Unfortunately, in testing, it didn't perform as consistently as how good it looks, especially when I wanted to print large objects. And there are other shortcomings like the lack of support for printing directly from a computer and you must manually calibrate the print platform before you can use the printer.
The main reason it's hard for me to recommend it, though, is the price. At the current cost of $2,500 (available to ship internationally, pricing converts to about £1,600 and AU$3,000) the printer is just too expensive for a single-extruder, especially when the
Da Vinci 1.0 AiO
(a much easier to use, more reliable machine which can also do 3D scanning) costs just $800.
Josh Miller/CNET
Excellent design
Measuring just 14.1 by 13.5 by 15.3 inches (35.7 by 34.2 by 38.8 cm), the Ultimaker 2 has an impressively large print platform that can build 3D objects of up to 9.1 by 8.9 by 8.1 inches (23 by 22.5 by 20.5 cm). That's slightly larger than what's possible with the Da Vinci 1.0 AiO, which is about twice the physical size.
Out of the box, the machine is almost completely assembled. You just need to remove the packaging, install the glass print plate on top of the print platform and then the included standard PLA filament spool on the printer's back. The whole process took me just about 10 minutes.
The removable plate means you can clean it easily, which is a necessary part of 3D printing, especially after a big print job. And the fact that the printer uses standard filament spools means you can buy filament from = sources other than Ultimaker. Note, however, Ultimaker recommends 2.85mm filaments for the Ultimaker 2 and not the 1.75mm filaments, which are more readily available.
Josh Miller/CNET
Filaments are the raw material for 3D printing, just like ink cartridges in inkjet printers. They come in different colors and are basically easy-to-melt, quick-congealing plastic strings that are fed through the print-head's nozzle during a print job. The print-head then heats up and extrudes (that's why it's called an extruder) melted plastic on the print platform below to form the 3D object. This process is called fused filament fabrication (FFF) and it's the current 3D-printing technology used in all consumer-grade 3D printers.
The Ultimaker 2 can handle both PLA and ABS filaments, but as a single extruder machine, it can use only one spool of filament at a time and therefore can only print objects in one color. That's not a big deal, however, as you can always paint the object later.
Da Vinci 1.0 AiO 3D Printer specs
On the front, the print has a five-line resolution LCD screen and a large round dial button for you to control various settings and functions. It took me some time to get used to the dial since accidentally pressing on it can cause unintended actions, but after a bit I really liked it. You also use the dial to control the very nice LED lighting inside (you can change the brightness, as well as choose to set the lights on at all times, during a print or once when a print is finished). Next to the screen is an SD card slot; the Ultimaker printer comes with a 4GB SD card preloaded with sample 3D models.
As mentioned above, before you can make the first print, you will need load the filament into the the print-head. The Ultimaker 2 makes this process easy by having the filament-feeding motor right next to the filament spool on the back. The motor connects to the print-head on top via a long tube. You just need to stick the filament string into the beginning of this tube and the motor will automatically pull the filament in for you. This process is more automated compared with other printers where you have to manually feed the filament directly into the print-head.
Josh Miller/CNET
Calibration needed
Unlike the
be3D DeeGreen 3D Printer
or the Da Vinci 1.0 AiO, you'll need to calibrate the Ultimaker's print platform before you can print. Calibration is an important process where you make sure the print platform's entire surface is at a consistent and perfect distance from the print-head's nozzle. If it's not set correctly, the printer won't produce an object which accurately reflects the 3D model. Generally this is the trickiest part of using a 3D printer; depending on your skill level, it can be very time consuming.
The Ultimaker 2's dial button comes in handy during this process. You can use it to raise the platform up or down about a half millimeter at a time, which is important since Ultimaker says the platform's entire surface needs to be consistently just one millimeter from the nozzle above. Still, it was quite hard to get this right in my testing since there are just three screws underneath the platform for you to adjust tilt. And the fact that the print plate is made of glass makes gauging the distance that much harder.
Well-designed but overpriced and unreliable
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