The Ultimaker 3 is a desktop 3D printer by Ultimaker, a manufacturer from the Netherlands. This 3D printer was revealed on the 18th of October 2016, and it replaces the very successful Ultimaker 2+.

This desktop 3D printer has a semi-closed frame on 3 sides with a glass heated print bed. It is capable of 3D printing a wide range of filaments, including: PLA, PP (polypropylene), Nylon, ABS, CPE, CPE+, PC, TPU 95A, and water-soluble PVA. The Ultimaker 3 offers a very high 3D printing resolution of 20 microns and uses 2.85 mm diameter filament.

Ultimaker 3 main features

Compared to its predecessor, the Ultimaker 3 offers a lot of new and very interesting features, including:

  • Dual extruder head

    The standard version comes with two extruders, both easy to swap and maintain. The two nozzles are 0.4 mm diameter (possible to switch to 0.8 mm for faster prints). Ultimaker tackled the oozing issue by adding a clever open-and-close functionality to ensure the nozzle in standby is slightly moved up inside the extruder head. This dual extruder feature allows the Ultimaker 3 to produce dual material 3D prints; either in different materials (such as PLA-PVA, Nylon-PVA, and CPE-PVA combinations) or for multi-color 3D prints.

  • Build volume

    The build volume indicated in this page corresponds to the single extruder configuration. When using both extruders, the maximum build volume gets slightly smaller:

    • Single nozzle/material: 215 x 215 x 200 mm
    • Dual material: 197 x 215 x 200 mm

  • Built-in camera

    The Ultimaker 3 comes with a small webcam, mounted in a corner of the build area. This feature (a MakerBot classic) allows users to monitor their 3D prints.

  • Enhanced connectivity options

    With Wifi, USB and LAN connectivity options, the Ultimaker 3 is on par with the competition. The Ethernet plug was an important requirement for professional users.

  • Auto leveling 3D print bed

    The Ultimaker 3 extruder includes a capacitive sensor which allows the print head to check if the print bed alignment. If that’s not the case, the 3D printer is able to automatically compensate the deviations.

  • NFC 3D filament reader

    This feature (which also reminds us of the famous CEL Robox Smart Reels) allows the 3D printer to automatically detect the inserted filament and adjust the 3D printer parameters.

  • Materials compatibility

    This desktop 3D printer is capable of 3D printing with PLA, PP (polypropylene), Nylon, ABS, CPE, CPE+, PC, TPU 95A, and water-soluble PVA.

  • Swappable nozzles

    The two nozzles are available in 0.4 mm diameter for a higher level of detail and 0.8 mm for faster prints.

Besides, the Ultimaker 3 is slightly bigger than the Ultimaker 2. This new version can operate in an almost perfect silence, at only 50 dB. Ultimaker recommends using the open source software Cura 2 with their 3D printers. This 3D printer 3 is also available in a larger version: the Ultimaker 3 Extended.

Ultimaker 3 price

The Ultimaker 3 is at the manufacturer price of €2,995 and is available on Amazon.

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