3D Printing with Ultimakers Tutorial

Overview

3D Printing with our Ultimakers is as simple as plugging in a USB Stick and pressing go, almost. Follow this step by step guide to make you get the best quality and ensure that your print won't fail. This guide covers the two Ultimaker 2 Extended+ machines and the Ulitmaker 3 Extended that we have in the Dyson Centre. Use the hyperlinks below or scroll down for full details on each step.

Ensure you've read and agreed to the risk assessment, RA ID #3407 titled 3D Printing in the Dyson Centre on the Engineering Department Risk Assessment App. You will need to log in with your university email and password
Source a 3D model in the STL format. This can exported from CAD software or downloaded from an online repository
Convert it to GCode (click here for details) using the Ultimaker Cura software
Put it on a USB stick or SD Card, plug it into the printer and select your file to set it going
After it's printed, give it a minute to cool down, peel it of the bed by hand and remove any adhesion or support material by hand or using hand tools
Pay for the PLA you used (click here for details)

Each step is listed in-detail below, and there's a brief specification of each machine at the bottom of this page.

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Source an STL File

From CAD Software

Solidworks

To export an STL from Solidworks, it's just File > Save As, and in Save as type: select STL (*.stl) You might need to scroll down the list of file types to find it.

If you're in an assembly and you just want a single STL, you'll need to select STL (*.stl) then Options, and tick Save all components of an assembly into a single file.

Fusion 360

It's just File > 3D Print, make any changes to the export settings you want, usually none are needed. Then tick Preview, click OK, name your file and save it.

Onshape

To export and STL from Onshape, select the parts you want to export in the bottom left of the browser window, right click on any one of them, click Export. In Format, select STL, scroll down and click Export. You can alternatively select parts by clicking them in the viewer.

Onshape is free and completely browser based, so a great option if you don't have Solidworks on your computer or are using multiple machines. https://www.onshape.com/

From an Online Repository

taylor swift 3d models on printables search results

There are many online collections of free and paid 3D models on the World Wide Web. Here are a few to get you started that mostly host free models

Thingiverse - Digital Designs for Physical Objects
- The largest repository and often our go-to
STLFinder - The 3d models search engine
- Scans other repositories for the 3D Models matching your search query
Cults・Download free 3D printer models・STL, OBJ, 3MF, CAD
- A well reviewed 3D model repository
3D models database | Printables.com
or just Google search

The hard thing is deciding what to search for. Think favourite films, computer games, famous landmarks or mechanisms.

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Slice the STL and Export a GCode File

Install Ultimaker Cura

The recommended slicer software is Ultimaker Cura. It's pre-installed on all the Dyson Centre PCs so you can skip this step if you're using one of those.

Go to https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura/ and click Download for free
Select your operating system to download Cura
Once downloaded, install it

Open Cura and select the printer you want to use

Search of UltiMaker Cura on your computer and open it
In the top left, click the drop down to select the printer you want to use, this tells Cura the dimensions of the bed and other properties of the printer. There's little difference between our Ultimaker 2+ Extendeds and Ultimaker 3 Extended, so have a look on the back of each printer and choose which colour you'd prefer
If the printer you want isn't there, click Add Printer
1. Click Ultimaker Printer
2. Click Add Local Printer (you don't need to make an Ultimaker account)
3. Click Add Non-Networked Printer
4. Select Ultimaker B.V. > Ultimaker 3 Extended or Ultimaker 2 Extended +
5. Click Add in the bottom right
6. Check it's selected in the top left dropdown and you're ready to set up you print!

Import the STL and Choose Settings

You can import the STL by simply dragging it into the Cura window, or click the folder icon in the top left
Make sure the 0.4mm nozzle is selected and PLA is selected
Click the dropdown in the top right to set other properties. The default settings should work well so click Recommended Settings if you're on the Custom selection and click the recycling icon to reset them to default
Support, this is important. The print is done layer by layer, so if the model suddenly juts out with nothing underneath, it will sag and fail. If your model has any such cantelevers, you need to enable support. The critical angle you start needing support at is 60 degrees or more from the vertical.
Adhesion, is essential. Your model will just stick to the nozzle and be dragged around the bed if it's not got a good raft holding it in place.
Click Slice
Click Save To Disk and then load it onto a USB Stick or SD Card

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Print the GCode

Put your GCode file on an SD Card if you're using the Ultimaker 2 Extended+ or a USB Stick if you're using the Ultimaker 3
Insert it into the 3D Printer
Select it and it should start printing!
Please write your name, CRSID and filename on the sheet in-front of the printer so we can restart it if it goes wrong
Go and get yourself a cup of tea

pikachu printing on ultimaker 3 extended

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Clean up the Print

They can take a long time to print. A 10g print will be done in 30 minutes, some larger prints can take many hours. For prints longer than 4 hours, please set them off overnight or over the weekend.

Once finished, weigh your prints and pay for the PLA including support material and failed prints. See our How to Buy Materials Page for details.

Most support material and adhesion can be broken off by hand. But the red side-cutters and small files can be helpful to get everything off.

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