The Ultimaker 2+ how-to
| Site: | ΕΛ/ΛΑΚ Moodle |
| Course: | 3D printing with circuits and Arduino |
| Book: | The Ultimaker 2+ how-to |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Friday, 3 May 2024, 12:07 PM |
Description
Get started with the lab printer and master its operation.
1. Display and controller
Control
After switching the Ultimaker 2+ on with the power switch at the back, the printer can easily be controlled with the push/rotate button at the right side of the display. The button allows the following actions:
- Rotate to scroll through a menu or to select an option.
- Push to confirm a selection or action.
When pushing the button you will hear a “beeping” sound to confirm the action. A blinking button means the Ultimaker 2+ is waiting for user input.
Display and menus
The display at the front side of the Ultimaker 2+ shows all the necessary information for setting up and using your Ultimaker 2+. When turning on the Ultimaker 2+ for the first time you will be guided through the first run wizard. When turning on your Ultimaker 2+ after the first use, you will always see the Ultimaker logo first after which the main menu appears. The main menu offers three options: Print, Material and Maintenance.
The Print menu allows you to select a print, when using an SD card. While printing, the menu also allows you to tune the print, and change the settings for instance.
Material
With the Material menu you can either change the material or change the settings of the material profiles.
Note: It is also possible to add custom material profiles to your Ultimaker 2+ via this menu. This page will explain you how to do that.
Maintenance
The Maintenance menu offers various options. In this menu you will find the option to level the build plate and an Advanced menu with options to control the build plate, print head and LED lights in the frame. These are the options in the Advanced menu:
| LED settings | Change the settings of the LED lights in the frame |
| Heatup nozzle | Set custom temperature to manually heat up the nozzle |
| Heatup build plate | Set a custom temperature to manually heat up the heated bed |
| Home head | Homes the head in the left back corner of the Ultimaker 2+ |
| Lower build plate | Move the build plate to the bottom |
| Raise build plate | Move the build plate up |
| Insert material | Heat up the nozzle after which you can insert filament |
| Set fan speed | Set the speed of the two fans at the sides of the print head |
| Retraction settings | Customize the settings for retraction |
| Version | Shows the current firmware version on the Ultimaker 2+ |
| Runtime stats | Shows for how much time the Ultimaker 2+ has been on and printing |
| Factory reset | A complete reset of your Ultimaker 2+ |
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2. Materials
Compatible materials
The Ultimaker 2+ supports the use of various materials.
The following Ultimaker materials are officially supported on the Ultimaker 2+:
- PLA
- ABS
- CPE
- CPE+
- Nylon
- PC
- TPU 95A
- PP
Material settings
Each
material requires different settings for optimal results. Here you can
find an overview of the recommendations for printing with Ultimaker
materials.
Temperature
The
recommended temperature and cooling settings are different per
material. These settings are automatically set correctly in Cura when
selecting one of the material profiles and can differ due to the
selected nozzle size and profile.
Adhesion
For
all materials that are supported on the Ultimaker 2+ it is recommended
to apply an adhesive the glass plate before starting a print. In the
accessory box of the Ultimaker 2+ is a glue stick, of which a thin layer
should be applied to the glass plate.
Another way to ensure adhesion of the first layer is to apply painter's tape on the glass plate.
Furthermore, it is advised to print all materials with a ‘brim’ or ‘raft’ as platform adhesion type. A brim will print some extra lines of plastic around the object on the first layer to let the model adhere well and to minimize warping. A raft will put a grid structure between the print and build plate that allows for better adhesion. These settings are selected by default in all the Cura profiles for the materials on the Ultimaker 2+.
[source]3. Starting a print
Prints on the Ultimaker 2+ are started from the SD card. To start a print, take the following steps:
- Place the SD card in your computer.
- Slice your 3D model in Cura. Ensure that the nozzle size and material configuration in Cura match the configuration on your Ultimaker 2+.
- Save the print file (.gcode) via the “Save to removable drive” button to the SD card.
- Eject the SD card in Cura and remove it from your computer.
- Place the SD card in the Ultimaker 2+ (front side, next to the display).
- Go to "Print" and select the file you want to print.
[source]