Ultimaker 2 detailed review by Barnacules

Another great review by Barnacules of Ultimaker 2. He goes trough unboxing, setup, calibration, leveling and first printing. His machine came delivered with on extruder fan broken. The leveling process seems easy with adjustment screws on the bottom of the print bed.

From video description:

The Ultimaker 2
To operate the Ultimaker 2 you don't need any specific technical knowledge. Every part has been redesigned to create one of the highest performing 3D printer available on the market, but also a very reliable one.

Ultimaker 2 specifications
Easy to use and reliable
Designed for non-expert and expert
Larger build envelope
Heated bed
Low cost material
Open source
Just like the Original the Ultimaker 2 will remain open source. We dare to share our knowledge because we believe we can achieve even more when working together.
Easy to use and reliable
To operate the Ultimaker 2 you don't need any specific technological knowledge. With its 49 decibel it's a quiet machine. Because the electronics are bundled the Ultimaker 2 is stable and reliable. With its nice design the Ultimaker 2 is suitable in any working or living interior.
Designed for non-expert and expert
We've made the Ultimaker 2 to be as easy as possible. You don't need to have a huge technological background to understand our printer. At the same time we've developed the printer in a way that it's still interesting for experts to work and create with.
Larger build ratio
We've managed to get an even better print-to-size ratio. This means the printer size has remained the same, and the print envelope became bigger.
Low cost material
Beside the fact that the Ultimaker doesn't use a lot of power, the material you use to print is also low cost. This makes the use of an Ultimaker very affordable.
Layer resolution: up to 20 micron
Build volume: 23 x 22.5 x 20.5 cm
Position precision X Y Z: 12.5 / 12.5 / 5 micron
Print speed: 30 mm/s - 300 mm/s
Travel speed: 30 mm/s - 350 mm/s
Recommended filament diameter: 2.85 mm
Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm
Stand-alone SD-card printing
WiFi printing ready (future upgradeable)
Software: Cura - Official Ultimaker
Print technology: Fused filament fabrication (FFF)
Frame dimension X Y Z: 35.7 / 34.2 / 38.8 cm (no filament)
Frame dimension X Y Z: 49.2 / 34.2 / 55.8 cm (with filament)
Operation nozzle temperature: 180° - 260° C
Operation heated bed temperature: 50° - 100° C
Ambient operation temperature: 15° - 32° C
Storage temperature: 0° - 32° C
AC input: 100 - 240 V / ~4 AMPS / 50 - 60 HZ / 221 watt max.
Power requirements: 24 V DC @ 9.2 AMPS
Usage cost: ~ €0.05 / cm3 (material and power)

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/user/barnacules1?feature=watch

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SmartRap - low cost simple RepRap

Simplistic open source SmartRap RepRap designed to be very easy to assemble and as cheap as possible. Nice job!

From RepRap wiki description:

This is a new design of a reprap 3d printer. It is in the spirit of the printrbot simple , designed by Brook Drumm , one of our best designer in my opinion. I tried to make it even simpler (let's start a chalenge with Brook? :) This one is made with printed parts only so it's easy reproducible. It's also full GPL , meaning open to any business.

The goal for the Smartrap is to have the feeling of a lego assembly feasible by a 12 years old kid without complication.The Education part is very important and by building himself, the user should learn how every part is working in the all system, so he would be able to find problems and repair himself easily. In other word, the Smartrap tries to reach makers who are not real gurus like we have actually in the reprap world ( not negative meaning here, but only to help to spread the world and attire more people to this wonderful world of replicative-dIY-makers).

Other features in any order of importance are:

• Real Reprap : most of the structure should be printed, so it can print itself for friends. Only the common base should be bought on special shops ( motors,hotend,controller,lm8uu,endstops).
• Simple to build : I mean it! . No need for special tooling or ultra precision cut or drill or even adjustment. The final goal would be: no screw and everything come together by snap (almost).
• Open source! : GPL, you can build it, sell it, make a business of it. all that is ok if you stay under the GPL licence .
• Cheap as possible : fishing line, printed bushing?( not well working for me now) , cheapest electronics ( no heat bed, 4 motors, no fan).
• Optionally open to experimentation : I tried so much configurations before that i should put them all online one day : Aluminium rails with 608zz, fixed axis with moving hotend, moving axis with fixed hotend..etc .

Features

• Print size : from 150x150x150 to around 250x250x200. The first prototype is 200x200x150.
• PLA only : It's a political decision: Even if ABS gives better results , i really don't like the fumes and the ecological impact. PLA , beeing compostable and asking for only 60 watts alime, is far more interesting to me. ( open to talk of course :)
• Layer height : not really tested for now, looks like 0.2 works well.
• Printed parts: 10.
• Screws : M6 x2 , M3 x 16.
• Non Printed parts : 6 smooth rods 8mm , 12 lm8uu, 1 M5 , 2 fishing lines 500mm , 4 nema17 motors, 1 hot-end j-head, 1 controler board , 3 mechanical endstops.
• Assembly operations count : not much but not totally clear for now. I wait to assemble 2 or 3 more printers to make a good doc and video of asssembly

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:177256

http://reprap.org/wiki/Smartrap_mini

https://github.com/smartfriendz/smartrap

http://smartfriendz.com/


Update (31.12.2013.):

SmartRap is updated, one of the main new functions is autoleveling of the printbed.

It is also on Indiegogo:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/smartrap-open-source-3d-printer-the-viral-printer

Update (26.2.2015.):

SmartFriendz released SmartCore wood box framed 3d printer:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2015/02/smartcore-low-cost-wooden-box-3d-printer.html

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Update on AIO Robotics all-in-one 3d printer ZEUS

Here is demonstration of its control unit with touch display that provides controls for printing. High quality of prints is also demonstrated




Here is the video with print bed auto leveling function with active probe




Initial post:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2013/08/aio-robotics-all-in-one-3d-printer.html

http://www.aiorobotics.com/

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