Ultimaker opens new possibilities for industrial printing!

Ultimaker has developed a comprehensive solution for high-performance composites on the Ultimaker S5 through collaborations with leading materials experts like Owens Corning and DSM. Optimized profiles for Owens Corning‘s XSTRAND™ and DSM‘s Novamid® will be accessible via Ultimaker Care. Additionally, a specialized abrasion-resistant Printcore designed for the Ultimaker S5 will enable printing with composite abrasive materials. Ultimaker stands out as the first 3D printer manufacturer globally to collaborate directly with material producers, providing customers with a broader selection of materials while simplifying the integration process by offering tailor-made profiles.

Ultimaker opens new possibilities for industrial printing!

The collaboration with Owens Corning, a world leader in fiberglass composites, roofing and insulation, began with the desire to help customers fully realize their projects. The profiles created with Ultimaker have proven beneficial to both their customers and Owens Corning.

With excellent thermal and mechanical properties and compatible with the Ultimaker S5 printer, XSTRAND™ materials are ideal for industrial applications. They can help customers produce items suited to specific applications, such as tools, appliances and electronics.

“XSTRAND™ is a technical material that contains 30% glass fibre composition of it and now we combine it with a filament that can be 3D printed. It is designed to be used indoors, outdoors and for many types of applications.”

To help customers get the most out of the XSTRAND™ range, Owens Corning has worked with Ultimaker engineers to create optimized material profiles that are now available in Ultimaker Cura. These profiles have been customized specifically for the XSTRAND™ range so users can simply select the material they are printing without having to manually configure multiple settings.

It reduces the difficult process of finding the right filament setting and allows Owens Corning customers to save time and print the part they want faster.

«It’s very simple. Simply upload your design, select the material you will use – you can now select XSTRAND™ from the drop-down list – and it will handle all the settings for you.»

The glass fiber reinforcement of the material ensures robust prints, with good chemical and UV resistance, capable of withstanding and being functional at high temperatures.

Dr. Chris Skinnervice president of strategic composites marketing at Owens Corning, explained: “We decided to partner with Ultimaker because of the high performance and reliability of Ultimaker 3D printers. Together with their materials experts, we achieved the perfect settings for our materials in Ultimaker Cura.”

The result of this close collaboration with Ultimaker is that Owens Corning customers can now achieve the best quality for their prints, producing prototypes and final products more quickly and easily.

Owens Corning was also shown how the company can use 3D printing as part of its workflow.

Specialty plastics specialists DSM also create profiles for Novamid® ID1030 CF10, a new polyamide for 3D printed parts with properties close to those only achieved by injection molding.

This material contains 10% carbon fiber, resulting in prints that are stronger, harder, and more rigid while maintaining a similar print speed to standard, unreinforced plastic. Its high strength makes it particularly well-suited for demanding structural applications in the automotive sector. Hugo da Silva, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at DSM, stated that their collaboration with Ultimaker aims to offer a seamless and efficient solution. With Cura software and the Ultimaker S5 fully optimized for use with their materials, they can enable the creation of an extensive range of high-performance parts.

– A new Printcore for printing new composites 

To enable easy printing of composite materials, Ultimaker launches a new Printcore CC Red 0.6.

The 3D printing printcore, developed in collaboration with Anders Olsson, features a 0.6 mm diameter nozzle with automatic precision, with a specially adapted geometry. With a wear-resistant ruby ​​tip, this Printcore ensures reliable 3D printing with composite materials.

Four nozzle caps for Ultimaker S5 are also included in the package for long-term use.

Combined with Ultimaker Cura profiles, this Printcore will achieve perfect results with these third-party materials as easily and smoothly as printing with Ultimaker filament.

There is no need to manually set printing parameters and no need to worry about whether the nozzle can withstand abrasion: CC Red Printcore was built for long-lasting 3D printing despite abrasion.

Update for every Ultimaker S5 

“Together with leading materials experts we will provide every Ultimaker S5 with a further update and much more to come,” he stated If burgersCEO of Ultimaker.

New pre-configured material profiles and Printcore offer Ultimaker customers superior 3D printing quality and easier setup when using the world’s best 3D printing materials.

Over time, even more leading brands will release Ultimaker Cura profiles and advanced composites and plastics, offering more material options suitable for professional applications, from functional prototypes to end-use parts.