Tech Breakdown: Ultimaker S5 3D Printer Evaluation


The Execs at MatterHackers break down and evaluate all the brand new and improved tech within the first 3d printer from Ultimaker of their new ‘S’ line of merchandise.

Up to date on October 18, 2022

by

Chris Morgan

The Ultimaker S5 3D printer is the most important, dual-extruder mannequin out there from Ultimaker. Launched in June 2018, the S5 is the primary within the new ‘S’ line of Ultimaker 3D printers, and it boasts a ton of recent and improved options to assist any enterprise obtain wonderful, skilled prints time after time.

MAIN FEATURES

  • New 4.7” Touchscreen
  • Twin Extrusion
  • Absolutely Automated Mattress Leveling
  • Filament Spool Identification
  • Filament RunOut Sensor
  • Construct Plate Digital camera
  • Swappable Print Cores
  • WiFi Enabled
  • Massive Construct Quantity (330x240x300mm)
  • Outer Dimensions (457x520x495mm)
  • Weight 20.6 kg
  • Swappable Construct Plate Surfaces (coming Fall 2018)

TOUCHSCREEN

One of the vital seen enhancements that comes with the brand new S5 is the 4.7” touchscreen interface. It really works precisely like a telephone touchscreen – one thing that everybody could be very conversant in – and is a particular enchancment over the spin-wheels and LCD screens from earlier fashions.

The graphics are extraordinarily crisp and clear. The choices on all menus are straightforward to learn, and the tutorials are extremely straightforward to comply with, as they arrive with photos for the consumer to reference on each step. Altering filament, altering print cores, leveling the mattress – every little thing you might want to do with this 3D printer is printed in very straightforward to comply with tutorials. Anybody may simply step up and shortly have a brand new print up and operating on the S5; the interface takes the training curve down fairly just a few notches.

The Brand New 4.7

The Model New 4.7″ Touchscreen on the S5

DUAL EXTRUSION

Just like the Ultimaker 3 earlier than it, the Ultimaker S5 makes use of a Print Core system; as an alternative of eradicating nozzles, you swap out the whole hotend, nozzle, heater block, warmth sink, and electronics and swap in one other unit. There are a number of several types of Print Cores with totally different inner geometries of fabric capabilities, just like the AA core for construct supplies, the BB core completely for PVA, and the CC core for composite and abrasive filaments. And quite than having the 2 print cores mounted stage with one another, the Ultimaker S5 makes use of a lever to elevate and decrease the second print core to stop oozing and smearing of supplies in a twin extruded print job. They’re additionally able to printing nearly any materials, because the print heads can warmth to 280°C, which supplies the consumer choices for twin materials prints utilizing nylon, PLA, ABS, TPU, PVA and extra.

Altering filament can be simpler, because of the discharge lever on the extruder; you not have to carry a button down with one hand to vary the filament with the opposite. Now you might have two free fingers to vary filament. The Filament RunOut Sensor additionally ensures that if you happen to run out of filament throughout a print you possibly can come again and resume the print proper the place it left off after putting in further filament – no extra misplaced prints!

The twin geared feeder can be optimized for composite supplies, which is ideal for engineering functions. The XYZ decision has additionally been barely improved to six.9, 6.9, and a pair of.5 microns attributable to upgrades on the gantry with thicker rods, and a slight gear discount to make it far more inflexible and exact.

Absolutely Automated and Adaptive Mattress Leveling

The capacitive, energetic mattress leveling course of is similar and nonetheless ensures an ideal first layer each time. With the bigger mattress, there are further factors of contact that the S5 measures to make sure higher accuracy for the construct plate total, making certain even bigger prints might be exact and correct.

Construct Quantity

The bigger construct quantity of the S5 permits for extra choices in each single and twin extrusion prints. After you have accomplished the prototyping and testing of single elements, there may be far more room to iterate that greatest mannequin in a number of elements. The entrance ‘barn-doors’ on the S5 additionally assist management the airflow contained in the chamber, permitting straightforward, steady printing of ABS and different temperature delicate supplies.

Good Spool Detection

In case you are utilizing Ultimaker filament, the S5 will routinely detect the filament and alter temperature settings accordingly. If not, the S5 is open to accepting any filament sort from any producer within the 2.85mm diameter. In response to the Ultimaker web site, the S5 is optimized for the next supplies:

Construct Digital camera and WiFi

The built-in digicam might help you monitor your prints remotely if you might want to begin a print job and go some place else. With the Ultimaker app, you can begin and cease prints, get filament runout notifications, and join further printers for workflow optimization. All of this knowledge is communicated wirelessly through WiFi by means of your community. You may as well transmit and obtain knowledge from the printer on to your pc – no hardline USB connection is required in case you have a wi-fi community.

The Built-In Camera

The Constructed-In Digital camera

Swappable Print Cores

The S5 comes with two 0.4mm AA cores, and one 0.4mm BB core. The S5 routinely detects which print cores are at present put in, and the touchscreen interface walks you thru the steps of switching them out or putting in a second core when the necessity arises. It takes only a few minutes, and swapping cores doesn’t contain any instruments – it’s all finished by hand, shortly and simply. Extra nozzles and print cores can be found in sizes from 0.25mm to 0.8mm.

Layer decision is great even with an ordinary 0.4mm nozzle. Ultimaker studies a decision of 20 microns with a 0.4mm nozzle, and our checks got here extraordinarily near matching that mark.

Swappable Construct Plate Surfaces

On the time of launch, the S5 was shipped with the ever-present heated glass construct plate. However beginning within the fall of 2018, Ultimaker might be transport a further heated aluminum construct plate to present S5 house owners, and will probably be included with all new S5 shipments afterward. They’re additionally engaged on providing further surfaces sooner or later, for extra print mattress choices.

As the primary within the line of Ultimaker’s new ‘S’ sequence of 3D printers, the S5 stands out as an ideal new addition to an already well-known and dependable producer. From the extraordinarily easy-to-use touchscreen to easy swappable print cores, easy filament choice, loading and altering, to the large construct quantity and skill to community and monitor remotely, the S5 is an superior machine for any workflow.

Please Observe: The Aluminum Construct Plate is at present in growth and presently, Ultimaker doesn’t have an anticipated ship date. MatterHackers will replace all product data because it turns into out there. We admire your persistence!

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