Beginners Guide for 3D Printing

1. Ultimaker 2+
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
New York City College of Technology
Architectural Technology Department
A beginners Guide for 3D Printing
Written by Santiago Flores
Edited by Henry Aguilar January 16, 2019

2. 2
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation
under Grant Numbers 1141234.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.

3. Ultimaker 2+
3
Things to know:
Machine Parts
PRINT HEAD CABLE
BOWDEN TUBE
PRINT HEAD
BUILD PLATE CLAMPS
BUILD PLATE
BUILD PLATE SCREWS
PUSH ROTATE BUTTON
DISPLAY
SD CARD SLOT

4. Ultimaker 2+
4
Things to know:
Machine Parts
FEEDER
SPOOL
POWER
POWER
USB SOCKET

5. Ultimaker 2+
Download The Latest
Version Cura
Cura Converts your .STL file into an Ultimaker file
(gcode). The software is available at
HTTP://SOFTWARE.ULTIMAKER.COM/
Once you open the program, add the printer you
will be working with. On campus, we are using the
Ultimaker 2+.
Once selected, a digital visualization of your
printer’s build platform will be displayed.
Import your .STL by clicking on “file”which is
located on the top left corner. Then select “open
file(s)”. Next select the file via the browser window.
5

6. Ultimaker 2+
Printing Settings
Customize the settings.
Resolution: Do you want it to be faster or higher
quality or a happy medium? This depends on what
you will be using your printed object for.
Usually we use:
-0.4mm Nozzle
-0.15mm Height
-0.7mm Wall Thickness
Build Plate Adhesion - Rafts: This is a thick layer
of plastic which is printed first. This keeps the print
from peeling off the build plate during printing. The
raft is useful if your print is long and flat because
some warping may occur during printing due to
temperature fluctuations. ex.Fig 2
Supports: Does the print require supports? In
most cases, supports are needed. They are there
to keep your print from becoming a mushy pile.
Remember there is no anti gravity device in your
bot. By checking the support box the program will
generate a removable scaffolding for building your
print. Ex.fig 2
Advanced Settings: If you are printing something
complicated you may want to adjust additional
settings. Click on the 3 line drop down menu and
select expert. Now you have full control over all of
the settings.
Fig. 1 -Resolution Options
6
Fig. 2 -Raft
Fig. 3 -Support

7. Ultimaker 2+
Exporting to SD
After the process of preparing is complete, the icon
will turn blue and will now state “Save to File” or
“Save to SD” Click on the button and save to the
selected location. The printer only runs using an
SD card. Fig. 5
Prepare Your Print
Once your model is successfully imported and you
are satisfied with the selected setting we can begin
the slicing process by clicking on “prepare” located
on the bottom right corner. Fig. 4
Inserting Filament
* Before you start any print, you need to load
filament through the feeder into your Ultimaker. Fig
6-7
If you’re using your Ultimaker for the first time, you
should level the build plate. It’s really important to
load the filament correctly to ensure you get the
best print results.
When using a 3D printer from the Ultimaker 2+ or
Ultimaker 2, it’s important to forward the material
through the bottom tube at the right moment. As
soon as it does, press “Continue” on your Ultimaker
to avoid material jamming in the hot end.
How to load the filament?
-Before the filament can be loaded, the filament
spool needs to be placed on the spool holder.
-Once you’ve done this, you can insert the filament
into the feeder and guide it through the bottom tube
into the hot end.
-For detailed instructions check the manufacturers
manual
Fig. 4 - Prepare File Fig. 7 -Material inserted
7
Fig. 5 - Export to SD
Fig. 6 -Material inserted

8. Ultimaker 2+
Customize Material
*The Ultimaker 2 and Ultimaker 2+ (Extended) use
UltiGCode. which allows to print a single gcode
with different materials.
Change material settings on the machine:
This is the easiest way of changing material
settings. It is done completely on the machine,
without the need of a computer.
1. Turn on the power of the Ultimaker 2(+) 3D
printer.
2. Go to the material settings on the machine. Click
on “Material”.
3.The next screen shows the options to “Change”
material or view the material “Settings”. Click on
“Settings”By default, a list of all supported materials
for the machine will be displayed.
4. Scroll down the list to find the “Customize” button.
Click the “Customize” button. This menu shows all
material settings that can be adjusted.
5. Rotate the click wheel to change the setting.
Note : the previous setting is visible on the bottom
of the screen. Click on the button to set the setting
to the new value and return to the settings list.
6. Click the last option in the settings list: “Store as
preset”, to store the settings.
7. Overwrite one of the existing materials by
selecting them, or create a new material by clicking
“New preset”. The name of the “new preset”will
be “Custom_#”. *Note When a default material is
overwritten, it will keep its original name.
8. After saving the settings, scroll all the way up
and click the return button.
8

9. Ultimaker 2+
Unclog
How to unclog an Ultimaker nozzle?
When the nozzle of your Ultimaker is clogged
or blocked, the material (or hardly any) will be
extruded. This blockage is usually caused by dirt or
carbonized material in the hot end.
Several methods can be applied to remove the
blockage. Follow the steps below
Manually extruding material
The easiest way to check the severity of the
blockage is by manually extruding some material.
In some cases, the nozzle is clogged with just a
tiny particle that will come out when some extra
pressure is applied. Take the following steps to do
this:
Go to “Advanced”, >”Move material” and wait
for the nozzle to heat up. When the temperature
is reached, rotate the button at the front of the
Ultimaker to forward the material. You can put
some extra force on it by pushing the material into
the feeder while doing this.
Now check if material is being extruded from the
nozzle. If you manage to achieve proper extrusion
after manually pushing the filament through, there’s
a big possibility that the blockage has been cleared.
9

10. Ultimaker 2+
Unclog
Applying the Atomic Method to unclog
When the nozzle is clogged by dirt or carbonized
material that is bigger than the nozzle diameter, it
is impossible to push it through the nozzle. In this
case, the only way to remove the dirt is by taking it
out from the top.
With the Atomic Method you basically let all the
dirt or carbonized material stick to a fresh piece of
material, after which you can pull it out.
To apply the Atomic Method you don’t need to
disassemble the print head or hot end, which
makes it very easy to use this method
.
*Note: Besides using this method to unclog the
nozzle, you can use the Atomic Method when
switching to a material that requires a lower printing
temperature. This way all residue from the previous
material will be removed, helping to prevent
blockages.
How to apply the Atomic Method.
the Atomic Method can be applied to the Ultimaker
2+, but this method can be used on all Ultimaker
3D printers.
Note: make sure you move the print head to a
corner of your Ultimaker to prevent bending the
axles.
Remove the material
Remove the material from your Ultimaker.
On an Ultimaker 2(+) go to ‘Material’ → ‘Change”
and select ‘Cancel’ after you have removed the
material.
10

11. Ultimaker 2+
Successful Print
What does a successful first layer look like?
When you turn on the Ultimaker for the first time,
you need to calibrate the build plate to get a good
bed adhesion and improve the print quality. If the
distance between the nozzle and build plate is too
big, your print won’t stick properly to the glass plate.
Also, if the nozzle is too close to the build plate, it
can prevent the filament extruding from the nozzle.
Successful first layer
When 3D printing, it’s very important that the first
layer is nicely pressed onto the glass plate with flat
lines of filament and no gaps in between.
For printing it is very important that the first layer
is nicely squashed onto the glass plate and sticks
well. If the distance between the nozzle and build
plate is too big, your print will not stick properly to
the glass plate. On the other hand, if the nozzle
is too close to the build plate, it can prevent the
filament from extruding from the nozzle. To get the
correct distance between the build plate and the
nozzle, you need to level the build plate. You must
do that before using the Ulitmaker 2+ for the first
time and then periodically.
Fig. 8 -Nozzle too tight to bed
11
Fig. 9 -Build Plate too far to nozzle
Fig. 10 -Successful first layer

12. Ultimaker 2+
Printing
Once materials have been loaded and selected,
leveled bed; we can start the printing process.
*Note:
Putting a think layer of all purpose glue stick on
the print bed will act as a “grease on a baking pan”
which will allow the print to be easily removed when
the tiny has finished and cooled
Selecting the File:
Insert the SD Card, use the toggle to select print
and push in on the toggle button to select your file.
The printer will start and align it’s self, pausing will
happen in order for the printer to preheat for a few
minutes.
The monitor on the screen of Ultimaker will show
the heating progress
*Note: Plan Ahead
Printing Can be affected by the size, how much
support the print requires. Generally Prints can go
from 3-15 hours/
12

13. Ultimaker 2+
REMOVE PRINT
Once your print has finished printing gently remove
your piece off the printing bed, Make sure the bed
has cooled completely cooled, If not you risk the
print from Warping while removal
If the print is too difficult to remove from the glass
bed, turn the metal tabs that clamp the glass bed,
by turning the tabs towards you and remove
Then gently with a spatula remove the print.
13