Ultimaker — widely considered one of the premier 3D printing companies — took to CES 2016 this week to unveil two new upgrades to its already-impressive Ultimaker 2 family of 3D printers. Officially dubbed the Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+, the Holland-based company calls both a bonafide successor to its Ultimaker 2/2 Extended kin. Ultimaker CEO Jos Burger acknowledged the importance of working with the 3D printing community in order to get a working idea of what was wanted in the upgrades.
“We are excited to release two new 3D printers at CES this year,” says Burger in Ultimaker’s CES press release. “The Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended + are results of countless collaborations and insightful feedback we have received from the Ultimaker community. Both printers feature crucial upgrades based on what our customers are looking for in a 3D printer.”
This work with the community enabled Ultimaker to include three especially useful upgrades; interchangeable nozzles, optimized print results, and enhanced surface quality. Concerning the interchangeable nozzles, users of the Ultimaker 2+ or 2 Extended+ now have the ability to easily swap between either high-detailed or high-speed nozzles in a matter of seconds. Not only does this make working with different materials an effortless process, but it makes maintenance on the printer simpler than ever.
Improvements to the Ultimaker’s geared feeder also reduce the risk of any skips during a print, effectively increasing the printer’s reliability. Moreover, the improved feeder grants increased control over the types of filaments used and allows for easy selection of the types of pressure applied. During printing, Ultimaker’s enhanced surface quality assures smoother prints by optimizing the printer’s airflow via the printer’s brand new fan caps.
Available for purchase immediately, the Ultimaker 2+ ($2,500) and the Ultimaker 2 Extended+ ($3,000) look to revolutionize the 3D printing industry and set the bar even higher for its esteemed manufacturer.
