{"id":164886,"date":"2022-06-14T16:04:18","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T08:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=164886"},"modified":"2022-08-12T10:44:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T02:44:01","slug":"ultimaker-filament-all-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/ultimaker-filament-all-you-need-to-know","title":{"rendered":"Ultimaker Filament: All You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In addition to printers, Ultimaker manufactures filaments in a variety of materials. Read on to learn more about Ultimaker filament options!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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From the Makers of Cura<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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From printers to filaments to slicer software, Ultimaker basically does it all (Source: Oscar Liang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ultimaker<\/a>\u00a0is a manufacturer of professional 3D printers such as the\u00a0Ultimaker 2+ Connect<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Ultimaker S5<\/a>. While their printers certainly are popular, they\u2019re perhaps even more well-known for\u00a0Ultimaker Cura<\/a>, the open-source\u00a03D slicer<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0FDM printers<\/a>. Cura lets users build custom slicing profiles based on specific printers as well as specific materials \u2013 a feature that integrates nicely with Ultimaker\u2019s line of filaments.<\/p>\n

The company manufactures filaments in a wide range of materials from\u00a0PLA<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0CPE<\/a>. These filaments are usually compatible with Ultimaker 3D printers and are made with a high level of quality control to maintain Ultimaker\u2019s great reputation in the 3D printing community.<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll discuss some of Ultimaker\u2019s most noteworthy filaments, everything from their basics to some of their more advanced filaments. Before we get into all of that, though, we\u2019ll first go over some details common to all Ultimaker filaments.<\/p>\n

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The Best 3D Printer Filament Types in 2022<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Ultimate Filament<\/h3>\n
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Ultimaker’s filaments are compatible with their printers (Source: gudo via 3D Printing Forum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ultimaker\u2019s filament is a little more expensive than other brands out there, but as a well-known and reputable manufacturer of 3D printing products, their aim to deliver high-quality filaments. To fulfill this aim, they test their filaments for quality and ease of printing.<\/p>\n

Despite the range of materials on offer, you\u2019ll find some commonalities across all of Ultimaker\u2019s filaments, namely their diameter, NFC tagging, and pre-built Cura profiles.<\/p>\n

Diameter<\/strong><\/h3>\n

All Ultimaker filaments have a diameter of 2.85 mm, as the filament is tailored to Ultimaker printers, which require this diameter. As such, one could say that Ultimaker filament is technically made for Ultimaker printers. This diameter is a lot rarer than the common 1.75-mm diameter filament and is typically used on higher-end machines (e.g.\u00a0LulzBot<\/a>).<\/p>\n

According to some users<\/a>, the larger diameter of Ultimaker filaments makes the filament more rigid, and it\u2019s easier to print flexible materials. A larger diameter also means that more material comes out of the nozzle, and for this reason, it has to be printed at slower speeds.<\/p>\n

NFC<\/strong><\/h3>\n

All Ultimaker spools of filaments have a built-in\u00a0NFC filament information chip<\/a>. Certain\u00a0Ultimaker printers<\/a>\u00a0(the Ultimaker 3 and S5, for example)\u00a0read and scan<\/a>\u00a0this chip to detect the material, which enables them to keep track of filament usage.<\/p>\n

Cura Profiles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Each type of Ultimaker filament has its own pre-built Cura slicer profile, which eliminates the need for a long tuning process that you would have to go through with third-party filament brands. This makes it easy to load another spool onto your Ultimaker printer and continue printing without having to print a bunch of\u00a0calibration models<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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BASICS<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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In this category, we\u2019ll go over the standard 3D printing filaments from Ultimaker, including their PLA, Tough PLA, ABS, nylon, TPU, PC, and PETG filaments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

PLA<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Good ole trusty PLA (Source: 3dsimguy via Reddit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First up is\u00a0Ultimaker\u2019s PLA filament<\/span>, and if you\u2019ve never heard of it, PLA is the most widely-used 3D printing material out there due to how easy it is to use. Even though this filament is Ultimaker\u2019s \u201cnormal\u201d PLA option, it still produces stiff and strong parts given its great physical properties.<\/p>\n

According to Ultimaker, their PLA has a high hardness value, good impact resistance, and excellent flexural strength (which refers to the amount of bending stress a material can take just before it breaks). This filament\u2019s higher flexural strength is a big advantage because most PLA materials are super brittle. Additionally, MatterHackers, an online seller of Ultimaker PLA, praises the filament for yielding dimensionally accurate parts.<\/p>\n

PLA is a pretty easy-to-print material, however, this doesn\u2019t mean Ultimaker PLA doesn\u2019t have some issues.\u00a0Some users<\/a>\u00a0have noticed that the filament tends to cause extrusion issues and is\u00a0prone to stringing<\/a>\u00a0when used with another material (via dual extrusion).<\/p>\n