Since the dawn of Ultimaker, the 3D printing company has prided themselves on being one of the most reliable, open source companies in the additive manufacturing field. One of their main objectives is to share their 3D printer files with the public in order to build an expansive network of individuals who will be able to use these open source files to share ideas with each other, and even help Ultimaker themselves grow into a more formidable company. In other words, Ultimaker is inviting their users to become development partners, in a way, once their audience has access to these 3D printer files, they are collectively able to explore every boundary of Ultimaker’s latest products, and, in turn, they can help the company develop newer and better 3D printing technologies.
Now, Ultimaker is executing their open source philosophy by opening up the blueprints to their newly announced Ultimaker 2 Go and Ultimaker 2 Extended machines, providing full access to almost every inch of Ulitmaker’s latest developments. This way, Ultimaker’s consumer base will be able to join the company along for a joyride through the foundation of their newest printers from the inside out. With these open source files, which are already available for free download, Ultimaker is proving that they refuse to stray from their all-inclusive community model. “Ultimaker is committed to sharing new designs, functions and updates with our customers to give them the freedom to 3D print to the best of their ability,” explains Siert Wijnia, the founder of Ultimaker.
“Being open source enables quick iterations and innovation which pushes the boundaries of the impossible every time,” said Wijnia. “It means our innovations are community-powered and the focus lies not only on what we think is important, but also allow our users to grow and transform with us as we develop new technology.”
Ultimately, Ultimaker isn’t announcing any ground-breaking news here, as they have been a proponent for open source 3D printing technology since they started. What the release of the Ultimaker2 Go and Ultimaker2 Extended files does prove however, is that the company is proudly continuing their open source model despite their recent success in a market where many 3D printing companies are closing the back door on their consumers.
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