Hey guys, I have seen many people build ultimakers out of aluminium extrusions. I am planning on building one, any advice? I dont have the money for a 2+ so I think that building a clone is a great alternative.
Thanks
I just finished building one for my school and am starting my own build. It’s a great design, solid and easy to work with. The main thing to watch out for is that since there aren’t ready-made kits, there are a LOT of parts you need to buy, and missing just one of them could put your entire project on a standstill until it arrives. Double check all quantities on your parts list spreadsheet, on the order page, and as all of the parts come in. I don’t have good experience with the Chinese “Ultimaker 2 rod kits” from something like Aliexpress. Mine arrived with two of the 8mm rods slightly bent, but due to the design even the slightest bend will cause a lot of wobble in the print head carriage, ruining build quality. Buy high-quality smooth rods from Misumi, which cost about twice as much but are infinitely better. Make sure the bed baseplate is aluminum, even if you plan on adding your own MK2 heated bed to save costs. I originally made a bed baseplate out of plywood, but it seems both plywood and acrylic are simply not rigid or heavy enough and will shake whenever the bed moves. RobotDigg is a wonderful source for functional, maybe not quite high quality, but affordable Ultimaker 2 parts. Besides everything mentioned above, don’t be afraid to make modifications! I changed the electronics to a RUMBA and used a standard 12v 30a power supply, and added an E3D Chimera, and everything works just fine. You may have to design some of your own parts, but usually that comes with building 3D printers in the first place. Good luck and have fun! -Karl Zhao
