Ultimaker turned ten this year, cementing them as one of the most successful additive manufacturing companies of the decade.
A lot has happened at Ultimaker in ten years. The company was founded in 2011 and brought to market its first printer, the “Ultimaker” (later renamed to the Ultimaker Original) in 2011, which paved the way for a decade of innovation.
Ultimaker started out making a printer but made an ecosystem that supports additive manufacturing across thousands of applications.
In celebration of their 10-year milestone, here’s a recap of their history:
2013
2013 saw the release of the Ultimaker 2, offering a new interface, significantly improved print quality and faster speeds. This printer used an extruder driven directly by the motor as opposed to the geared system in the Original.
2014
In 2014, Ultimaker launched in America, transforming the business by opening up exposure to the fastest-growing additive manufacturing market in the world. Ultimaker launched the Ultimaker Original+ in the same year.
2015
In 2015, the Ultimaker 2 Go and Ultimaker 2 Extended were launched at CES, offering more compact and larger sizes than the Ultimaker 2 respectively. Ultimaker Cura software passed over 1 million downloads.
2016
In 2016, Ultimaker launched the significantly upgraded Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+ at CES. These had a geared feeder, swappable nozzles, improved cooling and a faster nozzle heat time.
Later in 2016, Ultimaker launched the all-new Ultimaker 3, which had dual extrusion, greater filament compatibility and NFC.
2017
2017 saw the launch of Cura Connect, Ultimaker’s first step toward connected 3D printing for rapid production. Cura Connect lets you group multiple printers into a single production workflow, creating groups for tasks and teams.
2018
2018 saw the launch of Ultimaker’s biggest 3D printer, the S5, which has a 330 x 240 x 300 mm (13 x 9.4 x 11.8 inches) build volume. The same year, Ultimaker launched the Ultimaker Material Alliance and Ultimaker Marketplace.
2019
In 2019, Ultimaker expanded the S-Line family with the Ultimaker S3 which is 35% smaller on the X-axis, 23% smaller on the Y-axis and 40% smaller on the Z-axis than the S5, delivering a more compact, high-performance printing experience.
Present-day
Today, the Ultimaker 3D printer range includes the following products:
Together, these machines enable all manner of additive manufacturing, from large scale production of performance plastic parts to figurine making in bedrooms.
Find out more
If you have any questions about Ultimaker and the Ultimaker ecosystem, call us on 01765 694 007 or send us an email at sales@additive-x.com for professional advice. You can also book a discovery call with our Ultimaker specialist Rachael Dawson.
Book a call with Rachael