Ultimaker rev.3 assembly: Frame

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Assembly guide

Mechanical assembly of the Ultimaker revision 3 (click for an overview)

1. Frame

6. Material feed mechanism

7. Mounting the electronics

Ultimaker Frame: assembled (rev.2)

Click here for a detailed photo series of the construction on our flickr account.

What you'll need

Time needed:
About 50 to 90 minutes.

Tools needed:

Hex keys (2mm)
5.5 mm socket wrench or pliers, for M3 Nylock nuts

**Parts needed in this section**
Qty.	Description	Notes
6	Laser cut panels (Wood)	Marked LEFT, RIGHT, TOP, BOTTOM, "Ultimaker"(FRONT) and BACK.
6	Limit switches	Wired with 3 different colors.
4	Cable ducts	Black cable ducts made of kite fabric.
41	Hexagonal M3 nuts	Used anywhere else.
43	Socket cap M3 bolts 16mm	Used in the t-slots.
12	Socket cap M3 bolts 10mm	Used in Limit switches.
2	M3 washers	Used in Limit switches.
1	Blue Scotch tape	The roll inside the Megapack.
1	Laser cut part 11A	Reel holder retention plate.
2	Laser cut part 3A	Cover for 12mm diameter holes.
2	M3 Nylock nuts	Used for reel holder retention plate, with blue plastic inside.
4	Velcro	Used to hold the wires together.

The complete frame is built with M3 hex-bolts, with lengths of 10, 16, 20 and 30mm.

All panels are marked with the side they belong to.

For all the panels except the front panel, the engravings face towards the inside of the machine. The front panel has the "Ultimaker" engraving on the outside.
The bottom panel has the engraving faced downward.

Sanding.

Before starting the assembly, you may want to slightly sand the panels to remove any burn marks / blemishes from the laser cutting process. You can also paint or stain your Ultimaker. Be aware though that paint will not take very well on the brown cutting edges. If you have received a painted Ultimaker, wipe the smoke marks off with a green scouring pad and soapy water

LCD.

If you want to install an LCD through a hole in the front panel, you should cut it before starting this. Later disassembling to get the front panel free is quite some work.

Step 1: Limit switches

**Needed in this step**
Qty.	Description	Notes
1	Front panel	Wooden panel with the Ultimaker logo.
1	Back panel	Wooden panel marked BACK.
1	Left panel	Wooden panel marked LEFT
2	Black Limit switches	Small black box with black twisted wires.
2	Blue Limit switches	Small black box with blue twisted wires.
2	Red Limit switches	Small black box with red twisted wires.
12	M3 socket cap bolts	10 mm long
2	Washers	small flat metal rings

Limit switches (or 'end stops') make sure the machine stops moving if the carriage comes to the edge of the machine.

Don't strain the tapped thread on the inside of the switch housing by putting a lot of force on the bolts. All limit switches are pre-tapped, you can fasten them directly with M3 bolts, no nuts required here!

All wires of limit switches need to be twisted (otherwise they can be triggered by electrical interference from the motors and restrict the motion in your machine, this can cause strange effects during a 3D print).

1. Use two M3 bolts to mount each of the 2 BLUE limit switches on the backside of the FRONT panel with the lever sticking UP.

2. Mount 2 RED limit switches on the backside of the LEFT panel with the lever sticking DOWN.

3. Mount 2 BLACK limit switches on the backside of the BACK panel, facing each other and with the levers pointing to the LEFT. For the limit switch on the top of the back use 2 washers between the head of the screw and the wood, because this one will need very careful adjustment at the end.

Mounting black switches

The one with the short wire should be mounted on 1 (see markings on wood) and the long one should be on 2 (see markings on wood).

Orientation of the switches

The orientation of the switches are engraved on the panels, except for the frontpanel. In total the machine has 6 limit switches: 2 with blue wires, 2 with red wires and 2 with black wires (1 has a short wire and 1 has a long wire).

After step 1, the panels should look like this:

Note that the LEFT and BACK panel have the text engraved on the inside of the machine (now facing you). Mount the switches to the panels using 10mm bolts, according to the picture above. On the back panel make sure the switch with LONG wires is mounted on the top, and the switch with SHORT wires at the bottom of the back panel. When you've assembled your Ultimaker, the final position of the switches can be easily adjusted by loosening the bolts, moving them to the desired position and then retightening them. An axis should make a clicking sound when it trips an end stop.

The side facing you should be on the INSIDE of the machine.

Step 2: Assembling the 'cube'-shaped frame

**Needed in this step**
Qty.	Description	Notes
6	Wooden panels	TOP, BOTTOM and RIGHT , plus the panels from the previous step.
1	Blue Scotch tape	The roll inside the Megapack.
37	M3 socket cap bolts	16 mm.
37	M3 Hex nuts	not the square ones.
2	Black cable ducts-Long	cable organizer pack
2	Black cable ducts-Short	cable organizer pack

Cable ducts

Be careful not to put any force on the panels because the they are weak in this configuration; however they will become very sturdy once you mount a few more panels.

Using hex nuts

If you use the hex nuts, it might be helpful to put all the nuts in their slots and put some tape over the slots to prevent them from falling out.

1. Place the back panel on the table with the markings facing towards you.

2. Insert the TOP panel by placing the tabs of the top panel into the slots of the back panel.

Tip when mounting

The top panel should fit into the back such that four T slots (not three) line up with the four holes in the back. Also, don't accidentally put the top plate in upside-down. It is symmetrical left to right and will work upside-down, but the engraving will be visible.

Top and back panel

(close up)

3. Do the same with the BOTTOM panel and then place the FRONT panel on both:

4. Put the frame gently on its side (be careful, it's not bolted together yet!)

5. Take the cable ducts from the Cable organizer pack. You will have 4 cable ducts, 2 longer ones that go at the FRONT of the machine and 2 shorter ones that go at the BACK under the stepper motors.

6. Start with the BACK-RIGHT SHORT cable duct. Fold each cable duct in half along its length and place it over the tabs, so that it forms a pocket that runs along the inside of the frame.

7. Put blue tape on the cable duct to keep it folded. Make sure it can be easily removed a few steps further along.

8. Do the same for the FRONT-RIGHT LONG cable duct (also use blue tape). Ensure the small round holes in the cable duct align with the T slots in the front panel.

9. Now that both cable ducts are in place, you're ready to fit the RIGHT side panel. Fix with a few bolts, you might need to disassemble later if you made a mistake.

10. If everything fits, remove the blue tape.

11. Turn the machine on its right side and place the 2 remaining cable ducts in a similar way. The long one on the front, and the short one on the back.

12. Place the left side panel and remove the blue tape again.

The frame should now look like this:

13. Bolt the frame together.

Inserting nuts

Insert the nuts into the T-slots where they will not fall out (where panel is vertical), or use your finger to keep them in place. Use 16mm bolts to fasten the panels together. Add a nut and fasten it, then go on to the next one, until the whole frame is fastened together nicely. Make sure no cables get jammed before tightening. Also, beware of overtightening, since the wood gives in easily.

When done, the frame should look like this:

14. Then guide the end stop wires through the cable ducts and through the holes in the corners.

Step 3: Mounting various parts

**Needed in this step**
Qty.	Description	Notes
4	Pieces of Velcro	To hold the wires on the bottom together.
1	Wooden part 11A	A square block with 4 square holes.
2	Wooden part 3A	To cover the holes at the bottom panel
6	M3 socket cap bolts	16 mm.
4	M3 Hex nuts	not the square ones.
2	M3 Nylock nuts	with blue plastic inside.