Ultimaker rev.3 assembly: Z-stage

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Assembly guide

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

5. Z-stage

6. Material feed mechanism

7. Mounting the electronics

The Z-stage

Requirements

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

Time needed:
60 to 90 minutes

Take the parts as depicted in the picture below:

Where left is YOUR left, not the machine's left...

Left side arm

Below are all the parts you need for one of the arms of the Z-platform. Take part F (letter facing upward) and place one of the 2 large linear bearings inside.

Then place part E on top of it, then part 4D, 4C, and finally part 4B.

Right side arm

Do the same for the right arm parts. Start with part F, place the bearing inside. Now place part E on top of it, followed by D, C and finally B.

Finally, place B on the stack. Press firmly to make sure that the bearing is securely in the stack. You may need some force to do this.

This is what the two arms should look like:

Drive nut assembly

Parts you'll need:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Notice that the Ultimaker text faces outwards and that the other piece has the "left side" and "right side" etching facing in. Also, each of these two pieces has 2 tabs on the left which fit into the left arm and 3 tabs on the right side, which fit into the right arm.

Putting it all together

Use 6x 30mm bolts and hex nuts to hold the left arm together.

Use 6x 30mm bolts and square nuts to connect the right arm to the center piece.

Note that the > and < symbols should match up:

Use 4x 30mm bolts, 3x square nuts and 1x hex nut to connect the right arm to the flat center piece. Square nuts go on the t-slots and the hex nut goes on the bolt closest to the back/center piece.

Just like the right arm, use 4x 30mm bolts, 3x square nuts and 1x hex nut to connect the left arm to the flat center piece. Square nuts go on the t-slots and the hex nut goes on the bolt closest to the back/center piece.

With your finger, keep the nut from falling out while you insert the bolt.

Before fastening the bolts, make sure that you hold down the assembly on a flat surface. This way the platform will also be flat when you tighten everything. You have to put it at the side of the table because one of the arms has a part sticking out (that triggers the Z limit switch).

One by one, tighten every bolt on the side.

Inserting the adjustable leveling screws

A set of spring loaded washers push the bed up a certain amount, that is adjustable by turing a bolt up or down into black/white Delrin parts.

Please use four 20mm screws with the springs, and eight 10m screws with hex-bolts for fixing the Delrin thingies.

Insert the Delrin parts as follows (Note: the Delrin parts have a molding seam and will fit much easier one way than the other):

Ensure they are really tight.

Make sure that the screws fits TIGHTEN in the Delrin parts and that its NOT loose. If it is loose check out the video bellow.

Finally, mount the acrylic print platform by guiding the four bolt heads through the holes in the acrylic. Then slide it sideways while pushing it down slightly.

You can do this mostly with one hand, by grabbing the lower rim of the left arm with your fingers (pinky to index finger) and your thumb against the acrylic. Then, squeeze your hand and you will slide it in place. You can do the same with your right hand on the right side to release the bed.

Preparing the bed for its first print

Put blue tape on the top surface of the acrylic, starting next to the first line that is engraved into the acrylic.

Then run a knife along the length of the groove that is laser cut into the acrylic. Then you can remove the excess parts of tape and get a really tidy print-bed:

Installing it in the machine

While the pictures are of an older revision of the Z-stage, the instructions remain the same.

Now the Z-STAGE can be mounted inside the machine. Place it on the bottom, take one of the 12mm thick axes, and slide it through the top of the machine all the way down, through the linear bearing, and push it gently into the bottom hole.

Slide the platform a little up and push the axe gently in the bottom hole.

Do the same for the other 12mm axes.

Finally you can place part 3B with 16mm bolts to the top, so the axes cannot slide out anymore.

Now take the M8 thread and place it from the top into the machine. Screw it into the nut that is enclosed in the Z-stage and rotate it until it protrudes at the bottom of the z-stage.

Now you can fix it into the coupling at the bottom by tightening the little set screws. You need a smaller size Allen key than is currently provided with the machine.

The frame is now ready.

Grease it up

Put a droplet of the supplied tube of grease on your finger and spread it across the the leadscrew by running your finger along its length. Later, when moving the Z axis, the nut will spread it round. You can turn it by hand now, or let the machine turn it by itself. The volume to add could be less than 0.5 cubic centimeter, e.g. about the volume of a piece of Sportlife gum.

While you're at it, you could also grease up the X and Y axes. You need a small amount of grease per axis, but it's definitely important not to skip this step.

On to the next section: