UltiMaker just announced some interesting upgrades for their S6 and S8 3D printers.
The S6 and S8 are not new machines; they were both announced last year, so they are about a year old. That’s a good length of time for a bump in capabilities, and that’s precisely what UltiMaker did.
The upgrade won’t be visible to the eye, but it will be when you look at the statistics. Specifically, they’ve included their powerful “Cheetah” motion planner.
UltiMaker Cheetah is able to drive the systems at far faster print speeds. The company said both machines can now print at up to 500mm/s and have acceleration of 50,000mm/s². Note that the 500mm/s print speed is likely measured when printing 0.1mm layers, just like other companies do.
That’s a good print speed, but by no means is it the fastest machine on the market. Many machines can now print at these speeds, and honestly, slower machines probably don’t have much chance in the market. It was a very good thing for UltiMaker to crank up the speed on these devices.
However, UltiMaker does offer something few other 3D printer manufacturers do: a very comprehensive materials ecosystem that’s directly integrated into their hardware and software. They say that there are now “over 301 materials” compatible with these machines. That means there are print profiles for these materials that are ready to go and should result in near-perfect prints.
Choosing a 3D printer should not be based on a few hardware specifications. That’s because your experience includes all the other aspects of operating a 3D printer, and that’s where this company has spent much of its effort.
Via UltiMaker
