Ultimaker checklist

How to successfully introduce3D printing in your business

Table of contents

1. Introduction 32. Convincing stakeholders 43. Choosing a 3D printer 64. Education and staffing 85. Software 96. Materials 107. Facilities 118. Maintenance 12

How to successfully introduce 3D printing in your business

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1. Introduction

Bringing the 3D printing process in-house is an effective way of optimizing the product

development workflow; enabling faster iterations and reduced costs.

Many organizations have already made the transition in industries as diverse as

automotive engineering and movie special effects. This checklist guide is designed to help

you with the introduction of fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing so your business

can benefit from the advantages of in-house rapid prototyping and production.

What preparations are necessary in order to profit from the full potential of in-house

printing? By following the outlined steps and by checking which tasks are completed,

you can keep a good overview of your progress.

Today’s highly capable desktop FFF platforms can also add value for applications

beyond prototyping, such as molds, tooling, and one-off and low-volume end-use parts,

such as customized jigs and fixtures.

By embracing and successfully implementing desktop FFF 3D printing you will benefit from:

¥ Faster prototyping cycles

¥ Less interruption to the design process, not broken by lengthy part lead times

when outsourced to a third party

¥ The ability to carry out and evaluate more design iterations leading to a higher

quality final product

¥ Fast ROI and cost savings for the business compared with outsourcing

Remember, preparation is the key to success. Purchasing a 3D printer is only a small part of

the process that leads to a faster and more flexible product development.

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2. Convincing stakeholders

When attempting to change any established process in an organization, there is a

good chance you will encounter resistance from some colleagues. This can be caused

by fear of change and disruption, but innovating to remain competitive in a digital

world is essential today.

There are several issues that might make a transition of this nature seem daunting –

the design software, compatibility issues, materials, the machines themselves, as well as

practicalities such as space allocation, staff training, and safety. However, when companies

take the time to break these down and address them individually, often the ‘problems’ can

become opportunities.

Your first step has to be to get all stakeholders on board. Integrating 3D printing into an

existing work environment will require internal communication and collaboration.

Engineering workspace at the Volkswagen Autoeuropa plant in Portugal

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Get the management team on board � Write a plan of action, which sets out the following benefits and how you will

use the technology. (These will be covered in more detail later in this document)

1. Return on investment. Compare your current manufacturing costs with FFF 3D printing

2. Lead times comparison. Compare the lead times with the process you currently use

(e.g. outsourcing) with a typical FFF 3D print and post-processing time

3. Impact on design cycles. Estimate how many more iterations this will allow in a cycle,

or how you can reduce the overall development time

4. Costs. Set out the cost of the 3D printer(s) you will invest in, plus setup and running

costs (e.g. material, printer consumables, CAD software, tools, workstations,

training, maintenance)

Involve colleagues at an early stage � Organize a demonstration and information meetings to explain the benefits of 3D printing

� Establish a “taskforce” which brings together a team of employees familiar with and

enthusiastic about 3D printing. They will advocate and disseminate the advantages of

the technology throughout other teams in the organization

Talk to colleagues and build a compelling business case for investing in 3D printing

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3. Select a 3D printer

There are many 3D printers from different brands on the market. All have their own specific

capabilities. Selecting the best 3D printer for your project will be a challenging task.

Remember that you may benefit most by investing in more than one 3D printing technology,

especially if you have many varied requirements for the parts you want to produce.

� Define the specifications you need your printer to have. Ultimaker offers a

step-by-step guide which helps you define the ideal printer specifications.

You can use this information for your request for information from potential suppliers

� Determine the number of printers required (see next section)

� Request information from various suppliers

� Create a shortlist together with the taskforce group

� Request quotes

� Make a final choice

Printing multiple parts at once then assembling reduces printing time for large objects

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Choose the required number of printersA printer can execute only one task simultaneously, although you can put multiple parts

in one print job if they fit within the printer’s build volume.

Still, your needs may already exceed what one printer can do, so it is necessary to map

the desired and available capacity. If this is clear, you know if you can manage with one

or need more printers. Below are the factors you need to understand when assessing

the capacity you need.

� Analyze current production volumes. This will give you an indication of what

you will need the 3D printers to do, but next you must understand the time

resources needed for in-house 3D printing

� Preparation time. With in-house 3D printing the time to create a part is greatly

reduced. The engineer’s work, however, can increase slightly. Preparatory work

– such as using computer-aided manufacturing software to prepare the model,

and system setup – is now no longer outsourced, but is done in-house

� Print time. Print times with an FFF printer vary depending on size and detail.

You can download Ultimaker Cura software for free now and use its print time

estimate to see how long a typical part you want to print would take

� Post-processing and finishing time. Research what sort of post-processing is

required for your prints, like support removal or cleaning. Get an idea of what

these steps are and how long they take. Based on the appearance of your part,

also investigate the requirement and time needed for sanding, filling, priming,

coating or painting

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4. Education and staffing

For decades, designers and engineers have been designing for manufacturability (DfM),

which involves rules for assembly. 3D printing frees designers from many of these

traditional design constraints, but does have some rules to follow in order to design

parts successfully. However, this different approach demands a learning curve when

it comes to designing for additive manufacturing (DfAM).

Creating designs which can be 3D printed is not very complicated, but requires some

additional knowledge and experience. That is why training staff is important.

� Set up onboarding training. This will introduce staff to the printer and

associated software and reduce initial costs caused by print errors or

slow setup. In most cases your seller can provide training

� Offer more advanced design training. Research online training courses and

manuals that quickly familiarize a designer with specific design requirements will

be useful. At Ultimaker.com there are several documents with design standards

and manuals for Ultimaker Cura slicing software

� Ask experts for help. Research whether there is an online community that can

serve as a source of information

� Identify skills gaps. Do a skills audit to check if additional staff are needed for

designing or post-processing printed parts

Understanding how to design for 3D printing will ensure quality results

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5. Software

Designing in 3D modeling software is now widespread and a prerequisite for

making the most of 3D printing. There are countless 3D modeling software options

available to designers.

Today, most 3D modeling software is compatible with industry standard 3D printing

file types, such as STL, 3MF, and OBJ files, which in turn are compatible with 3D printer

software, such as Ultimaker Cura. This hugely simplifies the software integration

process and your workflow.

� Check software compatibility. Make sure the file format of the designs software

is compatible with the 3D printer’s slicing software

� Do an IT audit. Make an inventory of all computers the 3D printer software has to

be installed on. Is the printer software compatible? Do systems need to be updated?

Ultimaker Cura runs on Windows and macOS, and works with all major 3D model file types

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6. Materials

FFF 3D printing offers a wide range of thermoplastics and composite materials, often

referred to as “filaments”. These range from cost-effective filament options ideal for

prototyping to engineering materials that can replicate required product properties in

prototypes or make strong end-use parts.

� Analyze your material needs. Do you require any specific materials? What are

the properties your prints need, and which materials can provide these?

� Check your 3D printer options. Is the printer (or printers) you plan to purchase

compatible with these materials?

� Consider material suppliers. Check your chosen printer has an open filament

system, which means you can use any supplier’s materials. Some brands will

only allow you to use their own filaments, limiting your options

Printer material compatibility varies, so check which materials it prints before purchasing

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7. Facilities

When bringing 3D printing in-house, it is important to consider the physical work

environment and how you will operate the printers.

� Decide where to place the 3D printer. Should you place printers on the designers’

desks or in a centrally located space where they are more accessible to all?

� If you are using multiple printers, are they connected? This enables a continuous

production workflow, as jobs are automatically scheduled and delegated to

printers without the need to keep going to the printer to start each print

� Make sure there are sufficient electrical outlets, a printer uses a lot of power

(check its specification for exact power supply requirements)

� Decide how print jobs will be started and monitored. This depends a lot on if they

will be connected to a network. If the printer is located near to the operator, then

USB sticks can be an alternative way of sending jobs to the printer, but requires

more effort and does not allow for queuing multiple prints from different people

� Is climate control sufficient (consider both humidity and temperature)? When

working with materials such as ABS where fumes are produced, ventilation is

required. Check the data sheets from your material supplier for instructions

� Ensure easy access to post-processing facilities, for example to water for dissolving

support material and space to work with tools

� Check if damping or insulation is required to prevent noise pollution, and that vibrations

will not affect the printers

� Make sure there is storage space for filament and spare parts

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8. Maintenance

Like any type of hardware, 3D printers need to be routinely maintained and cleaned to

ensure optimum performance and a long lifespan. This will vary depending on the printer

you choose and what type of contract you get from your seller.

� Make a schedule for daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance.

Determine how much time it will take and what tools or supplies are needed

� Determine the amount of maintenance you can do yourself, like cleaning the

nozzle or calibrating the build plate, and what maintenance you like to outsource

� Get a service contract, including repairs, preventative maintenance and

application support

Once you have checked off all the items listed in this document, you will be ready to

start with 3D printing in your organization. Being prepared for both procurement and

implementation of in-house 3D printers will help you make the right decisions and maximize

success from day one and gain a competitive edge.

Read more 3D printing resources Compare Ultimaker 3D printers

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About Ultimaker

Ultimaker has been in operation since 2011, and over the years has grown to become a

market-leader; creating powerful, professional, and accessible desktop 3D printers with offices

in the Netherlands, New York, and Boston, plus production facilities in Europe and the US.

Ultimaker’s team of over 300 employees continually strives to offer the highest-quality 3D

printers, software, and materials on the market to accelerate the world’s transition to local

digital manufacturing.

General inquiries: info@ultimaker.com

Find a local reseller: ultimaker.com/en/resellers