[3D Printing News] How are Ultimaker printers manufactured?

[3D Printing News] How are Ultimaker printers manufactured?

The members wanted to understand some of our assembly process, what was needed, and what could be changed.

AMA (meaning "Ask me anything") is a popular question-and-answer format in online communities. During the session, people can ask the moderator any question on a specific topic. At our last session, Steve and Erin answered questions posted by users on Twitter (using the hashtag #UltimakerAMA) or our community forum.
Steve works at the Ultimaker manufacturing plant in the Netherlands, leading our global Six Sigma teams in project planning, sourcing, logistics, manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, and quality assurance. Erin works at FBRC8 North America. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the assembly, technical support, quality management, shipping, and inventory departments.
Breaking News: Ultimaker S5 Released. The newly launched Ultimaker has revolutionized our production processes and generated considerable interest. The Ultimaker S5 is a larger printer than our previous models, boasting a new volume of 330 x 240 x 300 mm ( the Ultimaker 3 was 215 x 215 x 200 mm). User @Dim3nsioneer asked, "What specific challenges did you encounter during production with the new Ultimaker S5?"



Steve answered the question. " The Ultimaker S5 is huge! It presented new challenges for us in how to move semi-finished and finished products. Therefore, we developed a lifting platform that can be used as a trolley, allowing the team to more easily and safely lift and move the S5 for the assembly process."
@cjs also asked about the new aluminum printing platform and its challenges. "There are no challenges, only opportunities," Steve replied. "In this situation, we're working to achieve the highest quality with the aluminum printing platform, and it's taking a little longer than expected."

Processes and procedures

@ultiarjan wondered if the S5 was installed on an existing conveyor belt, which sparked a discussion about how the production line works.
"We actually assemble them by each trained operator who is capable of assembling every model of printer we produce," Steve said. They have operating instructions for each printer and assemble a complete printer one at a time. This is typically a bit different from mass production lines.
Erin confirmed this: "Most printers are assembled by a technician working at a desk, which is ESD safe. However, some printer components are assembled separately beforehand to facilitate a smoother assembly process."



Steve went on to explain: "The process of picking and filling production pallets for assembly is divided into two parts. One process [involves] individual parts coming directly from the warehouse. The other process is pre-assembly, where we pick out parts and then assemble [these] into a composite unit."

@kmanstudios wanted to know how the websites in the Netherlands and North America stay in sync. Erin explained, "We meet regularly to discuss upcoming changes or issues we encounter."
There is a continuous feedback loop between quality control and technical support during production. This means that any problems observed in the process can be investigated, the cause can be identified, the best course of action can be taken, and solutions can be discussed.

Regarding all assembly

Some users wanted to know more about how our printers are assembled. A question from @cjs about the average assembly time per printer elicited an interesting response from Steve: "Total time – including picking, pre-assembly, quality control, and packing – ranges from 400-550 minutes. The Ultimaker 2+ is currently the fastest printer to assemble. The S5 is now faster than the smaller dual extruder Ultimaker 3 because the manufacturing engineering team has improved the assembly process."
He went on to explain some of the upgrades that reduced S5 assembly time. "The assembly of the housing is a significant improvement, with faster and cleaner self-locking flathead screws. Now we can operate the screwdrivers with one hand instead of having to hold and tighten them with both hands."
You can read the full AMA on our community forum. Thanks to everyone who asked questions. We love sharing all things Ultimaker, so follow us on Twitter for our next AMA!

Original link: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/52641-how-are-ultimaker-printers-made-read-our-ama-recap