This product has been discontinued, and its end-of-service date has passed. While it is no longer supported, the information on this page remains available for your reference.
For the best print results, it is important to keep the UltiMaker 3 clean. It is advised not to use the UltiMaker 3 in a room where it can easily be covered with dust, and to remove small pieces of material that might accumulate in the printer. Several parts of the printer require regular preventive cleaning, to avoid problems and print quality issues.
Cleaning the printer is part of the UltiMaker 3 maintenance schedule. At least once a month, clean the UltiMaker 3 components following the instructions below.
Caution: Before starting any of the maintenance actions described below, turn off the printer when possible. Otherwise, hold the print queue in the Digital Factory to prevent new print jobs from starting remotely.
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Glass build plate
For optimal adhesion of your prints to the glass build plate, it is important that the glass is thoroughly clean, or has a nice even layer of glue applied to it. Before starting a new print, always check the surface of the build plate. It is recommended to clean the glass plate after several prints, or at least once a month.
Caution: Always make sure that the build plate has cooled down. Ensure the build plate is lowered to the bottom of the Z axis.
1. Remove the glass plate
Ensure that the build plate is at the bottom of the printer. Open the two build plate clamps at the front and slide out the glass plate.
Note: Do not lift up or tilt the glass plate until it is out of the build plate clamps at the back to prevent damaging them.
2. Clean with water
Use lukewarm water and a non-abrasive sponge to clean the build plate and to remove any adhesives. If necessary, some detergent can be used to remove adhesives, or alcohol gel can be used to get rid of any fatty substances
3. Dry the plate
Leave the plate to air dry, or wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. Ensure that the plate is fully dry before reinstalling it in the printer.
4. Apply a layer of glue
For most materials, it is recommended to apply a thin layer of glue to the glass plate. This improves the adhesion of printed models to the build plate.
5. Reinstall the glass plate
Slide the glass plate back into the printer until it snaps into the build plate clamps at the back. Close the front two build plate clamps to secure the glass build plate.
Caution: Leaving the build plate clamps open may damage your UltiMaker 3 when the build plate is raised.
Open the build plate clamps to remove the glass plate
Clean the glass with a sponge
Tip: To ensure good adhesion of your next print, it is recommended to relevel the build plate after repositioning the glass plate.
Nozzles
During printing, material can get stuck to the outside of the nozzles and degrade. Although this will not usually damage your printer, it is recommended to keep the nozzles of the print cores clean in order to achieve the best print results.
Before starting a new print, always check the nozzles. At least once a month, remove the plastic from the outside of the nozzle by taking the following steps:
Caution: This procedure requires heating up the print cores. Be careful and do not touch the nozzle with bare hands. Protective (thermal) gloves are advised. If the UltiMaker 3 is connected to the Digital Factory, ensure that new print jobs cannot start unexpectedly.
In the UltiMaker 3 menu, navigate to Maintenance – PrintCore1 – Set temperature.
Do the same for print core 2 and ensure this print core is lowered.
Rotate the button to set the target temperature to 150 °C.
Wait for the material on the outside of the nozzle to soften. When the nozzles are hot, carefully remove the material with tweezers.
Lower the print core temperatures to 0 °C and wait for the nozzles to cool down.
Print head with old-style nozzle cover
Print head with new-style nozzle cover
Feeders
After a lot of printing, the knurled wheel in the material feeder can accumulate small filament particles. These can end up in the Bowden tubes or print cores, which can impact print quality. You can clean the feeders quickly once a month, following the instructions below, and more thoroughly only once a year or after experiencing grinding issues.
1. Unload material
First, remove the filaments from the printer. Via the Material/PrintCore menu, unload both spools. Take the filament out of the feeders. You can remove the spool from the printer, or just push the end of the filament through one of the holes in the spool to prevent the material from getting tangled.
2. Clean the feeders
To clean the inside of the feeder, you can blow into the hole in the front of the feeder housing. If necessary, you can use compressed air. This will remove the majority of filament particles.
3. Reload
Place the spools back onto the spool holder or remove the end of the filament from the hole in the spools. Reload the materials following the instructions on the display.
Tip: Before reloading the materials, check if the Bowden tubes should be cleaned as well, following the instructions below.
Bowden tubes
Particles in the Bowden tubes can impede smooth movement of the filament or mix colors. Clean the Bowden tubes at least once a month, or after experiencing an issue with filament grinding. To clean the Bowden tubes, they must be disconnected from the print head and feeders.
Caution: Turn off the printer or ensure the UltiMaker 3 cannot accept new print jobs through the Digital Factory.
1. Unload materials
First, remove the filaments from the printer. Via the Material/PrintCore menu, unload both spools. Take the filament out of the feeders. You can remove the spool from the printer, or just push the end of the filament through one of the holes in the spool to prevent the material from getting tangled.
Tip: When following these instructions after cleaning the feeders, the materials are already unloaded.
2. Remove the Bowden tube
Remove the clamp clips from the tube coupling collets at the print head and feeders and pull out the Bowden tube from both ends. The cable clips that hold the right Bowden tube to the print head cable do not have to be removed, you can leave them in place.
3. Clean the tube
Push a small piece of sponge or tissue through the tube with a length of filament until it comes out of the other side. Ensure that any debris from the tube does not fall inside the printer.
4. Reinstall the Bowden tube
Push the ends of the Bowden tube back into the print head and feeders. Ensure the tubes are fully inserted and secure them with the clamp clips.
When the tubes are cleaned and reinstalled, you can load the materials again.
Remove the Bowden tubes from the print head
Clean the tubes with a sponge
Tip: For detailed instructions on cleaning the Bowden tube, visit this page.
Inside of the printer
Small pieces of material can gather inside the printer. Leaving larger objects on the bottom panel can lead to errors, as they prevent the build plate from homing properly. Remove small particles regularly from the inside of the printer by taking the following steps:
1. Raise build plate
You can lift up the build plate manually, or do so using the Move build plate option in the Maintenance menu.
2. Clean the bottom panel
Clean the inside of the printer with a microfiber cloth or (handheld) vacuum cleaner. Remove all dust and pieces of filament. Pay extra attention to the area around the Z limit switch as obstructions here can cause print problems.
3. Lower build plate
Lower the build plate again (manually or via the menu).
Caution: Before lowering the build plate, make sure the printer is clear from objects and hands to prevent them from getting stuck under the build plate.
