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 2+ or Ultimaker 2 Extended+ clean while using it. It is advised not to use the Ultimaker 2+ 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.
At least once a month, clean the Ultimaker 2+ components following the instructions below:
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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. 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.
Before starting a new print, always check the surface of the build plate. At least once a month, clean the build plate thoroughly by taking the following steps:
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.
Clean with water
Use lukewarm water and a non-abrasive sponge to clean the build plate and 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
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.
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.
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.
Remove the glass plate from the printer
Clean the glass with a sponge
Tip: To ensure good adhesion of your next print, it is recommended to re-level the build plate after repositioning the glass plate.
Nozzle
While using the Ultimaker 2+, material can get stuck to the outside of the nozzle and degrade. Although this will not usually damage your printer, it is recommended to keep the nozzle clean in order to achieve the best print results.
Before starting a new print, always check the nozzle. 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 nozzle. Be careful and do not touch the nozzle with your bare hands. Protective (thermal) gloves are advised.
In the menu, navigate to Maintenance, then Heat up nozzle.
Rotate the controller button to set the target temperature to 150 °C.
Wait for the material on the outside to soften. When the nozzles are hot, carefully remove the material with tweezers.
Lower the nozzle temperature to 0 °C and wait for the nozzle to cool down.
Set the nozzle temperature to 150 °C
Remove the soft material with tweezers
Feeder
After a lot of printing, the knurled wheel in the material feeder can accumulate small filament particles. These can end up in the Bowden tube or nozzle, 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.
Unload material
Remove the material from the Bowden tube. In the Material menu, select Change and remove the material from the feeder. You can stay in this menu, so you can reload the material once you have finished cleaning the feeder.
Clean the feeder
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.
Reload
You can now complete the Change material process to reload your material.
Tip: Before reloading the material, check if the Bowden tube should be cleaned as well, following the instructions below.
Bowden tube
Particles in the Bowden tube can impede the smooth movement of the filament or mix colors. Clean the Bowden tube at least once a month, or after experiencing an issue with filament grinding. To clean the Bowden tube, it must be disconnected from the print head and feeder.
Unload material
Remove the material from the Bowden tube. In the Material menu, select Change and remove the material from the feeder. You can stay in this menu, so you can reload the material once you have finished cleaning the Bowden tube.
Tip: When following these instructions after cleaning the feeder, the material is already unloaded.
Remove the Bowden tube
Remove the clamp clips from the tube coupling collets at the print head and feeder, and pull out the Bowden tube from both ends. The cable clips that hold the Bowden tube to the print head cable do not have to be removed; you can leave them in place.
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.
Reinstall the Bowden tube
Push the ends of the Bowden tube back into the print head and feeder. Ensure the tube is fully inserted and secure it with the clamp clips.
When the tube is cleaned and reinstalled, you can load the material again.
Remove the Bowden tube
Clean the tube with a piece of 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:
Raise the build plate
You can lift up the build plate manually, or do so via the Ultimaker 2+ menu. In the Maintenance menu, select Raise build plate to raise the build plate all the way up.
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.
Lower build plate
Lower the build plate again. You can do so manually or via the Maintenance menu by selecting Lower build plate. This will lower the build plate back to the home position.
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
