After making a solid commitment to move into the US market by opening an official assembly and service hub stateside, Dutch 3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker has just announced a Heated Bed Upgrade Kit for its Ultimaker Original 3D printer. The upgrade kit can be purchased separately and will also be bundled with the new upgraded Ultimaker Original+.
The Heated Bed Upgrade Kit was announced at Maker Faire New York this past weekend. The Ultimaker Original has continually been considered one of the best desktop 3D printers on the market, and even at nearly three years old it continues to be impressibly reliable. So much so that Ultimaker has committed to continuing to support the printer and continue upgrading its hardware despite the recent release of the Ultimaker 2.
At a cost of $315, the Heated Bed Upgrade Kit will bring several new material options to the Original including PLA-based materials, XT, ABS and Nylon. The heated bed will also prevent prints from warping and need very little in the way of calibration with its new Z-stage. The kit will also include a glass plate for the bed, a power supply and additional electronics to bring everything together.
“When we first started with the Ultimaker Original, we never imagined Ultimaker becoming this big,” explained Ultimaker CEO Siert Wijnia “Together with our community we have been able to grow, and we owe it to ourselves and them to keep supporting them. These upgrades allow even our first users to evolve with us and keep their Ultimaker up to date.’’
In addition to offering the upgrade kit for sale, Ultimaker will also offer the Ultimaker Original+ bundle, which meets CE standards, has new electronics, new temperature controls and adds an additional fan shroud for $1,535. The Original and Original+ will also be bundled with the UltiController for free, and until October 26th it will also include a free Doodle3D so you can instantly 3D print original models directly from your tablet.
The Upgrade kit is scheduled to begin shipping on Oct 1st and the Original+ bundle is set to start shipping two weeks after that.
