Ultimaker Cura 3.0 Available Now

Ultimaker Cura 3.0 offers a fresh new interface helping users prepare models for 3D printing.

This software from Ultimaker is designed as a solution for professionals who have adopted 3D printing into their workflow, according to the company.

Ultimaker Cura 3.0 offers:

A new UI. Use recommended settings for quick and easy print setup using intuitive sliders to prepare your print, or use custom settings to individually tweak over 200 unique slicing parameters.

Reduced print time and material consumption. Recommended mode has new default settings that aim to save print time, material usage and material costs.

Professional plugin integration. Integrate Ultimaker Cura into your workflow. Use it with industry-standard CAD software packages such as SolidWorks and Siemens NX, or develop your own custom plugins to meet specific demands.

The following shows a selection of features, improvements and bug fixes in Ultimaker Cura 3.0:

Ultimaker Cura will open, with your design imported, ready to be sliced and printed.

UI Improvements

Start-up speed has been cut in half compared with the previous version, the company reports.

The splash screen has been redesigned to reflect the new interface.

Recommended mode now uses sliders to alter slicing parameters.

The build plate now shows graduations of 10 mm and 1 mm for more accurate model positioning.

Extruder buttons have changed from tabs to buttons, and button colors have been changed to match the new color scheme.

The layer view drop-down box has moved from the bottom-left corner to the top-right corner.

The print time location has moved from the bottom-right corner of the 3D viewer to the left of the Print over Network/Save to File button.

The width of tab functionality will change according to the word space (supported across multiple languages).

Third-Party Plugins and CAD Integration

Professionals can now get the most from Ultimaker Cura by developing their own plugins to streamline their workflow. SolidWorks and Siemens NX compatible plugins are currently available and can be found in the Plugin Browser. Plugins can be installed with a single click, and updates will automatically be pushed when they are available.

SolidWorks integration. Compatible with SolidWorks 2016 and above, this plugin enables seamless integration between the two pieces of software.

Siemens NX integration. Designs created in Siemens NX can be pushed to Ultimaker Cura at the click of a button. If a design is modified in Siemens NX, it can be updated in Ultimaker Cura by clicking the button again. This plugin is compatible with Siemens NX 10 and 11.

New Slicing Features

Printing times and material consumption are heavily reduced by printing a lower PVA infill in the support and increasing it towards the top. On the (extra) fine and normal quality setting, PVA infill layers are printed at double thickness.

Z seam options gives the user control over where to place the seam: hide it in convex corners or in easy-to-remove locations such as concave corners.

Skin removal width: Remove thin strips of skin from a model to prevent print head zig-zagging, in turn preventing vibrations.

PVA retractions: PVA retraction length during a print core switch is increased. In combination with the reduced retraction distance and slightly higher max count, this ensures reduced stringing and more reliable results.

For more info, visit Ultimaker.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.