3Dnatives Lab: Testing the S7 3D Printer From UltiMaker

In 2010, as part of the Reprap movement, a team of Dutch enthusiasts decided to build their own FDM printer, the Elserbot, in a Fablab. A year later, in 2011, this same team founded the company Ultimaker by commercializing the Ultimaker Protobox/Original FDM printer. Since this founding in 2010 by Martijn Elserman, Erik de Bruijn and Siert Wijnia, Ultimaker has become one of the pioneers of desktop FDM 3D printing.

Over the years, the company has continued to expand its FDM 3D printer line and developed one of the most popular slicers to date, Cura. At the same time, the firm created Management Console (ex-Cura Connect) and Digital Factory, both remote control interfaces.

Meanwhile, Ultimaker recently underwent a major change when it merged with its historical competitor Makerbot last year. This merger resulted in the new UltiMaker brand, and the S7, released on January 24, is the first product to be commercialized. Although it is the first printer resulting from the merger of the two entities, the UltiMaker S7 follows in the footsteps of the S series, which has proven itself with the S3 and S5 models. In essence, the S7 has been put forth as an improved version of the S5, after a year of research and development, aiming to address all its shortcomings. Furthermore, it promises to improve the accessibility and ease of use of FDM 3D printing.