Meet the Ultimaker S5
The Ultimaker S5 is a large printer, measuring 19.5 by 18 by 20.5 inches and weighing 45.4 pounds.
A Big Build Volume
The S5's build volume, 13 by 11.8 by 9.5 inches, is the largest of any 3D printer we have reviewed to date.
Dual Extruders
The S5's extruder assembly houses two extruders, each one fed from a different filament spool. It's possible to swap one of them out for use with a water-soluble filament.
The Carriages Bridge the Top
The extruder assembly rests on two motorized carriages that enable its X- and Y-axis horizontal motion.
Close-Up: A Filament Feeder
One of the S5's two filament feeders. When prompted during setup, you insert a strand of filament into the bottom of the feeder and apply pressure until it is grabbed by a set of gears and pulled through a feed tube.
Filament Spools
Here's a look at the S5's spool holder with two filament spools in place.
Build Plate
The S5's removeable build plate is held in place with four metal clips.
Back
The back of the S5, showing grilles for fans, a power-plug jack, an Ethernet port, and a port labeled "UMB Out," which Ultimaker says is to connect to future hardware add-ons. The white cable is plugged into a similar port, and is to supply NFC connectivity to a spot on the spool feed, so the S5 can identify the type and color of filament in the company's "smart" filament spools.
Touch Panel
The S5 has a nicely responsive touch screen. (Past Ultimaker printers we have reviewed have used non-touch screens controlled with a dial.)
Open Top
While the front of the S5 has a double door that can swing open or closed, the top is open-frame.
The Front USB Port
Conveniently placed in the front of the printer is a USB Type-A port. It fits a thumb drive, and you can print directly from them with the help of the touch panel.
A Peep at the Print Quality
Print quality ranged from good to excellent in our test prints. The S5 did particularly well in handling our geometric test object, as well as complex objects like the Apollo spacecraft shown here.
Printing a Frog in PLA and PVA
This test frog was printed with Tough PLA filament, using PVA as a support. The trick is that the PVA (which you see as the clear patch beneath the frog's head) is water-soluble.
Why the Frog Takes to Water
By immersing the frog in warm water, the PVA will dissolve slowly and slough away.
Final Frog
The completed frog, with PLA supports dissolved and the black "brim" cut away.